Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis issues BIG statement after Uddhav, Raj Thackeray’s mega rally: ‘I am thankful…’
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reacted to a mega rally held by former CM Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray. During the rally in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray sarcastically credited Fadnavis for bringing the estranged cousins together. Read on to know more on this.
PM Modi holds delegation-level talks with Argentina President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires
Delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Argentine President Javier Milei began in Buenos Aires on Saturday. This marks a key moment in the Prime Minister’s official visit to Argentina.
Xi Jinping’s surprise no-show at BRICS Summit fuels speculation about China’s global standing
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend this week’s BRICS Summit in Brazil, marking the first time the Chinese leader has missed the gathering of major emerging economies. The abrupt decision has triggered widespread speculation about internal political dynamics within China and the fraying cohesion of BRICS itself. China’s official explanation — a “scheduling conflict” and the fact that Xi already met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year, according to the South China Morning Post — has been met with skepticism. Premier Li Qiang will attend the summit in Xi’s place, continuing a recent trend of Xi scaling back his appearances on the global stage. “That doesn’t make sense,” said Gordon Chang, an expert on U.S.-China relations. “There are many other countries at the BRICS summit, not just Brazil. To me, it’s extremely significant that Xi Jinping is not going. It suggests turbulence at home — there are signs he’s lost control of the military and that civilian rivals are reasserting power. This is a symptom of that.” RUSSIA’S PUTIN HOSTS CHINA’S XI AT MASSIVE MOSCOW MILITARY PARADE ON RED SQUARE Bryan Burack of the Heritage Foundation agrees that Xi’s absence underscores deeper issues: “It’s another indication that BRICS is not going to be China’s vassalization of the Global South.” He noted that countries like Brazil and Indonesia have recently imposed tariffs on China over industrial overcapacity and dumping, moves that suggest widening rifts within the group. “China is actively harming all those countries for the most part, maybe with some exceptions, through its malign trade policies and dumping and overcapacity.” Some analysts point to rising China-India friction as a contributing factor in Xi’s decision to skip the summit. “China has been at war with India for decades, essentially,” Burack said. “These are fundamentally opposing interests. It’s difficult to see China changing its behavior in the near term, and that will keep tensions high.” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take a leading role at the gathering, potentially another deterrent for Xi’s attendance. Another key leader — Russian President Vladimir Putin — is only expected to address the group by video. AFTER TRUMP’S DEPARTURE, G7 LEADERS FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENTS ON KEY ISSUES Formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China and later joined by South Africa, BRICS was envisioned as a non-Western counterweight to G7 dominance. It has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and, most recently, Indonesia, strengthening its economic footprint. Economist Christian Briggs highlighted BRICS’s massive scale: “BRICS now comprises 12 full members and up to 23 when counting partners. Collectively, they account for over 60% of the world’s GDP and around 75% of the global population. They control vast natural resources and a growing share of global trade flows.” Yet despite its scale, the bloc remains ideologically and strategically fragmented. “It’s a group of countries that hate each other,” Burack said bluntly. “China is harming many of them through unfair trade practices. There’s not a lot of incentive for real unity.” The alliance’s aspirations to challenge the U.S. dollar through alternative payment systems and a potential BRICS currency have gained media traction — but experts caution against overestimating this threat. “There’s been a lot of fearmongering about a BRICS currency,” said Burack. “But the interests of these countries are completely divergent. There’s more smoke than fire when it comes to a currency challenge to the dollar.” Chang echoed this skepticism: “The only country that can challenge the dollar is the United States. Weakness in the dollar is due to what we are doing domestically, not what the BRICS are doing.” Still, Briggs offered a counterpoint, arguing that BRICS members are already reshaping global currency flows. “They’re moving away from the dollar into digital yuan, rupees, rubles. China has launched a SWIFT alternative already adopted by the Caribbean banking sector — trillions of dollars are shifting.” MACRON CHIDES TRUMP, CHINA OVER TRADE, UKRAINE, GAZA: POLICIES ‘WILL KILL GLOBAL ORDER’ While its cohesion remains questionable, BRICS poses a long-term challenge to U.S. influence — particularly in regions where Washington has retreated diplomatically and economically. “China filled the void left by the U.S. in places like Africa,” said Briggs. “Now it controls about 38% of the world’s minerals. Meanwhile, Russia’s economy has doubled despite sanctions, because they preemptively reduced reliance on the dollar.” Yet Chang sees India as a brake on any aggressive anti-Western tilt. “BRICS has an ‘I’ in it—and that’s India. Modi doesn’t want to be part of an anti-Western bloc. As long as India’s in BRICS, the rest of the world is safe.” To some, Xi’s no-show signals instability in Beijing. To others, the opposite: it demonstrates confidence in China’s dominance over the other BRICS members. “He doesn’t have to be there,” Briggs contended. “Xi’s power allows him to delegate. China is trading with nearly 80% of the world now. He’s moving the agenda forward even in absentia.” What’s clear is that BRICS continues to evolve — its internal contradictions as visible as its geopolitical ambitions. Whether Xi’s absence marks a retreat or a recalibration remains one of the key questions hovering over the summit in Brazil.
