Ram Temple opens its doors to public today: Everything you need to know
The day has finally arrived for millions of Hindus who have been waiting for years: the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will open to the public for the first time today.
Delhi Weather Update: Cold wave conditions persist in capital, IMD issues yellow alert for…
IMD said that the maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 17.6 degrees Celsius.
Critics bash SCOTUS decision allowing feds to cut razor Texas installed to stem illegal border crossings
Critics are heaping scorn on a Supreme Court decision Monday allowing Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas had installed to stem the tide of illegal crossings. Texas had installed the roughly 30 miles of concertina wire along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border near Eagle Pass. The razor wire had been at the center of an escalating standoff between the Biden administration and the state over immigration enforcement. The deciding vote was cast by Justice Roberts, while Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh were in the dissent. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, also sided with the majority. None of the justices provided an explanation for their 5-4 vote. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT RECORD 302K IN DECEMBER, SOURCES SAY The Justice Department has argued the barrier impedes the U.S. government’s ability to patrol the border, including coming to the aid of migrants in need of help. Gov. Abbott said the fight was “not over.” “Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages,” he said. “I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Administration from destroying our property.” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the SCOTUS ruling “extremely disappointing and frustrating.” He singled out Chief Justice Roberts for siding “with the liberals on the Court on this import border issue.” “Our country is being invaded by millions, including terrorists, dangerous criminals, and smugglers bringing in fentanyl that kills Americans every day. Justice Roberts did not explain his vote.” Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina blamed the Biden administration’s policies for creating the “illegal immigration crisis.” “But this is beyond inaction,” he said. “President Biden is actively aiding and abetting the largest southern border invasion our country has ever seen.” TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida questioned how there could be “a ‘border security deal’ with a Biden administration that just went all the way to the Supreme Court to stop border security?” During a Monday night appearance on the Ingraham Angle, Rubio called for an overhaul of the asylum process, saying it was being “abused.” “The laws have to be executed by the executive branch,” Rubio said. “The laws have not changed from the time Trump was president to the time Biden became president. What changed was the way the law was applied and executed.” Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky called on Congress to step in. “You know who could fix this – literally overrule the Supreme Court and the White House on the Texas v Biden dispute? Congress,” he said. “In fact, it was explained to a group of us by Justice Scalia during breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club. He told us to quit funding things we don’t like.” The Texas GOP, meanwhile, urged Texans to tell Gov. Abbott “to stand firm and the feds to come and cut it!” The White House has applauded the Supreme Court’s decision. White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said the razor wire had “prevented frontline personnel from performing vital federal functions and interfered with their ability to address urgent humanitarian situations and enforce our laws.” MIGRANT CARAVAN FROM HONDURAS DISSOLVES BEFORE REACHING US BORDER, GUATEMALA SAYS “Texas’ political stunts, like placing razor wire near the border, simply make it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs. Ultimately, we need adequate resources and policy changes to address our broken immigration system,” he said. “That is why on his first day in office, President Biden presented Congress with a comprehensive immigration reform plan and that is why he is working to find a bipartisan agreement with Congress that includes additional resources and meaningful policy reforms.” A DHS spokesperson said enforcing immigration is a federal responsibility. “Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for frontline personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law,” the spokesperson said. “We can enforce our laws and administer them safely, humanely, and in an orderly way.” But the Border Patrol Union rejected the Supreme Court decision. Gov. Abbott had authorized the wire as part of aggressive measures to curb illegal crossings from Mexico. A federal appeals court last month forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire. REPUBLICANS PROBE DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER ROLE IN HOUSING MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS The concertina wire stretches for roughly 30 miles near the border city of Eagle Pass, where earlier this month the Texas Military Department seized control of a city-owned park and began denying access to Border Patrol agents. Eagle Park has become one of the busiest spots on the southern U.S. border for migrants illegally crossing from Mexico. Abbott has said Texas won’t allow Border Patrol agents into Shelby Park anymore, having expressed frustration over what he says are migrants illegally entering through Eagle Pass and then federal agents loading them onto buses. Abbott also has authorized installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers to arrest and jail thousands of migrants on trespassing charges. The administration also is challenging those actions in federal court. In court papers, the administration said the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river and that, in any case, federal immigration law trumps Texas’ own efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country. Texas officials have argued that federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing. Fox News’ Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Down to Trump in the polls on primary eve, Haley vows she’s ‘in this for the long haul’
