Indian economy robust, real GDP to grow at 7.6% in 2025-26: Govt
India’s real GDP has shown a remarkable progress as it is evaluated to grow by 7.6 per cent in the current financial year 2025-26, said an evaluation by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Overall economic performance in 2025-26 is mainly due to robust real growth.
CBI moves Delhi High Court challenging clean chit to Arvind Kejriwal, others in liquor policy case
After receiving the clean chit, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal upped the ante against the BJP top brass, alleging a political conspiracy against him and his party. “I challenge PM Modi to hold fresh polls in Delhi, if the BJP wins over 10 seats, I will quit politics,” he said.
Meet BVP Rao, ex-IAS officer who became a filmmaker, worked with Ilaiyaraaja, won national awards
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is a highly respected career path, symbolising prestige and national service. Millions of aspirants strive to join this elite service through the UPSC exam, aiming to contribute to nation-building, but only a few achieve success. It’s surprising when a senior IAS officer leaves the service to pursue opportunities in other fields, sparking widespread interest and curiosity. Today, we are talking about Papa Rao Biyyala, formerly known as BVP Rao, who left his three-decade-long career in administration for filmmaking.
Behind the scenes, Texas narrows list to replace Fort Worth ISD’s elected trustees
The Texas Education Agency said 196 people attended at least one day of training to become takeover managers.
Before scandal, Rep. Tony Gonzales had complicated relationship with his West Texas constituents
The moderate Republican’s votes on gun control and marriage equality upset the region’s most conservative voters, but local officials said they’re grateful for the work he did on public safety and health.
Susie Wiles’ lawyer denies approving FBI recording, says he’d lose license over ‘stunt’
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ attorney in 2023 is disputing claims that he agreed to let the Biden-era FBI record a call with his client without her knowledge, according to a report. “If I ever pulled a stunt like that I wouldn’t – and shouldn’t – have a license to practice law,” the unidentified attorney said, according to Axios. “I’m as shocked as Susie.” The denial comes as scrutiny intensifies around the FBI’s use of subpoenas and investigative tools during special counsel Jack Smith’s Trump-related probes ahead of President Donald Trump‘s 2024 re-election. Reuters first disclosed the subpoenas Wednesday, reporting that the Biden FBI subpoenaed Wiles’ and now-FBI Director Kash Patel‘s phone records in 2022 and 2023, when both were private citizens. Smith was investigating claims Trump worked to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, resort. JONATHAN TURLEY: JACK SMITH’S SECRET SURVEILLANCE OF PATEL AND WILES SHOULD ALARM US ALL At least 10 FBI employees were fired Wednesday over the matter, Fox News Digital previously learned. Amid the revelations, two FBI officials said that FBI agents recorded a phone call between Wiles and her attorney in 2023. Wiles’ attorney was aware the call was being recorded and consented, but Wiles was not informed, the officials claimed. The lawyer, whose name has not been publicly released, pushed back that he “categorically denies he allowed his client to be recorded by the FBI,” according to Axios reporter Marc Caputo. Wiles reportedly “believes him & that the Biden-era FBI may have lied about it,” Caputo wrote on X. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Wiles for comment, but did not immediately receive replies. Fox News Digital also reached out to the FBI for comment Friday morning. FBI SUBPOENA OF PHONE RECORDS LEAVES TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF ‘IN SHOCK’: REPORT The report sparked conservatives and Trump allies to back the unidentified lawyer and balk at the case overall. “I know the long time lawyer ….and I believe him – This is a violation of basic constitutional rights every American by right – has. We need accountability and we need action,” Trump 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita posted to X. “So the lawyer Biden’s FBI eavesdropped on during a call with Susie Wiles said he had no idea it happened,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted to X. “This is a huge story. Biden’s FBI spied on Trump’s campaign manager in the 2024 campaign.” GRASSLEY: BIDEN DOJ BYPASSED CONSTITUTIONAL SAFEGUARDS BY SUBPOENAING SENATOR PHONE RECORDS Wiles was reportedly stunned by the news of the subpoenas, with Axios reporting that she told associates Thursday, “I am in shock.” Patel issued a similar statement on Wednesday. “It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” he said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
Agency that nabbed ‘El Chapo,’ ‘Diddy’ threatened as Democrats’ DHS shutdown drags on
The ongoing standoff over Homeland Security funding is raising concerns about the potential impact on Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the agency that has helped bring cases against high-profile figures, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. HSI is one of several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened by the ongoing government shutdown. That branch of DHS acts as the investigative arm for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the agency that Democrats want to rein in and reform — and handles investigations into human and sex trafficking, drug trafficking, immigration-related crimes, child exploitation and several other areas. DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was anointed the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans in the ongoing DHS funding back-and-forth, told Fox News Digital the agency’s work is “critically important.” “When you think about interior enforcement, I mean, HSI is a critical component of that,” Britt said. “You look at what they’ve done, you look at the bad actors they’ve been able to hunt down and hold accountable for human trafficking, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, child pornography, trafficking, all kinds of things.” Other big names whom HSI has played a role in investigating or indicting include R. Kelly, Josh Duggar, Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Jared Fogle. SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN While ICE and other immigration enforcement operations like HSI were funded in part through Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill,” the lapse in ongoing appropriations could threaten supplies in the field and travel, hampering investigations already underway. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that HSI was continuing to function during the shutdown, with arrests and investigations still happening. But as the current 14-day shutdown continues, delays in supply procurement and travel for “critical personnel to move around the country” could be impacted. “Our national security and ability to get criminals, including pedophiles and other public safety threats, off the streets could be impacted the longer this Democratic shutdown continues,” they said. DEMOCRATS DEMANDING ICE REFORMS LOSE AIRPORT ESCORTS IN SHUTDOWN THEY TRIGGERED Senate Democrats and the White House have so far tried and failed to reach a deal to fund DHS after trading offers and counteroffers in a slow back-and-forth over the last two weeks. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., charged that ICE had been “unleashed without guardrails” throughout the country. “This is not border security, this is not law and order, this is chaos — created at the top and felt in so many of our neighborhoods,” Schumer said. And with lawmakers gone from Washington, D.C., for the weekend, the shutdown is guaranteed to stretch into its third week. Senate Democrats want stringent reforms to ICE, including requiring agents to obtain judicial warrants, unmask and provide thorough identification — all demands that are red lines for the Republicans and the White House, who fear that doing so would increase the chances of ICE agents being doxxed. While Republicans and the administration raised concerns about HSI and other ICE functions, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., countered that from his understanding, “most everybody at HSI is gone.” “They’ve all been deployed to the interior,” he told Fox News Digital. “Not many, if not most, redeployed to interior enforcement. So the administration has gutted HSI.” “My impression is that HSI has been one of the agencies that has been essentially turned into ICE Junior,” Murphy said.
5th Circuit clears Texas to enforce drag show law in front of minors, Paxton claims ‘major win’
An appellate court found on Wednesday that Texas can enforce a law regulating drag shows in public places and in the presence of minors, scrapping a lower court order that had enjoined the state from doing so. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reaffirmed its November ruling, saying Texas can enforce the 2023 law regulating “sexually oriented performances.” The two-judge panel said only one plaintiff in the case had standing and sent the lawsuit back to the lower court to reevaluate the plaintiff’s First Amendment claim. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is a candidate for Senate, framed the decision as a “major win” in a statement on social media. “I successfully defended a law protecting children from being exposed to sexually illicit content at erotic drag shows,” Paxton said. “I will always work to shield our kids from exposure to erotic and inappropriate sexually oriented performances.” DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR’S RADICAL ORIGINS AND THE SUBVERSIVE SEXUALIZATION OF OUR KIDS The lawsuit, brought by numerous self-described LGBTQ organizations, centered on a state Senate bill that defined sexually oriented performances as visual performances that feature a nude person or sexual conduct and “[appeal] to the prurient interest in sex.” Under the law, a person could be prosecuted for causing a performance to occur in the presence of minors. Judge Kurt Engelhardt, an appointee of President Donald Trump, authored the opinion and was joined by Judge Leslie Southwick, an appointee of former President George W. Bush. The judges found that most of the plaintiffs, including a nonprofit called Woodlands Pride, did not have standing to bring First and Fourteenth Amendment challenges to the law because the groups’ performances were benign and therefore did not fall under the Texas law. The judges said, however, that a group called 360 Queen Entertainment did engage in performances, sometimes in the presence of minors, and therefore had standing. APPEALS COURT SAYS TEXAS CAN ENFORCE DRAG SHOW BAN, SUGGESTS NOT ALL DRAG SHOWS VIOLATE STATE LAW “Based on the evidence introduced at trial, 360 Queen’s performances arguably include proscribed conduct,” Engelhardt wrote. “The owner described one performance where a drag queen, who was wearing a ‘very revealing’ breastplate, pulsed the breastplate in front of people and put the breastplate in people’s faces.” Sometimes those performances were visible to children, Engelhardt noted. The panel ordered the district court to evaluate whether 360 Queen was right to claim the Texas law violated its free speech rights under the First Amendment. In a statement, Brian Klosterboer of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said the 5th Circuit effectively deemed some drag performances “family-friendly” but that the law, which will go into effect in March, still had perceived constitutional problems. “The law’s vague and sweeping provisions still create a harmful chilling effect for drag artists and those who support them, while also threatening many types of performing arts cherished here in Texas, from theater to ballet to professional wrestling,” Klosterboer said. In 2023, Judge David Hittner, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, found Texas’ law was unconstitutional. It is “not unreasonable” to think it could affect activities like live theater or dancing, Hittner found. Last November, the 5th Circuit vacated that order. On Wednesday, it reaffirmed that decision and denied the plaintiffs’ request to rehear their appeal.
