Mid-air scare on Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight, makes emergency landing at Varanasi airport; probe on
Media reports said the flight had suffered a mid-air fuel leak. All 166 passengers and crew members on board deboarded safely. Airport authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Police in Varanasi said the situation was under control. Read on for more details on this.
Rajnath Singh’s BIG statement months after Op Sindoor: ‘Pakistan hasn’t forgotten that…’
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday cited the success of Operation Sindoor and said that “Pakistan has not forgotten that pain” and said wars have assumed a hybrid and asymmetric form.
How two Texas redistricting cases, 37 years apart, set the stage for the latest congressional redraw
The 5th Circuit last year overturned its previous ruling that allowed racial groups to band together to challenge voting maps, laying the groundwork for Texas’ mid-decade redistricting.
Feds slash the budget for program that helped 65,000 Texans enroll for health insurance
With the Affordable Care Act navigator budget cut by 90%, nonprofits are seeking ways to fund their efforts to bring more of the state’s uninsured into regular health care.
NYC rabbis warn Democratic socialist mayoral candidate ‘poses a danger’ to Jewish New Yorkers
With two weeks until Election Day, a prominent New York City rabbi is urging his congregants not to vote for Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City. Mamdani is the presumed front-runner in the race for Gracie Mansion with a substantial lead ahead of independent candidate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, both of whom have said Mamdani would not protect Jewish New Yorkers if elected in November. “To be clear, unequivocal, and on the record, I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community,” Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Conservative Park Avenue Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side told his congregation this weekend. Days prior, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue accused Mamdani of “fanning the flames of intolerance” and urged the Democratic nominee to “reconsider your long-held views of Israel’s right to exist.” MAMDANI RIPPED BY RIVALS FOR UNPOPULAR STANCE DURING FIERY NYC DEBATE: ‘YOU WON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’ If elected on Nov. 4, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor. NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI STILL HOLDS COMMANDING DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER RIVALS IN NYC MAYORAL RACE During the Democratic primary, his refusal to condemn the term “globalize the intifada” — widely considered a call to violence against Jews — prompted accusations from his competitors that Mamdani would not do enough to protect Jewish New Yorkers from antisemitism. Mamdani said he didn’t denounce the phrase because he doesn’t believe in policing language. After conversations with Jewish New Yorkers about the hurtful nature of the slogan, Mamdani has said he will discourage others from using it. New York City is home to the largest diaspora of Jews outside of Israel. The 2025 mayoral election comes as Columbia University became the epicenter of rising anti-Semitism on college campuses as students protested Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks. Mamdani co-founded his college’s Students for Justice in Palestine organization and has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. The candidate has refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, arguing that he doesn’t believe in a hierarchy based on religion or race in any country. Both rabbis said Mamdani’s refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is to deny Israel’s legitimacy, and Cosgrove said Mamdani’s intention to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if elected is “unrepentant.” While the United States doesn’t abide by the International Criminal Court, which has a warrant out for Netanyahu’s arrest for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” for the war in Gaza, Mamdani has maintained that he would arrest Netanyahu in the event Netanyahu enters the city if Mamdani is elected. “He is a danger to the Jewish body politic of New York City,” Cosgrove said Saturday, before adding, “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination — these are not political preferences or partisan talking points. They are constituent building blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish identity.” As Cosgrove continued for nearly 25 minutes to explain why a vote for Mamdani is “a vote counter to Jewish interests,” he reiterated the message by billionaires, Red Apple Media CEO John Catsimatidis and hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman, that a vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. Catsimatidis and Ackman have both called for Sliwa to drop out of the mayoral race in recent days as pressure mounts to consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote. The New York Post editorial board even joined the calls for Sliwa to drop out this week, but the Republican nominee has maintained that he is staying in the race. The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