SALEM, N.H. – Nikki Haley, on the eve of New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, telling the overflow crowd in this border town with Massachusetts that “it’s almost Election Day. This is what we’ve been waiting for.” “We’ve got a lot on the line here,” she emphasized. With hours to go until the polls open, the former two-term South Carolina Gov. who later served as U.N. ambassador in Donald Trump’s administration was down by double digits in most of the public opinion surveys to the former president, who is the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run. But Haley pledged in interviews with Fox News Digital and on Fox News’ “The Story” that she’s moving on to her home state regardless of her finish in New Hampshire. South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary is the next major contest in the GOP nominating calendar following Tuesday’s showdown in New Hampshire. HALEY VS. TRUMP: WHERE THEY STAND IN THE FINAL POLLS AHEAD OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY “This is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. The political and media elite say everybody needs to coalesce around Donald Trump,” Haley told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Monday in Franklin, New Hampshire. “We don’t believe in coronations in this country. We believe in democracy. I’m in this for the long haul.” HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS SUPPORTERS And hours earlier, in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of her Sunday night rally in Exeter, New Hampshire, Haley said she’s”absolutely” continuing on the campaign trail to South Carolina.” “I can’t wait to make sure that we go and have that homecoming. And then I’m going to fight every day to earn their support. South Carolinians are smart. They’re tough. They expect you to do your homework,” she emphasized. “But I’ve won there twice. I know what it takes to do that and we’ll do it again.” Campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Saturday that Haley will hold a large event in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, the same day that the campaign will launch a $4 million statewide ad blitz. Trump scored a convincing victory in last Monday night’s low-turnout Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar. He grabbed 51% of the vote, 30 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who narrowly edged out Haley for second place. DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN But DeSantis, a distant third and hovering in the single digits in New Hampshire polling, dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Trump, leaving the former president and Haley as the remaining two major candidates in the 2024 Republican race. The former president predicted another major win on Tuesday, telling supporters at a rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday night that “I think we’re going to have the same kind of result here as we did last week in Iowa.” However, New Hampshire — where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party’s contest and have long played an influential role in the state’s storied presidential primary — may be fertile ground for Haley. The latest surveys indicate Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. However, there are likely more Republicans than independents who will vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Veteran New Hampshire-based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News that DeSantis’ departure from the race “narrows Haley’s margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis voters are going to migrate over to Trump. And so it’s critical for her to do well in New Hampshire to give her some momentum heading into South Carolina.” Mike Dennehy, another longtime New Hampshire-based GOP strategist, was more blunt. “I think it puts a nail in her coffin,” he said of Haley. “I don’t think she’ll be able to keep under 50%. And I think there’s a very good chance that Trump hits 60% on Tuesday, which will signal the end of the Haley campaign and virtually seal the deal for the Trump nomination.” Haley, publicly brushing off the polls, made a last minute pitch, telling her supporters at the primary eve event in Salem to “go to the polls tomorrow and take five people with you.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Facing pressure from judge, Texas reassigns workers to care for foster kids in unlicensed homes
The move is designed to reduce some of the rotating overtime shifts expected of agency caseworkers at group homes and motels, which have been criticized as dangerous for the children who live there.
Economy, border and ‘anybody but Trump’: Americans share their priorities in presidential primary
On the eve of New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, several voters in Manchester said they had no desire to see former President Trump return to the Oval Office. “Anybody but Trump,” Clayton said with a laugh. AFTER TRUMP’S BIG IOWA WIN, LIBERAL JOURNALISTS TARGET GOP’S EVANGELICAL BASE: ‘THE MASK IS ENTIRELY OFF’ Polls show the former president with double-digit leads over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley among likely Republican voters. But a recent Marist College survey suggests Haley would perform better against President Biden in a general election in the Granite State. Brian from Manchester said he originally planned to vote for Chris Christie, but will vote for Haley since the former New Jersey governor dropped out. “It’s a vote not for her so much, but it’s against Trump,” he told Fox News. WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly edged-out Trump in the 2016 election. In 2020, Biden beat Trump by about 7%. Jessie was still trying to decide who to vote for, a difficult choice since her number one priority is a ceasefire in the Middle East. “Unfortunately there is not a candidate that supports that right now,” she said. HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS VOTERS The economy was a top priority for several voters Fox News spoke with. “It’s just crazy, the average American is living day-to-day, paycheck-to-paycheck,” Anna said. Irene, the only voter Fox News interviewed who said she would support Trump, said immigration was among her top priorities. “Close the border,” she said. “I’m a legal immigrant from Germany so I really believe this country is wonderful … the only way to get in here is through legal immigration.” Trump is expected to hold a last-minute rally Monday night in Laconia alongside his former opponents South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Click here to hear more from New Hampshire voters. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Texas AG Paxton promises ‘fight is not over’ after SCOTUS rule on Biden admin’s razor wire cutting