Tech company refuses Pentagon demands on unrestricted use of its AI
The Pentagon is calling for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company’s artificial intelligence product for “all lawful purposes,” but CEO Dario Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for “mass domestic surveillance” or “fully autonomous weapons,” and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases. “The Department of War has stated they will only contract with AI companies who accede to ‘any lawful use’ and remove safeguards in the cases mentioned above. They have threatened to remove us from their systems if we maintain these safeguards; they have also threatened to designate us a ‘supply chain risk’ — a label reserved for US adversaries, never before applied to an American company — and to invoke the Defense Production Act to force the safeguards’ removal,” Amodei said in a Thursday statement. He declared that the “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” PENTAGON GIVES AI FIRM ULTIMATUM: LIFT MILITARY LIMITS BY FRIDAY OR LOSE $200M DEAL Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs Sean Parnell declared in a post on X that the department does not want to engage in either of those activities but is asking to use Anthropic’s AI for all legal purposes. “The Department of War has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement,” Parnell said in the post. “Here’s what we’re asking: Allow the Pentagon to use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes.” “This is a simple, common-sense request that will prevent Anthropic from jeopardizing critical military operations and potentially putting our warfighters at risk. We will not let ANY company dictate the terms regarding how we make operational decisions. They have until 5:01 PM ET on Friday to decide. Otherwise, we will terminate our partnership with Anthropic and deem them a supply chain risk for DOW,” he noted. TOP AI FIRM ALLEGES CHINESE LABS USED 24K FAKE ACCOUNTS TO SIPHON US TECH Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael accused Anthropic and Amodei of lying. In a post on X, Michael called Amodei “a liar” who “has a God-complex.” “He wants nothing more than to try to personally control the US Military and is ok putting our nation’s safety at risk. The @DeptofWar will ALWAYS adhere to the law but not bend to whims of any one for-profit tech company,” he asserted. In another post he asserted, “Anthropic is lying. The @DeptofWar doesn’t do mass surveillance as that is already illegal. What we are talking about is allowing our warfighters to use AI without having to call @DarioAmodei for permission to shoot down an enemy drone swarms that would kill Americans.” War Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted both of Michael’s messages. MADURO RAID QUESTIONS TRIGGER PENTAGON REVIEW OF TOP AI FIRM AS POTENTIAL ‘SUPPLY CHAIN RISK’ Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon on Friday morning. In response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, Anthropic highlighted Amodei’s statement that the company issued on Thursday. “It is the Department’s prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision. But given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider. Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters — with our two requested safeguards in place. Should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required,” Amodei noted in his statement. “We remain ready to continue our work to support the national security of the United States,” he said.
