Will Shashi Tharoor be next Kerala CM? This is what survey says, Congress MP reacts
A new political survey has revealed that Congress MP from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, has been chosen as the top candidate for Chief Minister in Kerala, making him the top choice as UDF candidate.
Trouble for Vikas Divyakirti? Court summons Drishti IAS founder for derogatory remarks against…
The court ordered Divyakirti to appear before the Court in person on July 22. The Drishti IAS founder has denied authorship and authorisation of the video in question.
Kerrville community unites in mourning and prayer for those lost and missing in Texas floods
Amid staggering loss, hundreds gathered in mourning and prayer at a Wednesday night vigil for the victims of the July Fourth floods.
Inside the negotiations on Trump’s GOP megabill, from the Lubbock lawmaker whose name is on the legislation
The House budget chair and lead sponsor of the GOP tax and spending bill recounts the months of negotiations needed to unite the fractious caucus.
As Texas Republicans prepare for mid-decade redistricting, cautionary tales loom from the past
Spurred by President Donald Trump’s political team, Texas lawmakers will try to redraw the state’s congressional map to boost Republicans — but some GOP incumbents are uneasy.
Pro-Trump ‘troll’ who spread Hillary text-to-vote memes in 2016 has conviction tossed by appeals court
An appeals court has reversed the conviction of a pro-Trump influencer charged with spreading false information on social media to suppress Democratic voter turnout during the 2016 election, voiding conspiracy charges and a monthslong federal prison sentence handed down by a jury in Brooklyn, New York. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on Wednesday unanimously voided the conviction of Douglass Mackey on federal conspiracy charges and remanded the case back to the U.S. Court in the Eastern District of New York to enter a new judgment of acquittal. The unanimous three-judge panel said in their ruling that “no rational jury” could have found that Mackey, 36, “knowingly” joined others in an illegal conspiracy aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election or depriving people of their right to vote. “The jury’s verdict and the resulting judgment of conviction must be set aside,” Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston wrote. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SWARMS SCOTUS WITH EMERGENCY REQUESTS AND SEES SURPRISING SUCCESS The verdict is a win for Mackey, a self-styled right-wing influencer and self-described “troll,” who amassed roughly 58,000 followers on Twitter in the run-up to the 2016 election. Mackey, who used the handle “Ricky Vaughn,” used his account to post false information designed to support then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, including memes designed to look like Hillary Clinton ads that told voters they could submit their ballots via text message. Mackey was convicted in 2023 on conspiracy charges and sentenced to seven months in federal prison. The three-judge panel ruled Wednesday that Mackey’s posts, including the false memes he posted, were not sufficient evidence to prove that he had violated U.S. conspiracy laws, “even assuming that he did so with the intent to injure other citizens in the exercise of their right to vote,” they said. SCOTUS DENIES FLORIDA AG REQUEST TO ENFORCE CONTROVERSIAL IMMIGRATION LAW “The government was obligated to show that Mackey knowingly entered into an agreement with other people to pursue that objective,” Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston and Judges Reena Raggi and Beth Robinson wrote. “This the government failed to do.” The decision was praised by Mackey, who immediately posted on social media about the verdict. “HALLELUJAH!” Mackey said on X after the appellate court ruling on Wednesday. Mackey proceeded to thank God, his family, wife, lawyers and others who supported him during the trial in subsequent posts. He then threatened to pursue legal action over his conviction. “Now we sue,” he said.
Federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship ban for all infants, testing lower court powers
A federal judge in New Hampshire blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order banning birthright citizenship and granted nationwide class certification status to all infants impacted by the order on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante said that he will issue a written ruling by the end of the day further explaining his decision. The injunction also narrows down the scope of the class to infants, removing parents from the case. In his order, LaPlante ruled that deprivation of citizenship, as held by the 14th Amendment, and changes in longstanding policy would create “irreparable harm.” TRUMP TO BEGIN ENFORCING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER AS EARLY AS THIS MONTH, DOJ SAYS Still, it is almost sure to be quickly appealed by the Trump administration. It comes after the Supreme Court reviewed the case earlier this year, and ruled 6-3 in late June that plaintiffs seeking nationwide relief must file their cases as a class action lawsuit — narrowing the instances in which lower district courts can issue so-called universal injunctions. That high court ruling narrowly focused on the authority of lower courts, and justices did not wade into the legality of Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, which served as the legal pretext for the case. Still, Justice Department officials told a federal judge last week they plan to begin enforcing Trump’s birthright citizenship order as early as July 27, in recognition of a 30-day stay included in the Supreme Court’s ruling, showing they plan to act quickly. Trump’s order, signed on the first day of his second White House term, directs all U.S. government agencies to refuse to issue citizenship documents to children born to illegal immigrants, or who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen of lawful permanent resident. NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS TRUMP’S BID TO REINSTATE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER The order, signed by Trump on his first day in office, was immediately challenged in January by more than 22 U.S. states and immigrants’ rights groups, which argued the effort to end birthright citizenship was both unconstitutional and “unprecedented,” and threatened more than 100 years of legal precedent. It was almost immediately blocked by lower courts, before eventually making its way to the Supreme Court for review in May. The high court’s decision also touched off a flurry of new lawsuits from the ACLU and other immigration advocacy groups, who re-filed class action lawsuits in federal courts in Maryland and in New Hampshire, where LaPlante reviewed the request Thursday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lawyers for the Trump administration stressed last week that the Supreme Court’s ruling did not preclude it from taking other actions before that date, and told U.S. it plans to “immediately” begin developing and issuing public guidance on the order. Advocates have warned possible fallout from the order could prove “catastrophic.”