FIRST ON FOX: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday promised that “the fight is not over” after the Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal by the Biden administration to allow Border Patrol agents to resume cutting razor wire set up by Texas at the southern border. “The Supreme Court’s temporary order allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America,” Paxton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The destruction of Texas’s border barriers will not help enforce the law or keep American citizens safe,” he said. “This fight is not over, and I look forward to defending our state’s sovereignty.” SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH BIDEN IN TEXAS BORDER WIRE CASE; BORDER PATROL UNION BLASTS THE DECISION The court ruled in a 5-4 decision to allow the federal government to resume the removal of the fence installed by Texas along the southern border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the three liberal justices in a 5-4 vote to allow the practice to resume. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh would have denied the application to vacate injunction, the court said. Paxton had sued the administration in October over its damaging of the wire, accusing the administration of disrupting state efforts to secure the border and damaging the ability to deter illegal entry. The Biden administration has argued that once migrants are on U.S. soil, Border Patrol agents must apprehend them, and has claimed the wire “inhibits Border Patrol’s ability to patrol the border.” The administration has also argued that federal immigration law supersedes Texas’ own efforts to control the border. A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel had granted a request for a preliminary injunction. The DOJ had asked the Supreme Court for temporary relief so that it could remove razor fence at the federal government’s discretion. “The court of appeals’ contrary ruling inverts the Supremacy Clause by requiring federal law to yield to Texas law,” its application to the Court argued. “If accepted, the court’s rationale would leave the United States at the mercy of States that could seek to force the federal government to conform the implementation of federal immigration law to varying state-law regimes.” DOJ RENEWS SCOTUS PUSH TO ACT AFTER TEXAS SEIZES BORDER AREAS, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council, said the ruling would “undoubtedly encourage more illegal immigration.” “Unfortunately, this means Border Patrol agents are going to be tied up dealing with give ups rather than going after the criminal elements that constantly cross our borders illegally,” Judd said in a statement to Fox News. “The administration no doubt will say this is a win for border security, but if they sought rank and file input, they would be told this will do the exact opposite. Agents support what Texas was trying to accomplish in the absence of true border security policies from this administration.” WHITE HOUSE STANDS BY STATEMENTS REGARDING MIGRANT DROWNINGS AS TEXAS SLAMS ‘VILE’ NARRATIVE The battle is one of a number between the federal government and the Lone Star state over the situation at the southern border. The DOJ has also sued the state over the deploying of buoys in the Rio Grande to stop illegal crossings. Meanwhile, the federal government has also sued over a recently-signed anti-illegal immigration law which allows state and local law enforcement in Texas to arrest illegal immigrants. Tensions were heightened this month when Texas seized the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass, and blocked Border Patrol from entering. That move too has brought a threat of litigation from the administration. Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Bill Mears and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Trump endorsed by CatholicVote as New Hampshire clock ticks closer to midnight
FIRST ON FOX: Former President Donald Trump was endorsed by one of the nation’s largest Catholic advocacy groups as the New Hampshire primary clock ticks closer to midnight. Fox News Digital has learned that CatholicVote is throwing its hat behind Trump for president, giving the former president their endorsement. Additionally, CatholicVote is encouraging approximately 137,000 Catholic voters in New Hampshire to vote for Trump during Tuesday’s presidential primary. TRUMP TO BE JOINED BY SCOTT, RAMASWAMY, BURGUM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE RALLY AS A ‘SHOW OF FORCE’ THE GOP IS ‘UNITED’ CatholicVote president Brian Burch told Fox News Digital that the organization has “remained neutral” in the primary up until now, because they thought there were “a number of viable and compelling candidates in the race.” “But the number of candidates has dramatically winnowed over the last week, and we are now in a two-person race,” Burch said. “And we think at this point it is important that Catholics start to begin to rally around President Trump.” “Not only would he be a far better choice over Nikki Haley, he is the choice that Americans need in November,” Burch continued. “And Catholics… will play a critical role in this election, and the fate of our Catholic way of life is really at stake in this election.” Burch said the endorsement of Trump isn’t “some big gamble,” saying that Americans “watched him” for four years and touting the former president’s record of judicial appointments. Burch also highlighted the “kinds of people” Trump “surrounded himself with,” as well as the former president’s “courage.” “And I think we came to realize that, of all the virtues necessary [to be president], that courage is essential. Many candidates come and go and check boxes on certain policies and issues, especially on the campaign. But what separated President Trump, I think, from a lot of leaders was his courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences might be.” CatholicVote said it will be emailing and texting approximately 137,000 Catholic voters in New Hampshire to mobilize them behind Trump. “ALERT: Catholics across New Hampshire are uniting behind Donald Trump! America’s largest Catholic advocacy org just announced they have endorsed President Trump because he cares about people like us, and will lead the way once again,” the text, obtained by Fox News Digital, reads. “Don’t let the media decide this election,” it continues. “President Trump needs your vote TODAY!” Trump’s endorsement by the Catholic advocacy group comes as he seeks a rematch with President Biden, who is Catholic. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the endorsement. CatholicVote’s endorsement of Trump comes hours before New Hampshire flexes its political muscle as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary election. The GOP side of the race has whittled down to just two major candidates — Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley — after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Sunday. Biden, however, is in a uniquely sticky situation going into Tuesday. Drama between his campaign and the Granite State over where the first Democratic primary will be held has culminated with the president being left off the primary ballot in New Hampshire. Biden is now having to turn to a write-in campaign to try and win the contest.
