From Caracas to Chicago: Trump’s Article II powers face their biggest tests yet
President Donald Trump has spent the bulk of his second White House term testing the limits of his Article II authorities, both at home and abroad – a defining constitutional fight that legal experts expect to continue to play out in the federal courts for the foreseeable future. These actions have included the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, who was deposed during a U.S. military raid in Caracas earlier this month, and Trump’s continued fight to deploy National Guard troops in Democrat-led localities, despite the stated objections of state and local leaders. The moves have drawn reactions ranging from praise to sharp criticism, while raising fresh legal questions about how far a sitting president can go in wielding power at home and abroad. Legal experts told Fox News Digital in a series of interviews that they do not expect Trump’s executive powers to be curtailed, at least not significantly or immediately, by the federal courts in the near-term. TRUMP OUSTING OF MADURO DRAWS PARALLELS TO US RAID IN PANAMA – BUT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR CONTRASTS Despite near-certain challenges from Maduro – who would likely argue any U.S. arrest in Venezuela is illegal, echoing Manuel Noriega’s failed strategy decades ago – experts say Trump’s Justice Department would have little trouble citing court precedent and prior Office of Legal Counsel guidance to justify his arrest and removal. U.S. presidents have long enjoyed a wider degree of authority on foreign affairs issues – including acting unilaterally to order extraterritorial arrests. Like other U.S. presidents, Trump can cite guidance published in the late 1980s to argue Maduro’s arrest was made within the “national interest” or to protect U.S. persons and property. Even if an arrest were viewed as infringing on another country’s sovereignty, experts say Trump could cite ample court precedent and longstanding Office of Legal Counsel and Justice Department guidance to argue the action was legally sound. A 1989 memo authored by then-U.S. Assistant Attorney General Bill Barr has surfaced repeatedly as one of the strongest arguments Trump could cite to justify Maduro’s capture. That OLC memo states that “the president, pursuant to his inherent constitutional authority, can authorize enforcement actions independent of any statutory grant of power.” It also authorizes FBI agents to effectuate arrests ordered by the president under the “Take Care” clause of the U.S. Constitution, and says the authority to order extraterritorial arrests applies even if it impinges “on the sovereignty of other countries.” Importantly, federal courts have read these powers to apply even in instances where Congress has not expressly granted statutory authorization to intervene. DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE “When federal interests are at stake, the president, under Article II, has the power to protect them,” Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at the South Texas College of Law, told Fox News Digital in an interview. That’s because Article II, at its core, is “the power for a U.S. president to protect [its] people,” Blackman said. “The reason why we detained Maduro was to effectuate an arrest. DOJ personnel and FBI agents were there to arrest him and read him his rights. And the reason why we used 150 aircraft, and all the other military equipment, was to protect the people who were going to arrest Maduro,” he added. “It was a law enforcement operation, but [with] military backing to protect them – so Article II does factor in here, indirectly.” Though Trump himself has not cited a legal justification for the invasion, senior administration officials have, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who described Maduro’s arrest respectively, as a mission to indict two “fugitives of justice,” and as a “joint military and law enforcement raid.” In Minnesota, next steps for Trump are a bit more fraught. Trump’s National Guard deployment efforts were stymied by the Supreme Court in December, after the high court halted Trump’s National Guard deployments under Title 10. Trump had deployed the federalized troops to Illinois and Oregon last year to protect ICE personnel. But the high court issued an interim order rejecting Trump’s bid, noting that under Title 10, the administration could not federalize the National Guard until it first showed they tried to authorize the regular military to enforce the laws but could not do so. Some court watchers have noted that the ruling essentially closes off alternatives for Trump to act. Instead, Trump could opt to enact his Article II “protective powers” domestically via a more sweeping and extreme alternative. MIKE DAVIS: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MINNESOTA IS WHY WE HAVE THE INSURRECTION ACT This includes the use of the Insurrection Act to call up active-duty U.S. troops and order them deployed to Minnesota and elsewhere. The Insurrection Act is a broad tool that gives presidents the authority to deploy military forces in the U.S. when “unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion” make it “impracticable to enforce the laws.” Critics note it is a powerful, far-reaching statute that could grant Trump an expansive set of powers to act domestically in ways that are not reviewable by Congress or by the courts. Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard Law professor and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General, noted this possibility in a recent chat with former White House counsel Robert Bauer. By “closing off this other statute,” he said, the Supreme Court “may have, some argue, driven the president in the direction of the Insurrection Act because this other source of authority was not available.” Trump allies, for their part, have argued that the president has few other options at his disposal in the wake of the Supreme Court’s interim ruling. Chad Wolf, the America First Policy Institute’s chair of homeland security and immigration, told Fox News Digital last week that Trump could have “little choice” but to invoke the Insurrection Act. “If the situation on the ground in Minneapolis continues to grow violent, with ICE officers being targeted and injured as well
Swalwell governor bid hit with residency questions after court filing alleges he doesn’t live in California
Longtime political foe of President Donald Trump Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing a legal campaign challenge after a conservative activist filed a petition claiming the lawmaker is allegedly prohibited from running for California governor because he doesn’t actually live in the Golden State. “Public records searches reveal no current ownership or leasehold interest held by Eric Swalwell in California, nor any history of any ownership of leasehold interest based on available public records,” a petition filed Jan. 8 by filmmaker and activist Joel Gilbert states, the New York Post reported. “Swalwell’s congressional financial disclosers from 2011 to 2024 list no California real estate ownership,” the petition added. The left-wing lawmaker’s gubernatorial campaign, however, has hit back at the petition as a “nonsense claim” that the team looks forward to “beating” in court. SWALWELL CAMPAIGN IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ACCEPTING ALMOST $15K FROM CCP-TIED LAW FIRM: ‘STOP PLAYING FOOTSIE’ Swalwell has served as a California congressman since 2013, and announced his candidacy to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom when his second term ends in January 2027. The gubernatorial race already is crowded with at least 10 candidates slated to be on the ballot in the nonpartisan primary in June. Swalwell is viewed as a front-runner as the race gets underway. The court filing claims that the congressman listed the address for the office of his attorney on campaign filings and not a residential California address. The address listed in the court filing shows an office building in downtown Sacramento. State law requires the California governor be a resident of the state five years prior to his or her election. “The governor shall be an elector who has been a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state for 5 years immediately preceding the governor’s election,” the filing states, outlining the California Constitution’s residential requirements of governors. When approached for comment on the matter, a campaign general consultant for Swalwell said the lawmaker has always resided in California across his political career and that his attorney’s address was listed on the campaign filing due to death threats he has received. SWALWELL THREATENS TO REVOKE DRIVER’S LICENSES OF MASKED ICE AGENTS OPERATING IN CALIFORNIA “Since joining Congress, Eric Swalwell has always had a residence in the Bay Area. He has always had a California driver’s license, paid California taxes, and starts his California mornings with Johnny’s Donuts maple bars in Dublin. This nonsense claim comes from a MAGA blogger who made a film claiming Elvis is alive. We look forward to beating him in court,” Kate Maeder, Swalwell campaign consultant, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement Monday morning. “Because of the thousands of death threats the Congressman has received, it is perfectly legal to list a campaign office as the address for his legal filings,” she added. Gilbert’s petition calls on the California secretary of state to “fulfill her constitutional duty” and disqualify Swalwell from the race. “The criteria for running for governor of California according to the California Constitution is a candidate must be resident of the state for 5 years prior to the election,” Gilbert told Fox Digital in additional comment on Monday afternoon. “Swalwell’s response that he has a California driver’s license or pays California taxes or went to a Donut shop in Dubin is irrelevant and a smoke screen. He’s a lawyer and should know better.” The director added in response to Swalwell’s campaign: “My film about Elvis is a comedy! Swalwell is clueless every time he Tweets or opens his mouth or files a document!” The director added that the campaign’s response was “absurd” as it related to “beating” Gilbert in court, as Swalwell is not being sued, and instead the filing calls on the California