Bhopal Ashamed: Minor girl raped, thrashed inside car
An 11th-grade student was allegedly assaulted inside multiple vehicles in Bhopal in a case involving blackmail and extortion. Two accused have been arrested, four cars seized, and a Special Investigation Team formed. Police are probing video evidence and possible links to a suspended constable.
In a contest to regulate Texas’s oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China
Jim Wright, the GOP incumbent, and several other Republican candidates dismissed Bo French’s campaign rhetoric as distracting from the Railroad Commission’s mission.
UT-Austin to consolidate race, ethnic and gender study programs
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
Pentagon let border agency use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace, AP sources say
The sources say the border security agency borrowed the laser and fired it without first coordinating with the aviation agency, sparking the sudden shutdown.
AG Ken Paxton backs ivermectin champion’s fight against Texas Medical Board
The board reprimanded Dr. Mary Bowden last year after she prescribed ivermectin to a patient at a Fort Worth hospital during the height of the pandemic.
Puerto Rico governor signs law recognizing unborn babies as human beings
Puerto Rico’s Republican governor on Thursday signed a bill that amends a law to recognize an unborn baby as a human being, which opponents argued could eventually lead to outlawing abortion in the U.S. territory. Gov. Jenniffer González said in a statement that the measure “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being.” The amendment, in Senate Bill 923, altered an article within Puerto Rico’s Penal Code that defines murder. The government said that the amendment complements a law affirming that it would be first-degree murder if a suspect intentionally and knowingly kills a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the conceived child at any stage of gestation. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION AS MURDER The legislation was named after Keishla Rodríguez, a pregnant woman who was killed in April 2021. Her partner, former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo, was convicted in the killing and received two life sentences. Supporters of the law said it was designed to provide consistency between civil and criminal codes and focus on harsher punishments for the murder of pregnant women and that it was unrelated to abortion, but critics argued that it opens the door to eventually criminalizing the procedure in Puerto Rico, which remains legal. “A zygote was given legal personality,” Rosa Seguí Cordero, an attorney and spokesperson for the National Campaign for Free, Safe and Accessible Abortion in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “We women were stripped of our rights.” WYOMING SUPREME COURT RULES LAWS RESTRICTING ABORTION VIOLATE STATE CONSTITUTION Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgeons, contends that the new law would lead to “defensive health care,” in which doctors may refuse to treat complicated pregnancies for fear of criminal prosecution on murder charges. “This will bring complex clinical decisions into the realm of criminal law,” he told The Associated Press, adding that it would bring “disastrous consequences.” Díaz said the amended law also allows a third person to intervene between a doctor and a pregnant woman, which violates privacy laws. He also said new protocols and regulations would need to be implemented. “The system is not prepared for this,” he said. Opponents of the law also said the amendment was approved without public hearings. “There is no doubt that the measure did not undergo adequate analysis before its approval and leaves an unacceptable space for ambiguity regarding civil rights,” Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “The legislative leadership failed to fulfill its responsibility to the people, and so did the governor.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sanctuary policies let alleged child predator roam free until DHS made Portland, Oregon, airport arrest
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested an illegal migrant who was charged with rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon, after the migrant was released on bail by sanctuary policies. Manuel Cruz-Ramirez, who still faces the slew of charges, was not referred to immigration officers upon his arrest and release due to Marion County’s sanctuary status. The illegal immigrant from Mexico was apprehended only because he was using a fraudulent Mexican passport at the Portland International Airport. TSA and CBP agents were flagged when his falsified name did not return full data, according to DHS. “Manuel Cruz-Ramirez was arrested for rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “The state’s sanctuary politicians allowed this pedophile to be released from jail back into American communities.” TRUMP URGES DHS, ICE TO PUBLICIZE ARRESTS, SAYS CRACKDOWN IS ‘SAVING MANY INNOCENT LIVES’ In non-sanctuary cities, Cruz-Ramirez would have referred to immigration officers, who would have apprehended him before he was released from detention. “Americans can be proud of the swift actions of TSA and CBP for protecting them and our judicial system by preventing this monster from fleeing the country,” McLaughlin explained. “Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans. “Oregon’s sanctuary politicians must stop this reckless insanity of releasing child predators from jail back into our neighborhoods to prey on more innocent children,” she added. DHS DEMANDS MN LEADERS HONOR ICE DETAINERS, ALLEGES HUNDREDS OF CRIMINAL ALIENS HAVE BEEN RELEASED UNDER WALZ DHS also told Fox News Digital that Cruz-Ramirez had been deported from the U.S. in 2018, though he re-entered the country at an unknown location and time. He is now in ICE custody and his removal order has been re-instated. Portland has been one of several cities where agitators have mobilized to confront and protest federal law enforcement. On Thursday, Fox News Digital reported that DHS launched an investigation into an Oregon resident who was arrested during a traffic stop with knives and materials to make Molotov cocktails. DHS URGES NEWSOM TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS AFTER FEDERAL AGENT ASSAULTED WHILE ARRESTING ILLEGAL ALIEN AT JAIL The 18-year-old Oregon resident allegedly authored a manifesto with the intention of killing ICE at a Portland ICE office. The individual reportedly told authorities that he was planning on picking up an AR-15 rifle to carry out the attack. Democrats, including those in Congress, have referred to ICE agents as Nazis and gestapo, and the Trump administration has said that such rhetoric is endangering the lives of law enforcement officers across the country. During an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted the difference between some cities and those which are controlled by far-left leaders, saying that in cities where authorities cooperate with federal law enforcement there is far less conflict. “Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, have an opportunity to do the same thing that Memphis did. There we had a Democrat mayor who worked with us,” Noem told Fox News Digital. “It was about the same size as a city, about the same amount of federal law enforcement officers were there, and we dramatically cut crime and murder rates and partnered well together.”