Mamdani lands endorsement of a top Cuomo backer in NYC mayoral primary
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in the race for mayor of America’s most populous city, on Thursday landed the endorsement of one of New York City’s most influential politicians. Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, arguably the city’s most powerful Latino leader, is backing Mamdani, who, if elected in November, would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor. “Thank you @EspaillatNY for joining this campaign for an affordable NYC and for fighting Trump’s authoritarianism in DC,” Mamdani wrote in a social media post. “Adriano and I know that the only way we can protect this city is by standing firm in our values and standing up for working class and immigrant New Yorkers.” MAMDANI’S FAR-LEFT ALLIES MULL PRIMARY CHALLENGES AGAINST TOP NYC HOUSE DEMOCRATS Mamdani and Espaillat are scheduled to team up at a campaign event on Thursday afternoon to formally announce the five-term congressman’s endorsement of the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens. MAMDANI POLITICAL TSUNAMI SWAMPS DEMOCRATS AS PARTY SEARCHES FOR PATH FORWARD Espaillat’s endorsement of Mamdani, who two weeks ago convincingly defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to win the Democratic Party mayoral nomination, is seen as a setback for Cuomo. Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 during his third term as governor amid multiple scandals and who was aiming for a political comeback, was endorsed in the Democratic primary by Espaillat. And the two politicians teamed up at a rally on the eve of the kickoff of early voting in the primary election. While Cuomo lost the Democratic mayoral nomination to Mamdani, he’s running, as of now, on the November ballot as an independent, which state rules allow. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped his primary bid earlier this year amid sinking poll numbers in the wake of numerous controversies, is seeking re-election as an independent. THE PLOT TO STOP MAMDANI: DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE TO PREVENT FAR-LEFT TAKEOVER IN NYC Also on the ballot in the general election are Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor running as an independent, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who, for a second straight election, is the Republican mayoral nominee. Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s sweeping and controversial second-term immigration crackdown. And Espaillat, who backed Adams in the mayor’s 2021 election, was thought to have grown frustrated with the mayor’s working relationship with Trump on immigration enforcement. Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials. The mayor made repeated overtures to Trump and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown. RESURFACED MAMDANI PHOTO SPARKS SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM News of Espaillat’s endorsement of Mamdani was first reported by The New York Times. Mamdani surged to a primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5, and setting up government-run grocery stores. And thanks in part to the efforts of a massive grassroots army of volunteers, he rode a wave of support from younger and progressive voters to catapult into first place. Since his primary victory, Republicans have relentlessly painted Mamdani as an extremist and anchored him to Democrats across the country ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The attacks stretched from down ballot on the campaign trail all the way up to the White House, with Trump claiming that Mamdani was “a 100% Communist Lunatic.”