secretary of state to respond. “He clearly doesn’t understand the law at all despite being an attorney,” Gilbert said, before doubling down that candidates must prove residency on the state’s candidate intention statement. In November 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a probe into Swalwell’s past mortgages, specifically investigating if allegations of millions of dollars in loans and refinancing were based on Swalwell declaring that his primary residence was in Washington, D.C. CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ERIC SWALWELL EMBRACES ROLE AS TRUMP’S LOUDEST CRITIC AMID NEW DOJ PROBE Swalwell, Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitita James all have been referred to the DOJ over allegations of mortgage fraud since President Donald Trump‘s return to the Oval Office. Following the DOJ opening a probe into his mortgages, Swalwell filed a lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who referred Swalwell to the DOJ for criminal review, alleging that he abused his position to obtain the mortgage records of numerous Democrats. “Either he’s guilty of mortgage fraud in Washington, DC, or he’s ineligible to run for governor of California,” Gilbert told the Daily Mail. “He can’t have it both ways.” Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Gilbert by email for additional comment on the court filing Monday afternoon. The feud between Swalwell and Trump dates to Trump’s first term, when Swalwell emerged as one of the former president’s most vocal congressional critics and served as a House impeachment manager, cementing a long-running political rivalry. Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Trump warns US can no longer think ‘purely of peace’ as he pushes for Greenland control
President Donald Trump warned that he no longer feels obligated to think “purely of peace” as he argued the United States must have “complete and total control” of Greenland. In a text exchange with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump wrote: “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.” “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also,” he wrote. “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” Trump wrote. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT.” TRUMP ISSUES STERN WARNING TO NATO AHEAD OF VANCE’S HIGH-STAKES GREENLAND MEETING Støre confirmed the text message, first reported by PBS, to Fox News. “Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” the prime minister said in a statement. “We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic. As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to President Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.” In a prior message to the U.S. president, Støre, on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, had conveyed opposition to Trump’s proposed tariff increases on Norway, Finland and other countries and requested a phone conversation to de-escalate. A White House official confirmed Trump sent the message to Støre. “President Trump believes Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security, and he is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region. The President is committed to establishing long-term peace at home and abroad,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, but she offered the prize to Trump in a White House meeting Thursday. JOHNSON: ‘NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND’ FOR TRUMP’S GREENLAND ACQUISITION PLANS AMID MILITARY SPECULATION The prize is awarded by the Nobel Committee, which is made up of members appointed by the Norwegian parliament and intended to operate independently. After Machado handed over her award to Trump, the Nobel Committee released a statement saying: “A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time.” Trump on Saturday said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, starting Feb. 1, increasing to 25% on June 1, until an agreement is reached for the purchase of Greenland. US CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS DENMARK AMID BACKLASH OVER TRUMP’S PUSH TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND Members of the European Union debated the prospect of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in Brussels Sunday, but diplomats insisted on the need to seek de-escalation measures with the U.S. first. The president has not ruled out the use of force to take the icy, 836,000 square mile island. Trump and his advisors have pointed to Greenland’s position between North America and Europe as critical to U.S. missile defense, early-warning systems and Arctic surveillance. The island sits along key air and sea routes that U.S. military planners view as increasingly important as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and expands the theater of great-power competition. The administration has also warned that China and Russia have sought to expand their influence in the Arctic through infrastructure investments, scientific outposts and military activity, raising concerns that Greenland could become a foothold for adversaries if the U.S. does not take a more assertive role. Greenland’s government and Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the territory, have rejected any suggestion of U.S. control, though the U.S. already maintains a military presence there through Pituffik Space Base, a key hub for missile warning and space surveillance. Fox News’ Madeleine Rivera and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Noem hammers Walz, Frey for ignoring 1,360 ICE detainers for criminal illegal aliens