North Carolina governor vetoes Republican-led anti DEI and trans legislation
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed four controversial bills that target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and transgender policies, setting up a political clash with the Republican-led General Assembly. Stein, a Democrat, blasted the three DEI-focused bills as being “mean-spirited” that would “marginalize vulnerable people” and took aim at Republicans who failed to pass a fiscal budget for the year that just began. The DEI bills ought to ban DEI training, hiring practices and staff positions in state and local governments as well as outlawing the use of state funds for DEI programming. The legislation would have imposed civil penalties on workers who violate the rules. No Democrats supported the three DEI bills. NORTH CAROLINA PROFESSOR WHO WAGED ‘WAR ON DEI’ AT UNIVERSITY TOUTS WIN “At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises, and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us,” Stein said in a statement. “These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education. Therefore, I am vetoing them. I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people and addressing North Carolinians’ pressing concerns.” The measures cutting or eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in state and local governments, K-12 public schools and the university system have been a major priority for GOP lawmakers. They argue the programs targeted have overemphasized identity to the detriment of merit and societal unity. The transgender bill began as a bipartisan measure to curb sexual exploitation by enforcing age verification and consent rules for pornography websites. But lawmakers later added controversial provisions, including a ban on state-funded gender-affirming procedures for prisoners. RUBIO-RUN STATE DEPARTMENT DUMPS BIDEN-ERA DEI HIRING CRITERIA, REPLACES WITH ‘FIDELITY’ It also affirms the recognition of two sexes and requires the state to officially attach a transgender person’s new birth certificate to their old one if they change their sex assigned at birth. Stein said in a veto message that he strongly supported the anti-sexual exploitation provisions in the bill, but the final measure went too far. “My faith teaches me that we are all children of God no matter our differences and that it is wrong to target vulnerable people, as this bill does,” he added. One Democrat backed the fourth bill before Stein vetoed it. All four bills now return to the General Assembly, which could reconvene later this month to attempt veto overrides. Republicans are one vote short of a veto-proof supermajority in the House. The vetoes bring Stein’s total to 11 since taking office in January — all within the past two weeks. Stein was previously North Carolina’s attorney general since 2017 after serving in the state Senate from 2009 to 2016. The progressive attorney and politician campaigned on a platform of lowering the cost of housing, increasing job creation, expanding access to abortion and improving education. Fox News’ Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump rides major wave of momentum going into July Fourth after Iran, BBB, Supreme Court and lawsuit victories
President Donald Trump is riding a major wave of momentum after he signed his $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill” Friday – a final notch in a series of wins for his administration in recent weeks. The bill’s passage comes on the heels of other significant victories for his administration, including a Supreme Court ruling in his favor and successful strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. “President Trump has delivered more wins for the American people in two weeks than most Presidents do in four years,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital. “This has been the most historic two weeks of any Administration in history. Thanks to President Trump, America is back and is the hottest country in the world!” The tax and domestic policy bill arrived on his desk after the House passed the final version of the measure Thursday – meeting Trump’s self-imposed Fourth of July deadline to get the measure over the finish line. The bill includes key provisions that would permanently establish individual and business tax breaks included in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporates new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. The measure also raises the debt limit by $5 trillion – a provision that has faced scrutiny from figures such as SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Furthermore, the bill rescinds certain Biden-era green energy tax credits, and allocates approximately $350 billion for defense and Trump’s mass deportation initiative to weed out illegal immigrants from the U.S. The measure also institutes Medicaid reforms, including new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and expands work requirements for those on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Here are some other recent events that have gone in the Trump administration’s favor: The U.S. launched strikes June 21 targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities, which involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, according to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Following the strikes, Trump said in an address to the nation that the mission left the nuclear sites “completely and totally obliterated,” and Caine said that initial battle damage assessments suggested “all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.” Still, Caine acknowledged that a final assessment would “take some time.