Maratha reservation protest: Activist Manoj Jarange Patil ends hunger strike as govt accepts demands
Jarange Patil broke down in tears and drank juice, calling the occasion a “Diwali” for his community. “Marathas have emerged victorious today and we are happy,” Jarange Patil said as he was being carried from the protest stage to the ambulance on the fifth day of the agitation. Read on to know more.
Trump to unveil major military announcement — all eyes on Space Command HQ
President Donald Trump is slated to make an announcement related to the Department of Defense Tuesday, with all eyes on an update of the location of Space Command’s headquarters. While Space Command has been operating out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Trump has pushed for the command’s headquarters to move to Huntsville, Alabama. However, former President Joe Biden announced in 2023 that the command would remain based in Colorado. RENAMED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMING ‘SOON,’ TRUMP SAYS White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Fox News that Tuesday’s announcement was related to the Defense Department. The agency initially posted a livestream link for Trump’s 2 p.m. announcement with a description that the event was related to Space Command’s headquarters. The description was subsequently updated to remove the mention of Space Command. The Associated Press also reported Tuesday that Trump will announce plans to move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama. TRUMP’S WHIRLWIND WEEK AHEAD TO INCLUDE MEETING WITH NATO CHIEF, ‘MAJOR’ ANNOUNCEMENT ON RUSSIA The announcement comes as both Colorado and Alabama have been vying to house Space Command, which Trump established in 2019 as a new combatant command to oversee U.S. military space operations and is currently involved in Trump’s Golden Dome initiative. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital when asked about Space Command’s headquarters. Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Government shutdown, Epstein files, DC crime: Congress returns to mountain of drama
House and Senate lawmakers are returning to Washington from their home turfs to face a litany of critical battles in the coming weeks. Tuesday marked the end of Congress’ annual August recess, and legislators are being met with several deadlines, ranging from averting a partial government shutdown to possibly extending President Donald Trump’s grip on D.C.’s police force. COMER SUBPOENAS THE CLINTONS, TRUMP’S DOJ IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT’S EPSTEIN PROBE The House and Senate will overlap for just 14 days between Tuesday and the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, and no agreement has been reached yet on fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending priorities. It’s likely that a stopgap extension of FY 2025 funding levels – called a continuing resolution (CR) – will be needed to avert a shutdown, which could have politically damaging consequences for Republicans while they control both Congress and the White House. Democrats, unhappy with Republican efforts to rescind prior appropriated funds via the rescissions process, have signaled they’re ready to play hardball. Any funding bill will need to pass through the Senate’s filibuster threshold, meaning Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., can only lose a handful of votes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is still calling for a bipartisan process, but trust across the aisle is wearing thin. A White House official told reporters on Friday they believe a clean CR, meaning without any changes or riders attached, would put Democrats in a difficult position and that rejecting one would pin the blame for a shutdown on the left. Republicans themselves will have precious little room for error, however. Two special elections in safe blue seats between now and Sept. 30 are poised to shrink the House GOP majority from three seats to two. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN A bipartisan effort to force a House-wide vote on releasing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) records on Jeffrey Epstein is expected to move full-throttle this week, even as the DOJ has already agreed to hand a tranche of files over to the House Oversight Committee. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are leading what’s known as a discharge petition, a mechanism for forcing a vote on legislation over the wishes of House leaders. That’s if the petition gets a majority of House lawmakers’ signatures. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., publicly condemned the effort in July, dismissing discharge petitions as a tool of the minority party and asserting that all Republicans were in favor of transparency in Epstein’s case. Khanna told NBC News’ “Meet The Press” over the weekend that the petition would go live on Sept. 2, and that he and Massie have more than enough commitments to force a vote. CAPITOL HILL PREPARES FOR HIGH-STAKES BATTLE OVER TRUMP CRIME PACKAGE, DC POLICE AUTHORITY This week will also see the end of Trump’s 30-day hold over Washington, D.C.’s, police force, barring congressional action to extend it. Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) last month as part of a wider effort to crack down on crime in the capital city. Under D.C.’s Home Rule Act, his authority over the local police can last 30 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution to extend it. The president suggested in August, however, that he could bypass Congress on the issue if he declared a national emergency — a move that some Republicans are already on board with. Additionally, Trump’s deployment of federal troops into the District does not have a statutory end date. It’s not clear yet which route will be taken, but a leadership aide told Fox News Digital last month that House leaders were working with the White House on a package of legislation addressing D.C. crime. Senate Republicans were unable to get a deal in place to advance dozens of low-level nominations before leaving Washington last month. Currently, Trump has 145 nominees scheduled on the executive calendar with more expected to make their way through committee as lawmakers continue their workflow. And Republicans are willing to go nuclear on Senate Democrats to get their nominees through. That would mean unilaterally changing the rules in the upper chamber without Democrats weighing in. The Senate GOP is set to meet this week to discuss the proposed rule changes, which could include shortening the debate time for certain nominees, bundling nominees together into a package or skipping the cloture vote on some nominees altogether.