El Salvador’s ‘most wanted’ gangbanger arrested in Virginia DHS sweep ahead of major election
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration has become a defining issue in Virginia, as voters weigh which candidates will best protect their families after Homeland Security told Fox News Digital that several of the “worst of the worst” offenders were arrested in the state this week. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee, has attested to be the candidate who is focused on protecting Virginians, while Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger has pointed to her curriculum vitae as a federal agent when pressed on law-and-order issues. In the most high-profile of the arrests, DHS announced the capture of El Salvador’s most wanted MS-13 leader, who was also among its most wanted fugitives overall. Ismael Enrique Mendoza Flores, known as “El Calaco” (The Skeleton), was wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and illicit associations – and he was previously charged in the U.S. with unauthorized use of a vehicle. 5 TIMES DEMOCRATS BLASTED ICE WITH HARSH RHETORIC ICE arrested Flores in Alexandria, citing an active arrest warrant from San Salvador. He has a previous arrest in Virginia for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Flores allegedly told authorities he entered the U.S. under the Obama administration, to which DHS said they will not let the “Democrats’ government shutdown prevent” law enforcement from securing the border at this point in time. “This MS-13 gang member was wanted for murder. These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that sanctuary politicians across Virginia are protecting as they demonize law enforcement,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are not going to allow gang members to terrorize American citizens.” VIRGINIA GOV. YOUNGKIN WARNS AGAINST DEM CANDIDATE’S CENTRIST LABEL, SAYS SHE’LL END COOPERATION WITH ICE Speaking on the captures writ-large, McLaughlin added that politicians for too long have allowed violent foreign criminals to victimize innocent Americans through lax border policies. DHS also secured detainers for two juveniles whose speeding on northbound I-295 near the Chickahominy River east of Richmond drew the attention of Hanover County police. The speeding BMW’s occupants were reported to have been firing guns as they raced toward the Henrico County line. A Hanover deputy who had pulled over another motorist spotted the car and chased it. Reports said the two youths later crashed the car off Mechanicsville Turnpike approaching the Richmond city line. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’ Sent to a juvenile detention center in Williamsburg, the youths faced several charges when DHS intervened, with McLaughlin telling Fox News Digital they had been released as “unvetted” migrants by the Biden administration. “ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure these public safety threats are not released back onto Virginia’s roads,” she said. A convicted pedophile from Guatemala was also netted in DHS’ operations in the Old Dominion. Rick Martinez-Lopez’s rap sheet in the commonwealth includes sexual assault of a child, failure to register as a sex offender and a probation violation. BIDEN-ERA ‘UNVETTED’ IMMIGRANTS NABBED AFTER VIRGINIA HIGHWAY GUNFIRE AS BORDER DEBATE HITS GOVERNOR’S RACE Richmond’s city jail had told DHS they would not honor a detainer placed on Martinez-Lopez in August – and instead released the child predator. ICE later caught up with him, the department said, with McLaughlin slamming the former capital of the Confederacy’s officials for allowing the pedophile to “freely roam.” “[It] is barbaric,” she said. “It is unconscionable to think sanctuary policies and political activists would rather protect this sicko than our own nation’s children. Every sanctuary politician in Virginia is putting the safety of Americans at risk with their dangerous and lawless policies.” Another violent illegal immigrant, Ricardo Leonel Mejia of El Salvador, had been convicted of repeated rape of an 11-year-old Virginia child. UNEARTHED ‘RAGE’ CLIP PUTS DEM GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ON DEFENSIVE AMID ICE, KIRK SHOOTINGS He was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison before DHS intervened and sought their own detention. McLaughlin said Mejia had been marked a “non-enforcement priority” by the Biden administration, which allowed him to remain out on the streets. Mejia had been hired to renovate the bathroom of a Virginia Beach home, during which time he raped a young girl three times. Mejia claimed in court he was “experiencing hard times” and was “sorry for the pain [the girl] is going through.” Earle-Sears, who once represented the resort town in the House of Delegates in the 2000s, said she was “sickened beyond belief” at the case. Fox News Digital reached out to both campaigns for further comment on the arrests and their prominence ahead of the November election.