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TAKES ON NEW BATTLE SHUTTING DOWN INITIAL IRAN STRIKE ASSESSMENTS But days later, a leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, published by CNN and the New York Times, cast doubt on those claims, saying that the strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. However, the Pentagon said Wednesday that internal intelligence assessments indicate the strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program by one or two years. “We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters Wednesday. The Supreme Court ruled, 6–3, to block the lower courts from issuing universal injunctions on June 27. Multiple executive orders Trump has signed during his second administration have been tied up in the courts as a result of nationwide injunctions, including his ban on birthright citizenship. TRUMP CELEBRATES SUPREME COURT LIMITS ON ‘COLOSSAL ABUSE OF POWER’ BY FEDERAL JUDGES The Supreme Court’s ruling means that lower courts are only permitted to issue broad injunctions in limited cases, which Trump said would prevent a “colossal abuse of power.” “I was elected on a historic mandate, but in recent months, we’ve seen a handful of radical left judges effectively try to overrule the rightful powers of the president to stop the American people from getting the policies that they voted for in record numbers,” Trump said on June 27. CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, Tuesday agreed to a $16 million settlement with Trump, stemming from a lawsuit Trump filed against CBS in October 2024 related to a “60 Minutes” interview with his opponent in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris. CBS BLASTS TRUMP’S LAWSUIT AS ‘MERITLESS’ DESPITE RECENT $15 MILLION SETTLEMENT OFFER In the lawsuit, Trump alleged that CBS deceptively edited the interview with Harris when asked about why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t “listening” to the Biden administration. While the segment aired one answer from Harris during a primetime special on the network, a less polished answer had previously appeared in a preview clip of the interview. The money from the settlement will not go to Trump himself, but rather, toward his future presidential library and to cover the plaintiffs’ fees and costs. CBS said it worked with a mediator to reach the settlement agreement and that Paramount will not issue an apology.
Republicans praise ‘big, beautiful bill’s’ work requirement for Medicaid: ‘We’ve got to get back to work’
While Democrats predict major problems with a provision within the “one big, beautiful bill” that adds a work requirement for adults to be eligible for Medicaid, Republican senators are praising the requirement, saying, “We’ve got to get back to work.” The provision requires able-bodied, childless adults between the ages of 18 and 64 to work at least 80 hours a month to be eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. Individuals can also meet the requirement by participating in community service, going to school or engaging in a work program. “We have folks back home right now harvesting wheat that are working 20 hours in a day,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. “We want you to go to college, we want to volunteer, work 20 hours a week, it brings dignity, it brings purpose to your lives. Work is a great thing; it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” “Seven million healthy American men out there of working age are not working right now,” Marshall continued. “We happen to have seven million open jobs as well. I think I want to do everything I can to help those seven million men find a job. Whether that’s through an education or community colleges, technical colleges, I think there’s lots of opportunity out there.” MIKE JOHNSON TOUTS ‘BEAUTY OF UNIFIED GOVERNMENT’ AFTER TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ SAILS THROUGH CONGRESS Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said “the disincentives to work are a real problem here in America.” “It’s amazing that Democrats are trying to make this argument,” he said. “I don’t think that taxpayers should be footing the bill at all for able-bodied citizens. And certainly, non-citizens should not be getting the benefit of this.” “We need to incentivize work,” Hagerty went on. “And certainly, you don’t want to be incentivizing a burden on taxpayers.” “We’ve got to take care of the people that need to be taken care of and it’s just unfortunate you’ve got a lot of freeloaders in this country,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE THE SENATE’S VERSION OF TRUMP’S BILL Tuberville claimed that many of those he deemed as freeloaders “are coming from the younger ranks because they’ve grown up, they’ve got all these student loans, they got a degree that’s not worth anything, they can’t get a job or they don’t want to work and so the way they’ve done they’ve turned into socialists, they started living off the government.” “We can’t have that. We’ve got to get back to work. This country is built on hard work,” he said. Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he also agrees with the work requirement, telling Fox News Digital that “quite honestly, what we’re trying to do is stop enrollment in that Obamacare addition to Medicaid.” “They call it Medicaid expansion, but it’s Obamcare. It was Democrats’ way of trying to turn us into a single-payer system. And so, it incentivized the states to sign up single able-bodied individuals,” he claimed. TREASURY SECRETARY PREDICTS UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH WITH TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “As a result,” he went on. “We’ve created all kinds of [what] I would call legalized fraud on the part of states … Now that they’ve designed their budgets around that scam, now they’re screaming when we’re trying to end the scam.” Additionally, while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed that “of course, we should always eliminate any kind of fraud and that kind of a waste,” other Democrats were much less enthusiastic about the work requirement. “That provision is not designed for efficiency or to save people