Judge in Trump prosecutor’s divorce case cuts off DA Fani Willis lawyer during hearing: ‘Let me interrupt you’
A judge on Monday cut off a lawyer for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as he was arguing why his client should not be deposed in a divorce hearing involving special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to handle the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump. Willis, who is accused of having an affair with Wade, was originally scheduled for a deposition in the case on Tuesday, but Judge Henry Thompson delayed that ruling until after Wade himself is questioned later this month. During a brief hearing at Cobb County Superior Court Monday, Willis’ lawyer, Cinque Axam, argued that his client shouldn’t be deposed because she is too busy with other legal matters including, most importantly, the election interference case involving former President Trump. Willis “manages a staff of 360 plus lawyers and staff. She oversees … 20,000 open cases. She coordinates, on a monthly basis, at least 500 hundred or more cases,” Axam told the judge. “Of course, the most recognizable issue is she’s dealing with the Fulton County election interference involving former President Trump. Before Axam could go on, Judge Thompson cut him off, urging him to narrow his arguments to why Willis would lack “unique personal knowledge” in the Wade divorce case, given that she is implicated in the extramarital affair allegations. ANDREW YANG CASTS DOUBT ON BIDEN’S CHANCES TO BEAT TRUMP, CALLS AGE A ‘MASSIVE HANDICAP’: ‘WRONG CANDIDATE’ “Let me interrupt you. Let me ask you just to focus on the part of the law that says the proposed opponent lacks unique personal knowledge of any matter that’s relevant. Are you saying that your client lacks unique personal knowledge that could not be discovered in some other way?” Thompson asked. Axam replied that the case had been underway for more than two years, and the deposition order had only arrived in recent weeks. “I think there are other means by which that information can be retrieved in the case,” Axam said. Willis was served with the subpoena to sit for a deposition in the divorce case the day that defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, filed a motion alleging the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade. Joycelyn Wade’s attorney has filed court documents showing Wade bought plane tickets in Willis’ name, arguing there “appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.” TRUMP SAYS FILES DELETED BY JAN 6 COMMITTEE ‘EXONERATED ME COMPLETELY’ The affair allegations have roiled the election interference case, which charges Trump and 18 allies of working to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Trump and others have seized on the allegations to attack the case and Wade’s qualifications as a prosecutor. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the charges politically motivated. A lawyer for Joycelyn Wade wrote in court papers filed Friday that Nathan Wade has taken trips to San Francisco and Napa Valley, Florida, Belize, Panama and Australia and has taken Caribbean cruises since filing for divorce and that Willis “was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him.” The filing includes credit card statements that show Nathan Wade — after he had been hired as special prosecutor — bought plane tickets in October 2022 for him and Willis to travel to Miami and bought tickets in April to San Francisco in their names.
US denies Yemen’s Houthis claim of attack on US military cargo ship
The armed group says it conducted its attack on the Ocean Jazz in response to US and UK attacks on Houthi positions. The United States has rejected a claim made by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that they attacked the US military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden. “The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ report of an alleged successful attack on M/V Ocean Jazz is patently false,” the US Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement on Monday. “NAVCENT has maintained constant communications with M/V Ocean Jazz throughout its safe transit.” The Iran-aligned armed group, which controls much of Yemen, did not say when or precisely where the attack took place, or if any damage was caused. “The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that retaliation against American and British attacks is inevitable, and any new aggression will not go unpunished,” the Houthis said earlier in a statement. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the vessel named by the Houthis on Monday had been contracted by the US military. US and United Kingdom forces have launched attacks across Yemen against Houthi forces in recent weeks in response to months of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters say is a response to Israel’s war on Gaza. Since November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels navigating on the Red Sea, disrupting international maritime trade. The group initially said it was attacking vessels affiliated with Israel, but has since widened its targets to include vessels linked to the US and UK. The Houthis say their attacks in the Red Sea are part of their support for Palestinians under siege and bombardment by Israeli forces in Gaza for more than three months. Israel’s bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza have killed more than 25,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian officials in the territory. Israel launched the assault and imposed a siege on Gaza after Hamas fighters carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics. Some 240 others were seized as captives during the attack. So far, Houthi activity has been concentrated in the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandeb, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. Approximately 50 ships sail through the strait daily, heading to and from the Suez Canal – a key artery for global maritime trade. Some of the world’s largest shipping companies have suspended transit in the region, forcing vessels to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Adblock test (Why?)