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
President Donald Trump warned that Iran is working to build missiles that could “soon reach the United States of America,” elevating concerns about a weapons program that already places U.S. forces across the Middle East within range. Iran does not currently possess a missile capable of striking the U.S. homeland, officials say. But its existing ballistic missile arsenal can target major American military installations in the Gulf, and U.S. officials say the issue has emerged as a key sticking point in ongoing nuclear negotiations. Here’s what Iran can hit now — and how close it is to reaching the U.S. IRAN ANNOUNCES TEST OF NEW NAVAL AIR DEFENSE MISSILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS US MILITARY BUILDUP CONTINUES Iran is widely assessed by Western defense analysts to operate the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. Its arsenal consists primarily of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles with ranges of up to roughly 2,000 kilometers — about 1,200 miles. That range places a broad network of U.S. military infrastructure across the Gulf within reach. Among the installations inside that envelope: IRAN SIGNALS NUCLEAR PROGRESS IN GENEVA AS TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL DISMANTLEMENT U.S. forces have drawn down from some regional positions in recent months, including the transfer of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq back to Iraqi control earlier in 2026. But major Gulf installations remain within the range envelope of Iran’s current missile inventory. Multiple U.S. officials told Fox News that staffing at the Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain has been reduced to “mission critical” levels amid heightened tensions. A separate U.S. official disputed that characterization, saying no ordered departure of personnel or dependents has been issued. At the same time, the U.S. has surged significant naval and air assets into and around the region in recent days. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Arabian Sea alongside multiple destroyers, while additional destroyers are positioned in the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is also headed toward the region. U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft — including F-15s, F-16s, F-35s and A-10s — are based across Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, supported by aerial refueling tankers, early warning aircraft and surveillance platforms, according to a recent Fox News military briefing. Iran has demonstrated its willingness to use ballistic missiles against U.S. targets before. In January 2020, following the U.S. strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. positions in Iraq. Dozens of American service members were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. That episode underscored the vulnerability of forward-deployed forces within reach of Iran’s missile arsenal. Most publicly known Iranian missile systems are assessed to have maximum ranges of around 2,000 kilometers. Depending on launch location, that could place parts of southeastern Europe — including Greece, Bulgaria and Romania — within potential reach. The U.S. has some 80,000 troops stationed across Europe, including in all three of these countries. Reaching deeper into Europe would require longer-range systems than Iran has publicly demonstrated as operational. IRAN NEARS CHINA ANTI-SHIP SUPERSONIC MISSILE DEAL AS US CARRIERS MASS IN REGION: REPORT Iran does not currently field an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the U.S. homeland. To reach the U.S. East Coast, a missile would need a range of roughly 10,000 kilometers — far beyond Iran’s known operational capability. However, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned that Iran’s space launch vehicle program could provide the technological foundation for a future long-range missile. In a recent threat overview, the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that Iran “has space launch vehicles it could use to develop a militarily-viable ICBM by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.” That assessment places any potential Iranian intercontinental missile capability roughly a decade away — and contingent on a political decision by Tehran. U.S. officials and defense analysts have pointed in particular to Iran’s recent space launches, including rockets such as the Zuljanah, which use solid-fuel propulsion. Solid-fuel motors can be stored and launched more quickly than liquid-fueled rockets — a feature that is also important for military ballistic missiles. Space launch vehicles and long-range ballistic missiles rely on similar multi-stage rocket technology. Analysts say advances in Iran’s space program could shorten the pathway to an intercontinental-range missile if Tehran chose to adapt that technology for military use. For now, however, Iran has not deployed an operational ICBM, and the U.S. homeland remains outside the reach of its current ballistic missile arsenal. The U.S. relies on layered missile defense systems — including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Patriot and ship-based interceptors — to protect forces and allies from ballistic missile threats across the Middle East. These systems are technically capable, but interceptor inventories are finite. During the June 2025 Iran-Israel missile exchange, U.S. forces reportedly fired more than 150 THAAD interceptors — roughly a quarter of the total the Pentagon had funded to date, according to defense analysts. The economics also highlight the imbalance: open-source estimates suggest Iranian short-range ballistic missiles can cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, while advanced U.S. interceptors such as THAAD run roughly $12 million or more per missile. Precise inventory levels are classified. But experts who track Pentagon procurement data warn that replenishing advanced interceptors can take years, meaning a prolonged, high-intensity missile exchange could strain stockpiles even if U.S. defenses remain effective. The ballistic missile issue has also emerged as a key fault line in ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iran’s refusal to negotiate limits on its ballistic missile program is “a big problem,” signaling that the administration views the arsenal as central to long-term regional security. While current negotiations are focused primarily on Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment activities, U.S. officials have argued that delivery systems — including ballistic missiles — cannot be separated from concerns about a potential nuclear