Senate aide who survived brutal DC stabbing says crime fight ‘worthwhile’
Phillip Todd, lying bloody on a public street, needed someone to pray for him. The then-26-year-old Senate staffer had just been attacked in a random act of violence, one of the many that were brutally etched in 2023 in Washington, D.C. At that moment, he was full of fear and needed a helping hand from a higher power. That higher power, as it turned out, was channeled by the paramedic working to keep him alive. GOP SENATORS SAY THEY’RE OPEN TO TRUMP DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD IN THEIR STATES’ BLUE CITIES “The first thing that I had thought of was, ‘Well, I need to pray. Maybe I can’t pray myself, but someone needs to pray for this,’” Todd told Fox News Digital. “So, I asked the paramedic to pray for me. And he said, ‘Are you Christian? Like, what are you?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m a Christian.’” “He goes, ‘Well, I’m an atheist,’” Todd continued. “And I said, ‘That’s fine. You can pray for me.’ He was kind and obliged.” The incident on H Street in Washington, D.C., could have been the perfect flashpoint for a political operative looking for an anecdote about crime in the district — to use as a cudgel against Democratic policies in the nation’s capital city. Todd was working for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and was attacked in broad daylight in the midst of one of the worst crime years Washington had experienced in the last three decades. After all, he was millimeters away from becoming a statistic. He was stabbed at least four times, with the knife piercing his skull, nearly severing his ear, plunging through his diaphragm and coming dangerously close to his heart. Even now, in the midst of a hyper-politicized push by the Trump administration to crack down on crime in D.C. that has spurred accusations of authoritarianism from Democrats and accolades from Republicans, Todd, who still works on the Hill, has kept politics and what happened to him separate. DC STATEHOOD DEBATE INTENSIFIES AS TRUMP FLEXES AUTHORITY OVER LOCAL POLICE But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t struggled with that balance in the years since. A self-described “political creature,” Todd said the political thoughts of how his story could be used to shine a light on crime in Washington had bounced around in his head. However, his focus has been on the deeper connection that he found with his faith, a journey he was already on when his assailant, Glynn Neal, attacked him out of the blue. “The story for me, or the obligation for me, is to focus on the goodness of God, and focus on obedience to God and stewarding that story,” he said. “Maybe the politics come later, but I think it seems to me that there’s two kind of obligations that anyone who goes through something like this has, and I think there’s a personal obligation, there’s a societal obligation.” Still, lawmakers and Washington residents are grappling with President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and flood the district’s streets with federal law enforcement and the National Guard in an effort to crack down on crime. When asked what he thought of troops walking the streets, Todd said he wasn’t sure what the right solution to crime in the district was, but that he thinks “it’s a problem worth solving.” “I think what I’ve told some of my friends, I don’t know whether or not troops in the city is the best way to do it,’ Todd said. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But I do think that the attitude of trying to solve that problem is something that people need to have, and it’s worthwhile.” CAPITOL HILL PREPARES FOR HIGH-STAKES BATTLE OVER TRUMP CRIME PACKAGE, DC POLICE AUTHORITY One of the most striking things about Todd is his ability to crack jokes about a knife plunging through his skull and piercing the membrane that surrounds his brain. Now, he has a titanium plate that has further affirmed his friends’ belief that he is hard-headed — it also doesn’t set off metal detectors at the airport, he noted. However, the fact that he underwent a traumatic situation at the hands of Neal, who had been released from prison just days before the attack after serving over a decade behind bars and was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial in June, was not lost on him either. But it was his decision to forgive Neal early on while still recovering in his hospital bed, a choice he wondered if he would have made had his entire faculties been there. Nonetheless, it’s one that he stood by and credited for his ability to look at the situation in a light-hearted manner. “I think the opportunity for redemption in this particular story, it seems to me, and maybe this changes over time, doesn’t lie necessarily with the political but lies more on the fact that this was a very egregious crime,” he said. “This is a very big wrong that was done to me.” “It would be totally understandable to have a lot of desire to see retribution,” Todd continued. “And yet instill in those moments — because God had gifted me with the ability to forgive, and God had saved me from death — showing how obedience to God can also lead others to a life full of meaning and satisfaction and redemption and tough trials and situations.”
Delhi NCR weather update: Rain resumes in parts of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, red alert in…
Gurugram remains under orange alert for now. The city witnessed overnight rainfall triggering heavy waterlogging and traffic snarls.
