CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke vows to continue protest after bail, awaits release of associates
Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke vows to continue the protest against the SIR of electoral rolls after securing conditional bail in Delhi.
FSSAI issues fresh warning on paneer, meat and fish: What food businesses must follow
FSSAI has issued a fresh advisory requiring food businesses to maintain controlled temperatures during storage of items like paneer, meat, fish, and other perishable eatables.
Obama backs Ilhan Omar amid probe, accuses Trump admin of ‘appalling’ targeting in lengthy statement
Former President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the federal government against its political enemies in a social media post defending Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid an investigation into the progressive lawmaker’s citizenship. Obama claimed the administration is attempting to strip Omar of her U.S. citizenship and deport her over her criticism of President Donald Trump, warning that the effort could set a dangerous precedent. “It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote Sunday on X. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.” ILHAN OMAR’S TURBULENT WEEK EXPLAINED: THE DUELING PROBES THAT THREW THE SOMALI-BORN PROGRESSIVE INTO CHAOS Obama’s remarks come after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status. Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago. Obama defended the circumstances under which Omar became a U.S. citizen, saying, “To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts.” Obama then said Omar arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized. The former president accused investigators of pursuing an “unsubstantiated theory” that Omar was actually 18 at the time, which he said would have required her to apply for citizenship separately. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama wrote. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland Security for comment on the former president’s allegations. Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, previously telling reporters that the matter was up to the Justice Department. “I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said. Obama also accused the administration of repeatedly targeting perceived political opponents, pointing to federal actions involving New York’s attorney general, a former FBI director and members of the Federal Reserve. “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama wrote. “Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.” Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
The nine key races that will decide who controls the Senate, and where they stand
Democrats have expanded their once-narrow path to reclaiming the Senate majority with just over two weeks until Election Day, but they’ll need to win several competitive races to take control of the chamber. If Democrats ride a massive blue wave in the midterm elections, they could end up with 52 or even 53 seats in the next Senate. But if Republicans out-perform the polls, they could hold their majority, which currently stands at 53-47. Here’s a look at the current battlefield and both parties’ routes to securing a Senate majority in the midterms. The latest Power Rankings point to Democrats and Republicans each taking 47 seats in the midterms, leaving six races rated as true toss-ups. Additionally, three races are rated as leaners — one step shy of a toss-up. These nine showdowns will likely determine whether the Democrats make a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate or if the GOP holds the majority. DEMS SEE NEW CHANCES TO FLIP SENATE SEATS BUT GOP’S MASSIVE CASH ADVANTAGE AN OBSTACLE “Nine races will determine control of the Senate, and on the polling alone, you could call any of them toss-ups,” said Remy Numa, a Fox News contributor who steers the network’s Power Rankings. The GOP is fighting political history, as the party in power in Washington has traditionally lost seats during midterm election years. Republicans also face a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump‘s increasingly negative approval ratings. With Republicans controlling the seats in six of the nine competitive races in the Power Rankings, the GOP is playing more defense than the Democrats. The six toss-up states are Alaska, where Sen. Dan Sullivan is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger and former Rep. Mary Peltola; Iowa, where Rep. Ashley Hinson is trying to keep retiring Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat in GOP hands against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek; and Maine, where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election against former state Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democratic challenger. DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING – HERE ARE THREE FACTORS THAT COULD STOP IT Also on the list is Ohio, where appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted is running to serve the final two years of the term won in 2022 by now-Vice President JD Vance. He’s facing former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. And in Texas, state Attorney General Ken Paxton is battling Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the race to succeed longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who was ousted by Paxton in a bitter Republican primary. Democrats are playing defense in Michigan, the sixth toss-up, where nominee