Over 1.5 million illegal aliens with deportation orders in US, ICE director reveals
Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons revealed that there are about 1.6 million illegal aliens with final deportation orders in the U.S., half of whom have criminal convictions. During testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, Lyons said, “What we’re tracking right now is about 1.6 million final [deportation] orders in the United States, with approximately 800,000 of those having criminal convictions.” Lyons clarified that these deportation orders have not been issued by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. Rather, Lyons said the orders have come “through an immigration judge with the Department of Justice separate from Immigration Customs Enforcement.” The director added that “there’s 16,840 final orders at large in the state of Minnesota.” ACTING ICE DIRECTOR DEFENDS AGENCY’S FOCUS ON TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, DETAILS THREAT TO AGENTS Lyons revealed this during questioning by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. Lankford asked Lyons to communicate his gratitude to the men and women in immigration enforcement, commenting, “Two years ago, we had 10,000 people a day illegally crossing into the country, two years ago, 10,000 people a day not vetted, had no idea who they were.” Lankford also pointed out that “70,000 people were estimated by the Biden administration to come in in 2024 that were special interest aliens that had a locational connection to terrorism.” “But we had no idea who they were. They were allowed to be able to come into the country two years ago,” he lamented. SCOOP: THOUSANDS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA AS ADMIN VOWS ‘WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN’ This comes as ICE faces intense criticism from Democrats over their operations, especially in Minnesota, where two activists, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed in altercations with federal officers. Democrats have threatened defund DHS unless the agency changes its approach to enforcement. Lankford remarked, “We’re losing perspective of what’s really happened.” “The work that the men and women that work around you have done have stopped that chaos,” Lankford said to Lyons. TRUMP DHS HAMMERS DEM GOVERNOR’S PORTAL TO TRACK ICE AGENTS: ‘ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE’ “There are thousands of arrests that are happening in a day that are happening by the book,” he continued. “And what’s happening is a group of protesters that are protesting and agitating, and some of them running into churches and disturbing church services and saying, ‘It’s my First Amendment right to shut down your church during a service.’ And saying they’re a peaceful protester while they throw rocks at agents, it just gets old.”
Newsom stop in key presidential primary state sparks more 2028 speculation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s book tour will take him early next month to New Hampshire, the state that’s traditionally held the nation’s first presidential primary for a century. The Portsmouth Music Hall announced on Thursday that California’s two-term Democratic governor will present his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” on Thursday, at their theater on March 5. It’s a sure bet that the stop along New Hampshire’s Seacoast will generate more buzz about Newsom’s national ambitions and the likelihood that he’ll launch a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, in the race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump. Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared over the past year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort. THE 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE IS ALREADY UNDERWAY “Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values,” veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital. Newsom was treated like a VIP as he held meetings and mingled with party delegates during the opening day of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) winter meeting, which was held in Los Angeles in December. And Newsom held meetings with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire and Nevada, another crucial early voting state. “We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital. DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS TURN HEADS, SPARK 2028 SPECULATION Newsom has acknowledged that he’s mulling a presidential bid, telling CBS News last year he would “seriously consider” following the 2026 midterms and that he’d be “lying” if he said otherwise. Newsom is one of more than a dozen Democrats viewed as potential 2028 White House contenders. And many of them have been paying visits to New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, which held the first sanctioned Democratic presidential primary in the 2024 election cycle. Newsom stopped in South Carolina last summer. A New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that he and other activists in the state for months have been receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the White House hopefuls. “Every week I receive a dozen,” the strategist said. VANCE AMPLIFIES HIS 2026 MESSAGE WHILE LANDING KEY 2028 BACKING Kathy Sullivan, a former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair and former DNC committee member, told Fox News Digital that “successful candidates in New Hampshire start early here and get to know the activists. They find out what issues are important to people in New Hampshire.” Sullivan said the early trips to New Hampshire by the potential contenders “show that they’re putting the work in to take the whole process seriously and know they need to do the hard work to win the primary.” The California governor was last in New Hampshire in July 2024, to support then-President Joe Biden in the days after Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Trump. Newsom was a top surrogate for Biden, and later for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the party’s standard-bearer after Biden dropped his re-election run amid questions about his physical and mental durability. Harris, a fellow Californian who is also currently on a book tour, is also mulling a potential 2028 presidential run. Among the other Democrats seen as possible presidential candidates are Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Noem slams Dems blocking DHS funding bill citing TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard: ‘I hope they come to their senses’