The Department of Homeland Security blasted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for refusing to cooperate with law enforcement on Monday. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says federal agents have arrested 10,000 illegal aliens in Minneapolis in recent months, but she accused Walz and Frey of trying to “protect criminals.” Minneapolis is a sanctuary jurisdiction where local law enforcement do not honor federal detainers for illegal immigrants. “We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals,” Noem wrote on X. The DHS urged state and city leaders to start honoring arrest detainers. DOJ LAUNCHES CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION AFTER MINNESOTA AGITATORS STORM CHURCH “We are calling on [Walz] and [Frey] to stop releasing criminal illegal aliens from Minnesota’s jails to re-perpetuate their crimes. ICE has more than 1,360 arrest detainers for the criminal illegal aliens in their custody,” the DHS wrote. “It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans,” it added. Chaos has broken out in Minneapolis in recent weeks as agitators take to the streets to protest federal law enforcement officials. Federal officers converged on the state in early January as a sweeping fraud case came to light, which has led to dozens of arrests, mostly including members of Minneapolis’ large Somali population. WHITE HOUSE SLAMS WALZ, DEMOCRATS IN MINNESOTA FOLLOWING GOVERNOR’S ‘DIRECT APPEAL’ TO TRUMP Protests and criticisms against ICE heightened Jan. 7, when a federal officer fatally shot protester Renee Good. Federal officials say Good used her car as a weapon against the agent, arguing he acted in self-defense when he fired his weapon. Democrats and administration officials have called the shooting a “murder” as they speak out against the administration’s deportation efforts of illegal immigrants. Frey rejected the Trump administration’s characterization of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” claiming the surge of federal agents has made residents feel targeted rather than protected. “This is not about safety. What this is about is coming into our city by the thousands and terrorizing people simply because they’re Latino or Somali,” Frey said. “People in Minneapolis are speaking up. They’re speaking up peacefully. They’re standing up for their neighbors. And this is not just about resisting Trump. This is about loving and caring for the people that call this city home. And it’s been inspiring.” Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Senegal, Morocco, play out an embarrassing AFCON 2025 final in Rabat
The final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) between Morocco and Senegal was an embarrassing night for football on the continent. The reputational damage to African football will linger for a long time. A match that promised so much between two high-quality teams produced astonishing scenes of acrimony and chaos in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. When the dust has settled, the inquest will begin. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Trouble started brewing as a tight final, locked at 0-0, entered added time. Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr appeared to have scored, only for the goal to be disallowed by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who decided Abdoulaye Seck had fouled Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi. It was a decision that clearly incensed Senegal coach Pape Thiaw. Then came the chaos. In the final minute of added time, Morocco’s Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz hit the ground and vehemently appealed for a penalty. After a video assistant referee (VAR) review, where Ndala was jostled by scuffling coaches and players, a highly controversial penalty was awarded, and a chance for Morocco to win it at the death. It was then that the sparks of conflict turned into a fire. Thiaw felt Senegal had been cheated and had a case, but when he ushered his team off the field and down the tunnel in protest, he pivoted the final into dangerous territory. It took over 17 minutes for play to restart while objects were thrown from the crowd and some fans staged a pitch invasion. Thiaw later admitted he shouldn’t have taken this action, but the damage was done. Advertisement Diaz’s ‘Panenka’ mistake costs the host nation The tension inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium could have led to even uglier scenes before attention turned to the penalty spot, and the ball in the hands of Diaz, while Senegal’s players continued to complain bitterly. It was his moment, Morocco’s moment, after a painful 50-year wait to be champions of Africa. What Diaz – who was the media darling of AFCON 2025 with a tournament-high five goals – did