Abdul El-Sayed is trying to keep party control of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ seat, as he faces former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Democrats are also on defense in New Hampshire, where Rep. Chris Pappas is aiming to keep retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s seat blue against former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu. The Power Rankings rate the race “Lean Democrat.” It’s a similar story in Minnesota, where Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is trying to keep retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat in party hands. But the Power Rankings this past week shifted the race in the blue-leaning state toward the GOP, from Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat, as Republican nominee Michele Tafoya appears to gain traction. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Meanwhile, the GOP is on defense in red-leaning Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a difficult re-election fight against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a pastor. The Power Rankings rate the race Lean Republican. Numa, pointing to Kansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire, said that “the voter profiles and histories of those states are keeping them at ‘Lean D’ and ‘Lean R’ on the forecast, but this map has expanded, and with the exception of the North Star State, mostly into red territory.” Meanwhile, two states are now pretty much off the table for the GOP. Georgia was a top Republican target when the 2026 cycle began, but Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff holds a solid lead over GOP challenger Rep. Mike Collins in the southeastern battleground. Republican outside groups have cut their spending significantly in Georgia, and the Fox News Power Rankings rate the race as Likely Democrat. In neighboring North Carolina, Republicans appear to have conceded the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. Republican groups have pulled the plug on spending on behalf of GOP nominee Mike Whatley, who trails former Gov. Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee, in polling. The Fox News Power Rankings also rate this race as Likely Democrat. The Democrats win the majority if they run the table by holding Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire, and flip North Carolina as well as at least three of the five GOP-controlled toss-up states. “Senate Democrats are in the strongest position yet to win the majority – with multiple paths to flip GOP-held seats and growing momentum across the map,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair, touted in a recent statement. Conversely, Republicans would keep control of the chamber by holding at least three of the toss-ups where they’re playing defense. A 50-50 Senate would remain in GOP hands, thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance. Gillibrand’s counterpart, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, remains optimistic. “I think it’s going very well for us,” Scott said Thursday in an interview on Fox News “America Reports.” “The momentum, frankly, is with us, not against us.” The GOP majority could be bolstered if the party goes on offense. While chances of Sununu flipping New Hampshire appear to be receding, Republicans are optimistic Rogers can top El-Sayed in Michigan. Trump is expected to hold a rally with Rogers in the Great
Trump tries different approach with Russia to bring Americans relief amid ongoing war with Ukraine
President Donald Trump is easing some of the economic pressure on Russia in hopes of bringing Vladimir Putin closer to a peace deal — a gamble that will test whether economic incentives can move Moscow where years of sanctions have not. The administration’s decision to temporarily ease restrictions on Russian diesel has drawn opposition from Republicans on Capitol Hill and skepticism over whether the move will meaningfully lower prices for Americans. Meanwhile, Russia has offered few public signs of concessions in return. Six Republican senators joined Democrats this week in urging Trump to reverse the decision, while five House Republicans signed a separate bipartisan letter Thursday seeking to revoke the Treasury authorization. The resistance comes as Washington approaches an Oct. 18, 2026, deadline to begin implementing a sweeping new sanctions law Congress overwhelmingly approved to increase economic pressure on Russia. BIPARTISAN SENATORS DEMAND TRUMP SCRAP RUSSIA DIESEL DEAL, CALL IT ‘BETRAYAL’ OF US ALLIES The administration argues that allowing Russian diesel back onto global markets could help bring down prices for American consumers while demonstrating the economic benefits Russia could gain through improved relations with the United States. Trump has defended the agreement as a way to add supply to a global diesel market strained by high prices, stressing that the Russian fuel does not necessarily need to come state side to benefit American consumers. “That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market because the world market suffers with high prices,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. But energy analysts have questioned whether the volumes involved would meaningfully affect prices. Russia, meanwhile, continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure after Trump declared an immediate energy ceasefire Sunday. John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued the diesel agreement would make more sense as part of a