money that provision is designed to kick people off of Medicaid, like don’t believe the hype,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. Murphy claimed that Republicans “have built a work requirement that they know people won’t be able to satisfy because they hate the idea that Medicaid actually helps the working poor in this country.” “So, there’s going to be a whole bunch of people who work for a living who are not going to be able to comply with those provisions and are going to lose their healthcare, even though they’re working,” he said. “That’s the intent of the provision and everybody should just be honest about that.” HAKEEM JEFFRIES BREAKS KEVIN MCCARTHY RECORD WHILE STALLING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., indicated that the provision will “kick 17 million people off of health insurance.” “These are life and death situations that people are making,” he said, adding, “This legislation is going to kick 300,000 of my constituents off of their health care coverage.” “These are people that I’ve spoken to that can’t afford it,” he continued. “They have no money in their budget to go and buy health care. So, then they got to make a decision between eating and their rent, or they just don’t go to the doctor.” James Agresti, president of Just Facts, a public policy research institute, told Fox News Digital that despite Democrats’ claims about the work requirements, he believes reality tells a different story. “The notion that able-bodied adults without young children cannot work, get an education, or volunteer for 20 hours a week is absurd,” he said. AMERICANS WEIGH IN ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: POLLS “Murphy’s rhetoric is refuted by decades of experience with other welfare programs that have work requirements, like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,” he explained. Agresti said that according to an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 1.4 million noncitizens and 9.2 million able-bodied adults who won’t work or are engaged in fraud will be removed from Medicaid eligibility. A spokesperson for Kelly’s office told Fox News Digital that “a bunch of actual experts and media outlets correctly interpreting that same CBO report” estimate that 11.8 million people will be without health insurance by 2034 because of the provision, plus an additional 5.1 million because of the bill ending expanded Affordable Care Act credits. In response, Agresti said the bill “doesn’t revoke the expanded Obamacare subsidies, which
Trump White House calls out Smithsonian for pushing ‘one-sided, divisive political narratives’
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration is turning its attention to the Smithsonian Institution, accusing the taxpayer-funded museum complex of using federal dollars to promote what it calls “one-sided, divisive political narratives” that fail to honor the greatness of the American story. White House official Lindsey Halligan blasted content currently on display at the National Museum of American History’s Entertainment Nation exhibit in an exclusive email to Fox News Digital. The exhibit, which explores American pop culture, has drawn internal and external criticism for what some see as a politically loaded interpretation of cultural milestones. “American taxpayers should not be funding institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives,” Halligan said. “The Smithsonian Institution should present history in a way that is accurate, balanced, and consistent with the values that make the United States of America exceptional.” DONALD TRUMP FIRES NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY DIRECTOR FOR BEING ‘STRONG SUPPORTER’ OF DEI The White House statement comes on the heels of several striking examples from the exhibit. One placard, featured alongside a 1923 circus poster, reads: “Under the big top, circuses expressed the colonial impulse to claim dominion over the world.” Another, describing early American entertainment, declares: “One of the earliest defining traits of entertainment in the United States was extraordinary violence.” The exhibit reframes iconic American characters through a critical, politically-charged lens. On The Lone Ranger, the display states: “The White title character’s relationship with Tonto resembled how the U.S. government imagined itself the world’s Lone Ranger.” Mickey Mouse, a beloved American cultural icon, is not spared either. A display for the 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie states, “Mickey challenged authority, but not everyone was in on the joke.” It continues: “Mickey Mouse debuted as the deckhand ‘Steamboat Willie’ in 1928, amidst a rising anxiety felt by many that modern living and city life were eroding family and community ties and loosening moral codes… But the new character’s outsized facial features, white gloves, and trickster temperament were vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy.” In reference to the Indiana Jones film series, another panel reads: “His character embodied a confident righteousness that, in many ways, captured the essence of the 1980s” above another subhead referencing President Ronald Reagan’s famous speech, asking, “Are you better off?” KENT STATE STUDENT’S VIOLENT ANTI-TRUMP ART DISPLAY SPURS OUTRAGE One panel calls Magnum, P.I. a challenge to the “popular perceptions of Vietnam veterans as damaged misfits.” A section on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show refers to it as “the go-to for viewers who mistrusted politicians and the reporting process.” Another panel highlights the late pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and frames her cultural impact through identity politics. “Selena got us talking about identity,” with a quote from the late singer reading, “I feel very proud to be Mexican.” The text goes on to say her work “cast a light on the longstanding cultural and growing political