Hillary Clinton mocked for 2001 furniture scandal amid Trump ballroom meltdown: ‘At least he didn’t steal’
Conservatives and Trump supporters were quick to remind former first lady Hillary Clinton about her 2021 furniture controversy with former President Bill Clinton as she attempted to lambaste President Donald Trump for constructing a ballroom at the White House. “At least he didn’t steal the silverware,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posted to X Tuesday lambasting Clinton. Clinton’s X post quickly set off condemnation from conservatives reflecting on the 2001 furniture controversy, when the Clintons took an estimated $28,000 in White House furnishings provided by donors and paid $86,000 to the federal government for other gifts they received. “Gifts did not leave the White House without the approval of the White House usher’s and curator’s offices,” the Clintons said in a 2001 statement. “Of course, if the White House now determines that a cataloging error occurred … any item in question will be returned.” BILL CLINTON HAD ‘NIGHTMARES’ ABOUT FUTURE OF COUNTRY AFTER LEAVING OFFICE “All of these items were considered gifts to us,” Hillary Clinton added at the time. “That’s what the permanent record of the White House showed. . . . But if there is a different intent, we will certainly honor the intention of the donor.” Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, following months of the president floating the planned project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the White House reported. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project is expected to accommodate approximately 650 seated guests, according to the White House. “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!” Photos of the demolition crew dismantling the East Wing’s facade circulated on social media and in news reports. Clinton responded to the construction in a message rallying voters against Trump’s project. “It’s not his house,” Hillary Clinton wrote on X Tuesday morning. “It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.” The social media post included a screenshot of The Washington Post’s report, “White House begins demolishing East Wing Facade to build Trump’s ballroom,” accompanied by a photo of a demolition crew. HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE” Other Clinton critics pointed to former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with an intern in their responses on social media, and others rehashed the Lincoln Bedroom controversy. Bill Clinton and his administration fell under scrutiny in the 1990s for hosting donors for overnight stays at the White House, specifically the Lincoln Bedroom, allegedly in exchange for campaign donations. The then-president denied selling out the room for donations. “Yes, between selling nights in the Lincoln bedroom to donors and her husband’s tutelage of the interns in the Oval Office, if anyone treated the WH as sacred it was the Clintons,” conservative writer Mark Hemingway wrote on X. “The ballroom will be spectacular… unlike your work in Haiti,” Eric Trump shot back at Clinton. “Hi Hillary, Remind us, wasn’t it you who walked off with $28,000 in White House furniture when you moved out?” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted to X. “And your husband who defiled the Oval Office during his presidency? President Trump’s funding a beautiful new ballroom out of his own pocket.” TRUMP APPEARS ON WHITE HOUSE ROOF AMID TALKS OF HISTORIC RENOVATIONS “There’s literally a Clinton scandal for every tweet she sends,” Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison posted to X, accompanied by a screenshot of a news report on the Clintons taking an estimated $190,000 in gifted White House furniture when leaving office. “A Clinton would never defile the White House,” former Trump staffer Alex Pfeiffer wrote. “I remember when the Clintons stole the people’s furniture and tableware,” columnist David Harsanyi posted. TRUMP BREAKS GROUND ON MASSIVE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT WITH PRIVATE FUNDING FROM ‘PATRIOTS’ “Almost every president of has done renovations to the White House including the Clintons who did a big spread in House Beautiful in 1993 about theirs–the East Wing façade is just that a façade, not part of the original structure and added in 1942 per Franklin D. Roosevelt,” conservative columnist Salena Zito wrote. “What her husband did inside ‘our house’ is the real abomination,” Fox Business’ Dagen McDowell posted to X. The ballroom construction comes after Trump made other updates to the White House, including installing two 88-foot-tall American flags and an overhaul to the White House Rose Garden. “President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Tuesday when asked about Clinton’s post and other Democrats criticizing the ballroom construction. “These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hillary Clinton’s office Wednesday morning regarding but did not immediately receive a reply.