reciprocal deal under which Moscow and Kyiv both stopped attacking energy infrastructure. “The Ukrainians could stomach it if it were part of a mutual energy truce where both Russia and Ukraine don’t strike each other’s infrastructure,” Hardie told Fox News Digital. Instead, Hardie said, Trump pressed Ukraine to halt its refinery strikes without securing the same restraint from Putin. “The better solution is to go back to the Kremlin and try to get that two-way solution,” he said. Trump announced the diesel agreement Oct. 9 after a phone call with Putin, saying Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the “American and Global Marketplace,” followed by another 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons shortly thereafter and eventually another 3 million tons depending on the condition of its refineries. TRUMP RUSSIA DEAL COULD FUEL PUTIN’S WAR, EX-NATO COMMANDER WARNS AS ZELENSKYY SAYS ‘NYET’ Treasury issued General License 135 the same day, temporarily authorizing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027. The diesel dispute has become part of a broader strain between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has repeatedly pressed Kyiv to halt refinery attacks, while Zelenskyy has criticized the diesel deal and accused Russia of ignoring Trump’s energy ceasefire. Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure this week after saying Moscow had failed to observe the pause. Russia, meanwhile, has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as winter approaches. A major missile and drone attack Wednesday damaged dozens of energy facilities and left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power, according to Ukrainian officials. The White House says the deal serves two purposes: adding supply to global fuel markets and showing Moscow some of the economic benefits that could come with improved relations. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed the agreement with Ukrainian officials as part of an effort to revive peace negotiations, Reuters reported. One person briefed on the talks said the deal could help “soften” Moscow’s position by signaling that Trump remains open to doing business with Russia. But analysts question how much genuinely new diesel Russia can provide. “The amount of diesel Russia can provide would be a drop in the bucket compared to global demand,” Masha Kotkin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told S&P Global. “If you are asking about US diesel prices, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference,” she said. Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former Russian oil executive, similarly cautioned against treating the roughly $7 billion value of the diesel contemplated under the agreement as new revenue for Moscow, noting that Russia was already exporting substantial quantities despite Western sanctions. He estimated the sanctions relief could instead benefit Russian exporters by roughly $30 to $40 per ton through better commercial terms and lower shipping costs — tens of millions of dollars per month, only part of which would reach the Russian state through taxes. At the same time, Ukrainian strikes have sharply constrained Russia’s ability to increase supply. Vakulenko said Russian diesel available for export fell from roughly 3 million tons per month in April to about 325,000 tons in September, leaving both Russia’s additional financial benefit and the deal’s potential impact on global prices more limited than the headline figures suggest. Hardie said signs of division between Washington and Kyiv could encourage Putin to increase military pressure rather than compromise. “That message of irresolution and of division between Washington and Kyiv only encourages Putin to intensify military pressure, kind of seeing that opportunity,” Hardie said. He said the administration had previously presented sanctions relief and renewed economic ties as benefits Russia could unlock through a negotiated settlement. Offering some of those benefits beforehand, he warned, could undermine that incentive. “It’ll lead Putin to kind of digging his heels in on maximalist demands,” Hardie said. The debate comes as Congress is moving in the opposite direction. Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law Sept. 18, giving the administration new authorities to target Russian officials, financial institutions and entities helping sustain the war. Its first
For Texas schoolchildren, minor misbehavior can mean criminal charges
More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.
In Senate race, Paxton and Talarico each promise relief from rising energy costs in Texas
The candidates are miles apart on climate, but both are making affordability a central issue as Texans grapple with spiking prices.
Kolkata: Organisers among 7 Arrested for Durga Puja stampede that killed 19
7 arrested after stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata kills 19 on Saptami, police say announcement by organisers triggered rush, Secretary Raj Kumar Sewda held.
From suspected food poisoning to property feud: Twist in Greater Noida family deaths
A voice note has added a new twist to the deaths of five family members in Greater Noida. Check latest developments in the case.
Maharashtra CEO seeks modification of Form 6 to help voters deleted during SIR
Maharashtra’s chief electoral officer has asked ECI to modify Form 6 so voters whose names were deleted during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can re-apply without declaring as first-time voters.