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem warned Thursday that a lapse in funding for her department could disrupt airport security, disaster response and counterterrorism operations, escalating a partisan standoff in Congress over immigration policy. Senate Democrats demanded stringent reforms to immigration enforcement and blocked multiple attempts Thursday to keep the agency open, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only accounts for 11% of the bill’s funding, according to Noem. Noem’s comments came as she joined U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks and Executive Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Diane Sabatino in Otay Mesa, California, to discuss ongoing drug seizure operations. Noem accused Democrats of sending “the wrong message,” arguing that failing to fund DHS undermines national security. Democrats have said the dispute centers on immigration enforcement policies, not disaster response or transportation security. NOEM RIPS DEMS FOR USING FAMILIES AS ‘POLITICAL WEAPONS’ AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT THREATENS LIFE BEYOND ICE She warned other DHS-funded agencies will see the impacts of the shutdown, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “If we had some kind of an attack or a terrible disaster that hit our country, FEMA is the agency that’s responsible for running our government, for stabilizing our country — and the Democrat Party is choosing not to fund FEMA and putting us in jeopardy in that situation.” According to DHS, disaster grant funding could be stuck due to the FEMA GO system being offline, National Fire Academy classes will be canceled, and preparedness exercises will be paused nationwide. The housing market could also see disruptions, as federally-backed mortgages require national flood insurance, managed by FEMA. Noem added that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, who keep the skies safe, will not be paid after Friday — leading to increased wait times at airports and safety concerns. SENATE REPUBLICANS WEIGH DEM DEMAND TO SPLIT DHS BILL, TURN TO SHORT-TERM EXTENSION TO AVOID SHUTDOWN “They’re expected to still show up. How long would you continue to show up for a job that you’re not being paid for,” she said. “These TSA employees just went through a 43-day shutdown where they weren’t paid. How often do you expect these good patriots to keep showing up and to do their job, knowing that their salaries won’t be taken care of and their families’ bills won’t be taken care of.” The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), which is tasked with protecting current and former administration officials and visiting dignitaries, will also go unfunded, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is addressing winter weather impacts on the East Coast. “The Coast Guard right now is keeping rivers open on the East Coast so that critical food and energy sources can get to our largest cities,” Noem said. “… What you’re saying by not funding the Coast Guard, is that the Democrat Party doesn’t think it’s important that people eat, or that they stay warm, or that our national security is protected.” “This is a dangerous situation that we’re in, that the Democratic Party has chosen to shut down the department that was created after 9/11. This department was created recognizing that we are vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” she continued. “… We have responsibility for cyber operations … and going after terrorists who would attack our critical infrastructure, our electrical grid, our water systems, that would come in and hack into our intelligence agencies and our national security operations.” KENNEDY CLAIMS ‘KAREN WING’ WILL PUNISH ANY DEMOCRAT WHO VOTES TO KEEP DHS OPEN AMID BUDGET STALL The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office lacks legal authority to operate during the lapse, leaving biodetection and mail screening disrupted. “The Democrat Party is choosing not to fund [DHS] and making us very vulnerable to those terrorists being successful here in our homeland,” Noem said. “I hope that they will come to their senses, recognize that the American people need to come first, and have a policy discussion.” During Noem’s plea for critical funding, anti-ICE protesters gathered nearby chanting, “shame, shame” through megaphones, while blowing horns. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, released a statement Thursday afternoon, emphasizing the urgency of a deal. SCHUMER ROLLS OUT LIST OF ICE DEMANDS AS WHITE HOUSE SAYS DEMS ‘BLOCKED’ DEAL-MAKING SESSION “There will be a burden shouldered, and the cost will be paid by people who never asked to be part of the fight,” Cole wrote. “… And while all these consequences are slated to start tomorrow at midnight, Senate Democrats are still readying to get on a plane out of town — instead of focusing on completing the job they were elected to do. Flying home or abroad while leaving TSA in limbo isn’t the message of leadership I’d want to send.” He added the House has “acted in good faith at every turn,” as the House and Senate previously struck a bipartisan and bicameral deal to finalize all Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. After helping negotiate the deal, Senate Democrats altered it at the last minute, undermining DHS funding. “The consequences are real, and the responsibility for them in this moment is clear,” Cole wrote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have demanded a list of reforms to ICE. “The administration doesn’t actually want to reform ICE,” Schumer said. “They never do it on their own. That is why we need — we are fighting for — legislation to rein in ICE and stop the violence.” The Democratic Strategic Communications Committee did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.