Vance hails ‘days of destiny’ as VP seeks to build on ceasefire agreement
Vice President JD Vance declared Wednesday that, “these are days of destiny,” as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build on the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. “We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people in Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel,” Vance said in Jerusalem, speaking alongside Netanyahu. “That’s not easy. I think the prime minster knows that as well as anybody. But it’s something that we’re committed to in the Trump administration,” Vance continued. “And I think that we’ve, even in the past 24 hours, had a lot of good conversations with our friends in the Israeli government, but also, frankly with our friends in the Arab world who are stepping up and volunteering to play a very positive role in this.” “As the prime minister said, these are days of destiny, and we’re very excited to sit down and work together on the Gaza peace plan,” Vance added. VANCE WARNS HAMAS AS GAZA PEACE PLAN’S CIVILIAN MILITARY COOPERATION CENTER OPENS Netanyahu told reporters that Israel has an unmatched alliance and partnership with the U.S. that is generating opportunities for security and the expansion of peace in the Middle East. Vance also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, telling reporters afterward, “We’re here to talk about how to ensure that the peace agreement that started about a week ago sticks, that we move into phase two, into phase three with success.” JOHNSON, SCALISE DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER SUSPECTED HAMAS OPERATIVE DISCOVERED ON US SOIL The peace deal included the release of hostages being held by Hamas. “As the president said, there will be torments along the way. It will be difficult, but I feel very optimistic based on my conversation with our Israeli friends and also with our Gulf Arab friends, that it’s possible that we actually can make peace stick, and that we can create the kind of environment where our Gulf Arab friends and our Israeli friends can build a better Middle East for everybody,” Vance added. “So that is the goal of the administration. We think that it’s in the best interest of the United States. We also think that it’s in the best interest of everybody who lives here.” Herzog said, “I truly believe that the fact you’re here is another brick in building the future for peace.” “We all are grateful to President Donald Trump for his steadfast insistence on moving forward. We must move forward,” Herzog continued. “We must offer hope for the region, for Israel, the Palestinians, our neighbors, and for the future of our children.”
WATCH: Scathing report exposes what New Yorkers think of sanctuary policies as Mamdani victory looms
EXCLUSIVE: As the New York City mayoral election quickly approaches and socialist Zohran Mamdani is heavily favored to win, New Yorkers are sounding off on the human toll that sanctuary policies have had on their city. In a new investigative video released by The American Border Story (TABS), New Yorkers detailed their concerns about how the city’s migrant shelters and sanctuary policies had resulted in a surge in organized crime in their neighborhoods. One New Yorker said the blame for the policies lies directly with the progressive Democratic city council. “This is the worst city council I have ever seen in my life in New York City,” said Renee Collymore, a local organizer and Democrat. NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI STILL HOLDS COMMANDING DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER RIVALS IN NYC MAYORAL RACE “This council is a predominantly progressive, leftist, socialist council,” Collymore went on. “And when you have a one-sided council, you can’t get work done, because they believe that the middle of the road Democrats, the Democrats such as myself and my family, so many people in our district are traditional Democrats, they believe that we are the ones that are standing in the way of progress.” “If you know that there’s gang activity and nothing is being done, shame on you. Because all that does is hurt the community. It puts people at risk,” she said, adding, “The sanctuary city law has to be overturned.” Instead of overturning or amending the law, Collymore complained that “our legislators are acting like the migrants are their children,” while telling moderates, “You’re anti-migrant.” “How am I anti-migrant? My father’s from the West Indies. They make these claims because it’s not affecting them where they live. But people who live on Hall Street will tell you, they were terrorized,” she said, adding, “This is unbelievable.” MAMDANI PROPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF LEGAL DEFENSE FUNDING FOR IMMIGRANTS IN ‘TRUMP-PROOFING’ NYC PLAN According to Collymore, after a migrant shelter was opened in her