next encapsulated the craziness of the night. Inexplicably, he attempted a “Panenka” chip, but embarrassingly, the Real Madrid winger clipped the ball straight into the arms of Senegal’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The home crowd of over 66,000 at the stadium were struggling to comprehend what had just unfolded. And when extra time started, there was another shock for the Moroccan fans, as Pape Gueye scored a brilliant winning goal for Senegal, one which would have been the memorable moment if the final hadn’t already descended into total disorder. Senegal became champions of Africa for the second time. In football terms, they deserved it. But the inquests into the final will mean the celebrations will be overshadowed by recriminations. Brahim Diaz misses a penalty that would have won the final for the host nation Morocco [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters] Disciplinary measures likely to follow FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was in attendance at the final, took to Instagram to condemn the “ugly scenes”. Infantino called it “unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” and said that “violence cannot be tolerated in our sport,” adding, “the decisions taken by the match officials must always be respected”. The final is likely to bring severe disciplinary measures from the tournament’s governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which has seen its big showpiece marred. Moroccan coach Walid Regragui called the scenes “shameful” and added that they “do not honour Africa”. Strong measures are likely to be taken against Thiaw, whose media briefing had to be cancelled due to further unrest in the press room. But he’s not the only one who will face scrutiny. Before the final, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) had voiced concerns over the security at the tournament, and said its players and staff were “at risk”. The FSF also raised concerns over the training pitch, hotel and ticket allocation for the final. The officiating in the final drew plenty of criticism. While Congolese referee Ndala held his nerve under intense pressure when the Senegal players walked off, there is no escaping that his decision-making in stoppage time was puzzling. Did Seck really foul Hakimi? It felt a harsh call on the Senegal player. And why did the referee not consult VAR? Advertisement Did Morocco’s Diaz then go down too easily from innocuous-looking pressure by Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf? Well, Ndala was initially disinterested, then appeared to cave in to the pressure from a pleading Diaz and the crowd. One such decision in favour of the hosts would be tough to take. Two was inflammatory. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, left, looks on during the AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium [Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images] Claims of host nation bias Morocco coach Regragui had felt the need to publicly reject claims of favouritism towards the host nation that have hung around this AFCON, fuelled by Cameroon having two penalties rejected in Morocco’s quarterfinal victory. The conspiracy theories distracted from praise Morocco otherwise received as the host nation of the tournament, with Egypt and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah thanking organisers and saying: “I have never participated in a competition in Africa with such a high level of organisation.” This would have been the last thing on the mind of the tearful Moroccan fans leaving the stadium on Sunday night, and those who had gathered across the country ready to celebrate. None of this was their fault, and it was easy to feel sorry for them. The rain captured the moment. Hopes and dreams were doused. The wait to be champions would go on. Right up until the carnage late in the final, it felt as though the prevailing narrative of AFCON 2025 would be about the improved standard of African football, and whether top-tier African teams, not least Senegal and Morocco, can go deep at the FIFA World Cup in June. Maybe even create history. After reaching the semifinals in Qatar, and with years of youth
AR Rahman: Indian composer faces backlash for ‘bias’ in Bollywood remarks
New Delhi, India – Allah Rakha Rahman, popularly known as AR Rahman, is undoubtedly India’s most famous composer. He has won some of the world’s most coveted musical awards – including Oscars, Grammys and a Golden Globe. His song Jai Ho (May You Win), which won him an Oscar, became a celebrated anthem. The 59-year-old “Mozart of Madras” has also been honoured with Padma Vibhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, for his contribution to music. But last week, when Rahman, a man of few words, shared in a TV interview that he potentially has lost work due to “communal” bias in Bollywood, India’s Hindi film industry, he was subjected to a massive online backlash from Hindu right-wing voices. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also but not in my face,” Rahman told the BBC Asian Network in the interview aired on Friday. “It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, ‘Oh, that’s great, rest for me. I can chill out with my family,’” he said in the 90-minute interview. Right-wing commentators and activists questioned Rahman’s patriotism and talent, accusing him of playing the “victim card”. Vinod Bansal from the far-right organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), demanded an apology from Rahman for “defaming” the country. “We are proud of him and whatever he has done for the country. But for someone who has earned his living from the Indian industry, the way he is trying to defame the country is highly objectionable,” he told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Barring a few outspoken voices, industry insiders have closed ranks, offering no solidarity and distancing themselves from the remarks. Within a day, the composer was forced to tender an explanation amid an unrelenting stream of social media trolling. In a video posted to his Instagram account, Rahman said: “I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood, but my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music.” He stressed that he remained grateful to the nation and noted that he had thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support of India’s entertainment industry and young creatives and was working on the background score for the upcoming film Ramayana, based on the Hindu epic, with German composer Hans Zimmer. Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan speak on stage during the ‘EAST TO WEST: The Global Rise of Bollywood’ panel at the 2025 Joy Forum at SEF Arena on October 17, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The three Khans have been Bollywood’s leading figures for the past three decades [Amal Alhasan/Getty Images for GEA] Rising religious intolerance in India But the backlash on social media continued for days, bringing into the spotlight the struggle of being a Muslim amid rising religious intolerance in India. “Incredible to see Rahman being moved from the good Muslim to the bad Muslim category overnight,” Indian journalist Fatima Khan posted on X. “Almost every Muslim public figure in India has had or will have the penny drop moment. No matter how many patriotic songs, movies or tweets. They’ll all live through the cruelty of it.” Online trolling helps manufacture majoritarian consent, according to Debasish Roy Chowdhury, coauthor of To Kill a Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism. He argued that when enough noise is generated on social media, it seeps into mainstream coverage and starts to look like the dominant social mood. “The loudest voices then drown out tolerance and reason until hate is all that is heard and can be falsely claimed as representative of society,” said Chowdhury, who has written about Bollywood being used as a propaganda tool. India has seen the rise of anti-Muslim violence under the rule of Prime Minister Modi [File: Sajjad Hussain/AFP] Hindu right’s influence on art and cinema Rahman isn’t known for being outspoken about politics or talking about his Muslim identity. He has worked on a fair share of nationalist films, including Roja, released in 1992 and celebrated for its patriotic themes and portrayal of the armed rebellion in India-administered Kashmir in the 1990s. Advertisement Rahman’s 1997 song Maa Tujhe Salam (Salute to You, Mother) on his album Vande Mataram was seen as unifying the diverse nation of 1.4 billion people. Rahman started his career in the southern Tamil film industry. He is based in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. The Oscar winner’s comments last week raised questions about the Hindu right’s influence on art and cinema in India, particularly in Bollywood. The Hindi film industry has been called out for producing films that echo Hindu supremacist narratives, works that vilify Muslims and secular leaders, or even glorify Hindu extremists. Some argued that this has happened because of a sustained culture war on Bollywood, pressuring it to abandon its pluralist, liberal ethos and pushing it towards Hindu majoritarian narratives, aligning cinema closely with the ruling party ideology. The Kashmir Files (2022) triggered anti-Muslim hate across India while the Kerala Story (2023) was accused of spreading Islamophobia by portraying Muslims as potential “terrorists”. More recently, Rahman composed music for the film Chhaava, which was accused of demonizing Muslims. The film portrayed Mughal ruler Aurangzeb as a brutal and violent ruler. Rahman in his BBC interview admitted the film was “divisive”. ‘Vilification of Muslims’ Raja Sen, a screenwriter and film critic, said: “We’re seeing a kind of vilification of Muslims on our screens.” “Earlier, it was just like an anti-Pakistan narrative. Now, there’s a different kind of narrative,” he told Al Jazeera. Hindi cinema has traditionally cast Pakistan as the enemy, focusing on topics of war, ‘”terror” and espionage, which are shaped by decades of hostility. The two neighbouring countries have fought several wars over the disputed Kashmir region. They were briefly engaged in a four-day war in May after gunmen killed 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir. Films that once
The US economy seems strong after a year of Trump, but is it really?