Sweeping bipartisan bill would nationalize standards for student athlete pay
FIRST ON FOX: The House of Representatives is rolling out bipartisan legislation later on Thursday that will mark a major shift in the world of college sports, particularly the compensation of student athletes, Fox News Digital has learned. The bill would codify the right for student athletes to get paid for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), while mandating that colleges and universities also provide them with “comprehensive” academic, career counseling, and medical support, according to text obtained by Fox News Digital. NIL regulations would be standardized across the country, overriding the current patchwork of state laws. More than 30 states allow colleges to pay student athletes for NIL, while no such regulations exist in others. Student athletes would be able to hire agents and would have to disclose their NIL deals to their schools and to nonprofit Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Associations (IIAA), like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and similar groups. TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE TRUMP’S BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL For non-athlete students at colleges and universities that bring in high revenue from sports media, it would shield them from footing the bill for their college’s athletics programs by prohibiting student fees at those schools from being used for them. The bill also expressly prohibits student athletes from being considered employees of a college over their sporting participation. It’s a bipartisan bill that’s the product of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, House Education & Workforce Committee, and the House Judiciary Committee. Its lead co-sponsors are Reps. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., is also a co-sponsor. Committee Chairmen Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital in a joint statement, “NIL offers an endless array of opportunities for student-athletes to make the most of their college experience, but the lack of clear guardrails has left athletes and universities on unstable ground.” “The SCORE Act creates a national framework that supports student-athletes and recenters the educational mission of college athletics,” they said. Jordan, notably, was a two-time NCAA Division I college wrestling champion. He later became a coach with Ohio State University’s wrestling program before being elected to Congress. SIMONE BILES SPARS WITH RILEY GAINES OVER TRANS ATHLETE DEBATE, LAUNCHES PERSONAL ATTACK: ‘TRULY SICK’ Whether student athletes should receive a portion of their school’s sports media revenue and how much has been a years-long debate. There have been several attempts in Congress to push for legislation giving student athletes the ability to profit off of their college sporting careers. The NCAA, college sports’ main governing body, changed its rules in 2021 to allow student athletes to profit from NIL. It comes after reports that such legislation could be introduced this week after a June antitrust settlement in House v. NCAA between the NCAA and lawyers for Division I college athletes. A judge approved over $2.7 billion in back pay for college athletes shut out of NIL deals between 2016 and 2024, paving the way for colleges to pay players directly. Under the bill’s parameters, IIAAs would ensure NIL deals aligned with fair market value, while being able to limit student athletes’ eligibility based on the length of their college sports career and create new requirements for agents not registered with the IIAA. The text also includes a liability shield for universities and IIAA that “the adoption of, agreement to, compliance with, or enforcement of any rule, regulation, requirement, standard, or other provision established pursuant to, or in compliance with, this Act shall be treated as lawful under the antitrust laws” and any state or local laws. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS The bill was lauded by Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., all who played key roles in putting the legislation together. It was also praised by the NCAA’s Autonomy Conferences – the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. “This legislation comes at a time of historic transition for college athletics. In the absence of federal standards, student-athletes and schools have been forced to navigate a fractured regulatory framework for too long,” a statement to Fox News Digital said. “Following the historic House settlement, this bill represents a very encouraging step toward delivering the national clarity and accountability that college athletics desperately needs. We urge lawmakers to build on this momentum and deliver the national solution that athletes, coaches, and schools deserve.”
Hawley moves to block China’s buy-up of US farmland as Trump admin sounds alarm
FOX NEWS FIRST: Sen. Josh Hawely, R-Mo., is reigniting a congressional push to ban the Chinese Communist Party from buying up farmland and residential land in the U.S. on Thursday. Hawley is introducing the Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act, which bans Chinese corporations and individuals associated with the Chinese Communist Party from making such purchases. President Donald Trump’s administration has sounded the alarm about Chinese ownership of U.S. land in recent days, particularly around American military bases. “China’s ownership of U.S. farmland poses a direct threat to American interests,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We should never let our nation’s greatest adversary have access to our vital resources, including our housing supply. That’s why I’m introducing legislation to protect American assets from the CCP once and for all.” While the bill would impose a flat ban on relevant purchases of farmland, the ban on residential purchases would only apply for two years, leaving an option for the president to re-up the prohibition every two years beyond that. TEXAS THE LATEST STATE WITH A LAW BANNING FOREIGN ADVERSARIES FROM BUYING REAL ESTATE The legislation also requires Chinese corporations and CCP-affiliated individuals who own affected land to divest that ownership within one year. It also establishes penalties for failing to comply with the law, ranging from fines to outright forfeiture. Hawley’s move comes in tandem with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcing its National Farm Security Action Plan earlier this week. CHINESE NATIONALS WHO INFILTRATED US UNIVERSITIES The plan is specifically meant to address threats from foreign governments, like China, and how those threats impact American farmers. The plan laid out executive reforms and called for Congress to pursue legislation like Hawley’s. “The farm’s produce is not just a commodity, it is a way of life that underpins America itself. And that’s exactly why it is under threat from criminals, from political adversaries, and from hostile regimes that understand our way of life as a profound and existential threat to themselves,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a press event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S ALLEGED TIES TO CHINESE PARAMILITARY GROUP, IRAN-BACKED RESEARCH SPARK GOP PROBE “For them, agricultural lands and our farms, because they are a previous inheritance, are weapons to be turned against us,” she continued. “We see it again and again, from Chinese communist acquisition of American farmland to criminal exploits of our system of agriculture, to the theft of operational information required to work the land and beyond. All of this takes what is profoundly good and turns it toward evil purposes.” Joining Rollins at the event were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Numerous states have laws on the books restricting land purchases by those with ties to China and other foreign adversaries. Nevertheless, in 2021, over 383,000 acres had ties to China. While the number has dipped in recent years, it remains a significant issue, according to Agriculture Dive. Fox News’ Cameron Arcand contributed to this report