influence of Mexican American and Latinx communities within the United States.” “The examples [Fox News Digital] highlighted from the National Museum of American History are part of the problem the Trump Administration aims to fix,” Halligan said. “Framing American culture as inherently violent, imperialist, or racist does not reflect the greatness of our nation or the millions of Americans who have contributed to its progress.” Halligan confirmed that a top-to-bottom content review is already underway, with input from senior Smithsonian leaders and the Board of Regents. “We are working with leadership at the Smithsonian to audit and review all content at the museums,” she said, “and we are committed to ensuring that such content honors our country’s founding principles, tells the stories of American heroes, and does not promote fringe or activist ideologies masquerading as history.” She added, “We will provide updates on this audit as our progress unfolds.” The Smithsonian Institution responded to Fox News Digital with the following brief written statement: “The museum is committed to continuous and rigorous scholarship and research and unbiased presentation of facts and history. As such, and as previously announced, we are assessing content in Smithsonian museums and will make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards.” The Institution did not answer specific questions regarding who authored the Entertainment Nation exhibit, whether outside academic consultants or activist organizations were involved, or who made the decision to present all exhibit text bilingually in English and Spanish. The controversy comes amid a broader push by President Donald Trump to reshape cultural institutions he says have veered too far left. In March, Trump issued an executive order directing the Board of Regents to eliminate “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from Smithsonian museums. He accused the institution of embracing what he called “a revisionist movement” aimed at “undermining the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” The Board of Regents includes the vice president, the chief justice of the United States, six members of Congress, and nine citizen regents. Vice President J.D. Vance and Congressman Carlos Giménez, both recent appointees, have advocated for an expedited review of Smithsonian content. Giménez, in a prior interview with The Wall Street Journal, confirmed tensions at the board’s June meeting over how quickly to proceed, though ultimately a compromise was reached. The Smithsonian receives approximately two-thirds of its $1 billion annual budget from federal appropriations. The Entertainment Nation exhibit opened in December 2022 and was billed as a permanent exhibition to “celebrate the power of popular culture to shape and reflect history.” It is housed in a prime space on the museum’s west wing and features artifacts and media from movies, television, sports, and music. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While the museum’s stated goal is to explore how entertainment intersects with American identity, the Trump administration argues that it instead uses culture to smuggle in ideology often at odds with the values most Americans hold. “Americans deserve a Smithsonian that inspires national pride, tells the truth, and reflects the greatness of this country,” Halligan
Good news for commuters, government reduces toll rates on national highways with bridges, tunnels, flyovers, up to…
The government has reduced the toll rates for the sections of National Highways that have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches, a move which will lower travelling cost for motorists.
Texas flash floods kill at least 24 people, 23 girl campers missing
At least 24 deaths have been confirmed as a result of flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said, nearly doubling the death toll reported earlier in the day. “What I can confirm at this point, we’re at about 24 fatalities,” Lethia told an evening press conference on Friday, later confirming 24 people had died. Thunderstorms and torrential rain in the United States triggered deadly flash flooding on along the Guadalupe River in south-central Texas, leaving more than 20 girls from a summer camp missing, according to local authorities. The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 105km (65 miles) northwest of San Antonio, following heavy downpours measuring up to 300mm (12 inches) of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders. “This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with the radar,” Rice said. “This happened within less than a two-hour span.” Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said somewhere between six and 10 bodies had been found so far in the frantic search for victims. During a news conference conducted at the same time as Patrick’s update, Sheriff Leitha reported that there were 13 deaths from the flooding. Patrick said 23 girls were listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children who were at a summer camp when it was swept by floodwaters at about 4am local time (09:00 GMT). Advertisement “That does not mean they’ve been lost; they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication,” he said. Screengrab shows first responders surveying rising floodwaters of the Guadalupe River after flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, on July 4, 2025 [ABC Affiliate KSAT via Reuters] At least 250mm of rain poured down overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River and leading to desperate pleas for information about the missing. “Some are adults, some are children,” Patrick said during a news conference. “Again, we don’t know where those bodies came from.” Teams conducted dozens of rescues, and emergency responders continued to search for those who were unaccounted for. “I’m asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying this afternoon. On-your-knees kind of praying, that we find these young girls,” Patrick said. He said the Guadalupe River rose 8 metres (26ft) in 45 minutes in the midst of heavy downpours deluging the region. Search teams were flying 14 helicopters and a dozen drones over the area, in addition to hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground conducting rescues from trees and swift-flowing water. “Additional rain is forecast in those areas,” Patrick said. “Even if the rain is light, more flooding can occur in those areas. There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours in addition to the continued risks in west and central Texas.” Patrick read out a message from the director of the summer camp, which had some 750 campers over the long July 4 weekend, reporting that it had “sustained catastrophic level of flooding”. “We have no power, water or Wi-Fi,” the message said. Debris is left behind by a raging Guadalupe River, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas [Eric Gay/AP Photo] State and local officials warned against residents travelling to the area, which includes campgrounds dotted along the river, with dozens of roads “impassable”. Videos on social media showed houses and trees swept away by the overnight flash flood caused by heavy overnight rainfall of 300mm – one-third of Kerr County’s average annual rainfall. Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared a video on X of a victim being plucked from the top of a tree by a rescuer dangling from a helicopter as floodwaters raged below. Personnel from the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were activated to assist local authorities in confronting the crisis, officials said. Advertisement Freeman Martin, director of the state’s public safety department, said the flood was a “mass casualty event”. “The rain has let up, but we know there’s another wave coming,” Martin warned, saying more rain would be hitting areas around San Antonio and Austin. Adblock test (Why?)
Migrants in US detention lose appeal against deportation to South Sudan
Eight migrants in United States custody have lost a last-ditch attempt to avoid deportation to South Sudan, a country facing ongoing criticism for human rights abuses. On Friday, Judge Brian Murphy of Boston denied the eleventh-hour appeal, which has been the subject of a flurry of legal activity throughout the day. The appeal argued that repeated efforts under President Donald Trump to deport the men to South Sudan was “impermissibly punitive”. It pointed out that the US Constitution bars “cruel and unusual punishment”. In the past, the US Department of State has accused South Sudan of “extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, torture and cases of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment”. It advises no American citizen to travel there due to an ongoing armed conflict. But the US Supreme Court has twice ruled that the Trump administration could indeed deport the men to countries outside of their homelands. Its latest decision was issued on Thursday. The US Department of Justice indicated that the eight men were set to be flown to South Sudan by 7pm US Eastern Time (23:00 GMT) on Friday. They hailed from countries like Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam. The last-ditch appeal was filed on Thursday night, shortly after the Supreme Court rendered its decision. Initially, the case was assigned to US District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, DC, who signalled he was sympathetic to the deportees’ request. He briefly ordered the deportation to be paused until 4:30pm Eastern Time (20:30 GMT), but ultimately, he decided to transfer the case back to Murphy, the judge whose decisions helped precipitate the Supreme Court’s rulings. Advertisement Murphy had previously issued injunctions against the deportations to South Sudan, leading to successful appeals from the Trump administration. The eight men, meanwhile, had been held at a military base in Djibouti while the courts decided their fate. Before he transferred the case back to Murphy, however, Judge Moss said it was possible the deportees could prove their case that the Trump administration intended to subject them to abuse. “It seems to me almost self-evident that the United States government cannot take human beings and send them to circumstances in which their physical wellbeing is at risk simply either to punish them or send a signal to others,” Moss said during the hearing. Lawyers for the Trump administration, meanwhile, argued that the deportation’s continued delay would strain relations with countries willing to accept migrants from other countries. Murphy, who denied Friday’s request, had previously ruled in favour of the deportees, issuing an injunction against their removal to South Sudan and saying they had a right to contest the deportation based on fears for their safety. The Supreme Court first lifted the injunction on June 23 and clarified its ruling again on Thursday, giving a subtle rebuke to Judge Murphy. The Trump administration has been pushing for rapid removals as part of its campaign of mass deportation, one of President Trump’s signature priorities. Opponents have accused the administration of steamrolling the human rights of undocumented people in order to achieve its aims, including the right to due process under the law. But the Trump administration has framed undocumented migration as an “invasion” that constitutes a national security crisis, and it argued that its strong-armed efforts are needed to expel criminals. The eight migrants slated to be sent to South Sudan, it said, were “barbaric, violent criminal illegal aliens”. It added that they had been found guilty of crimes, including first-degree murder, robbery and sexual assault. “These sickos will be in South Sudan by Independence Day,” Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release on Thursday. Adblock test (Why?)