Over the past year, United States President Donald Trump has unleashed a slew of policies that have upended businesses, supply chains and jobs. Yet the US economy seems to be growing at a healthy clip, and the unemployment rate is in a safe zone. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The reality, experts say, is that the stock market boom has helped to mask deeper underlying problems in the economy. Since taking office, Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on countries, including key trading partners, leading to predictions of inflation skyrocketing, manufacturing screeching to a halt and unemployment soaring. None of those scenarios came true. Inflation, while above the Federal Reserve’s target, was a modest 2.7 percent in December. The unemployment rate was relatively low, at 4.4 percent, last month. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025, the fastest in two years. “The shock and awe we anticipated just didn’t materialise,” Bernard Yaros, lead US economist at Oxford Economics, told Al Jazeera. Yaros said the limited fallout could be attributed to the relative lack of retaliation by other countries and the stock market rally that quickly followed Trump’s dialling back of the steepest tariffs announced on “liberation day“. Since Trump’s April 2 announcement, the stock market, which is heavily weighted towards the “magnificent seven” tech companies, has risen nearly 30 percent, boosting Americans’ paper wealth and encouraging households to loosen their purse strings. Gains in net wealth have driven almost one-third of the rise in consumer spending since the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxford Economics said in a research briefing in October. Advertisement At the same time, the gains have not been distributed evenly. The top 10 percent of earners are now estimated to account for roughly half of all spending, the highest proportion since officials began compiling data in 1989, according to Moody’s Analytics. “The gains are going a lot to people in higher income brackets – they are the ones who have the stock portfolios – and are going to people in sectors and occupations tied to AI,” Marcus Noland, executive vice president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Al Jazeera. “But, these numbers mask the unevenness in the growth in this economy.” Net decline of workers A careful parsing of the data reveals that unevenness. For instance, despite the impressive GDP numbers, that growth is not being accompanied by an increase in hiring. While hospitality and healthcare added workers last year, retail, manufacturing and construction – sectors that rely heavily on migrants – all shed jobs. As a result of the Trump administration’s mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and tightening of legal migration pathways, the US last year experienced negative net migration for the first time in at least half a century, according to a Brookings Institution analysis. “And through this very public and brutal way of going about deportations, they have discouraged illegal immigration, but also intimidated immigrants in the US,” Noland said, adding that the US workforce is projected to see a net decline of two million workers this year. The “bifurcation” in the US economy is also being felt across the business world, with smaller companies lacking the deep pockets to stockpile inventories or negotiate with suppliers in the face of increased tariffs. “The surge in policy uncertainty this year has had an outsize effect on smaller firms,” Oxford Economics said in a November report. These firms are also seeing little benefit from the boom in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry since revenues have been driven by capital-intensive chip manufacturing and cloud services. While AI proponents believe the world is on the cusp of huge gains in productivity that could dramatically raise living standards, there are concerns about large numbers of people being put out of work. “This could be the new norm – jobless growth. That’s one reason people are not feeling so great,” Yaros said. “While a lot of hype about AI and productivity benefits from AI are still to come, we think that is a risk to the labour market if it continues to hold back hiring.” Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Unnao Rape Case: Delhi HC rejects Kuldeep Sengar’s plea for suspension of sentence in custodial death case
Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been in custody since April 13, 2018. He is currently serving a 10-year jail term in the custodial death case of the father of the Unnao rape survivor.
J-K: Indian Army jawan killed in encounter with terrorists in Kishtwar, operation ongoing
Havildar Gajendra Singh was killed in action in Singpura area during the operation, dubbed TRASHI-I, the Indian Army said in a statement. A gunfight had broken out between security forces and the terrorists during a counter-terror operation in Kishtwar on Sunday.
Who is Prateek Yadav? Mulayam Yadav’s son announces divorce from wife Aparna Yadav; know his education, net worth and more
Prateek and Aparna got engaged in 2011 and married in 2012. Several high-profile figures including Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Anil Ambani attended their wedding. The two were in a relationship for ten years before getting married and had known each other since their school days.