Will Manoj Jarange end his fast now? Maharashtra govt assures Kunbi status, details here
The Maharashtra government has assured activist Manoj Jarange that a Government Resolution will soon be issued to accord Kunbi status to Marathas from the Marathwada region.
Delhi govt activates flood response plan as Yamuna breaches evacuation mark
The Delhi government has already positioned 58 boats, 675 life jackets and 82 mobile pumps to protect citizens as water entered several low-lying areas in the national capital.
School holiday: Schools in Noida, Ghaziabad closed on September 3 due to heavy rains; check details
Delhi-NCR Weather Update, School holiday: All schools in Noida and Ghaziabad are ordered to be closed on September 3, Wednesday, due to heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR occurring for more than a week.
Congress returns with Democrats refusing to negotiate as Oct. 1 shutdown deadline looms
Both the House and Senate return to session Tuesday after a lengthy summer recess — with a hectic fall and a looming deadline to fund the government on the horizon. Front and center is an Oct. 1 deadline to fund the government. Democratic votes are essential to break a filibuster on any spending plan in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) faces criticism from the left after he caved and helped avoid a shutdown in March — receiving nothing in return. Democrats seem unwilling to make a deal at all, as President Donald Trump tries to unilaterally cancel spending already allocated. REPUBLICAN SEN. JONI ERNST OF IOWA WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION: SOURCES Looming over all of this is the specter of the Epstein files, as attaching any Epstein language related to spending bills could complicate avoiding a shutdown. Also, Senate Republicans will consider altering procedures to expedite the confirmation of nominees. The GOP has been accusing Democrats of slow-walking even noncontroversial nominees. FIGHT OVER POLICING DC MOVES TO CONGRESS AS PARTIES SPLIT ON CONTROL In September, the House Oversight Committee will continue to hear from former Biden administration officials about the cognitive abilities of the former president. Public health is front and center after firings and resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies the first week of September. That hearing was scheduled before the turmoil.
Ex-Mayor de Blasio touts socialist Mamdani as New York City’s answer to Trump policies
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor on Tuesday morning. Penning his endorsement in an opinion piece for the New York Daily News, the former mayor highlighted Mamdani’s commitment to affordability for working-class New Yorkers. “We don’t just need Zohran Mamdani to be our mayor because he has the right ideas, or because they can be achieved. We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running,” de Blasio said. Mamdani’s Democratic primary win proved that New Yorkers are aligned with his progressive mission, including freezing the rent, providing free child care and establishing city-run grocery stores, de Blasio said. MAMDANI’S PRIMARY WIN EXPOSES DEMOCRAT DIVIDE AS TOP LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS When reached for comment, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa told Fox News Digital, “De Blasio nearly destroyed NYC and defunded law enforcement. His endorsement of Mamdani is a warning. Mamdani is de Blasio 2.0, but far more dangerous.” EX-NYC MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO SAYS THERE’S ‘A LOT OF EXAGGERATION’ OVER MAMDANI FEARS Despite Mamdani’s success reaching New Yorkers this year, the former mayor acknowledged that many are still skeptical that he can deliver on his ambitious campaign promises, writing, “I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes.” The former New York City leader said he faced the same criticisms during his tenure as mayor of the nation’s biggest city, from 2014 to 2021. “Throughout my time in City Hall, the argument that my vision was recklessly idealistic — that it was both unrealistic and fraught with dangerous unintended consequences — was thrown at my plans for affordable housing, paid sick days, the $15 minimum wage and most of all, pre-K for all — all initiatives I delivered on,” he said. The former mayor defended Mamdani’s promises, including rent freezes, which his own administration secured several times for New Yorkers. “My administration delivered a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments three times, helping millions make ends meet as they were afflicted by the effects of the Great Recession and then COVID. It’s not a question of possibility — it’s a matter of political will,” de Blasio added. As President Donald Trump passed his “big, beautiful bill” this year, which de Blasio described as “cutting SNAP benefits, gutting Medicaid, and once again leaving working people out to dry,” he said the need for an “unwavering fighter in City Hall has never been higher.” Describing Mamdani’s radical vision for New York City as building on his own impact there, de Blasio told voters it’s time to “go even further” with Mamdani as mayor. The former mayor had refused to throw his political weight behind any of the mayoral candidates before Tuesday’s announcement. Signaling support for Mamdani and defending his campaign promises, de Blasio made it clear throughout the race that he would not endorse former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, trolling him on social media and fanning the flames of their long-held feud. While de Blasio’s endorsement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, several New York Democratic leaders continue to withhold their endorsements for Mamdani, despite his securing the Democratic nomination earlier this summer. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer have yet to endorse Mamdani. Fox News Digital reached out to incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Cuomo and Mamdani but did not immediately receive a response.