community, there was a rise in sex trafficking and parents no longer felt safe taking their children to public playgrounds. She also said that Venezuelan gangs took over the streets and would even patrol the streets carrying metal pipes. “This was not a joke. There were stabbings, a triple murder,” she said. Another New Yorker said that former President Joe Biden‘s “error was when he allowed certain countries, you know, like Venezuela, certain countries like Colombia, even certain countries in Europe and certain countries in Africa that he allowed to just exile their prisoners,” large numbers of whom eventually found their way to New York City. “I feel like his error was opening the borders and just saying, ‘Okay, send everybody and we’re going to take them regardless of their background, regardless of any type of check being done,” he said. Dino, a pizzeria owner and immigrant himself, said that the migrant influx into New York brought up new challenges, including from gang members. He said that though sanctuary policies “could work on paper, in reality, it does not work.” Dino also told Fox News Digital, “I’ve run my business here for years — I know what this neighborhood used to feel like. Now my employees are scared walking home at night, customers are staying away, and gangs are running the streets.” “We need our leaders in New York to stop protecting politics and start protecting people,” he said. ‘NO KINGS’ AGITATOR VOWED TO ‘FIGHT ICE’ WITH FIREBOMBS AT BLUE CITY’S PROTEST: REPORT Leeroy Johnson, a local independent journalist, also spoke with TABS. He said that though many migrants came looking for a better life, “some of them were planning way before they came here to come here and cause problems in New York.” “Of course, local gangs are going to recruit them. Of course, the older migrant gangs that came here are going to recruit them because they know nothing’s going to happen to them and they need money, and they will do whatever they can to get money. Some of these guys have committed heinous crimes back in their home country, murders, robberies, stabbings. We let them loose on the street, local gangs are going to jump on that quickly.” “It’s extremely dangerous,” he went on. “And they’re committing crimes right and left and they know they can commit it and get away with it because they’ll be right out, an hour, two hours, 24 hours later, back on the street doing the same thing, hurting more people over and over again.” This comes as New York City has closed down several of its migrant shelters, including perhaps the most infamous one at the famous Roosevelt Hotel, which became an epicenter for gang crime related to Tren de Aragua, a group that has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. DEM JUDGE IN HOT SEAT AFTER DHS EXPOSES ‘WHOLE NEW LEVEL’ OF ACTIVISM, SHELTERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT The New York City mayoral election will be on Nov. 4. Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and is the Democratic mayoral nominee, currently leads the race by double digits against independent candidate, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani has pledged to resist the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, accusing ICE of terrorizing the city and saying, “If I’m mayor, we will stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors.” Commenting on the video, Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of TABS, told Fox News Digital, “What you’re seeing in New York is the direct result of failed border policies.” “Families are scared, neighborhoods are changing overnight, and city officials are nowhere to be found. This crisis isn’t contained at the border anymore — it’s on America’s doorstep,” said Kiprilov.
Japan plans to tell Trump it will build up its military after years of 1% defense spending
After years of pressure to increase defense spending, Japan announced plans to do so just ahead of a trip by President Donald Trump to the region next week. “We are firmly preparing for President Trump’s visit,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. Trump is expected to meet with Japan’s new hawkish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office on Tuesday and leads a new right-wing coalition. Trump already congratulated the new prime minister on becoming Japan’s first female top leader. Motegi said the new government hoped to strengthen U.S. relations during the visit and build a personal relationship with the Trump administration. CHINA’S GROWING NUCLEAR ARSENAL AIMS TO BREAK US ALLIANCES AND DOMINATE ASIA, REPORT WARNS Defense analysts have long called on Japan to increase its defense spending, which stands at 1% of GDP. The nation is currently undergoing a five-year military buildup with aims at 2% defense spending by 2027. Takachi plans to move the 2027 target up to this year, according to a Kyodo News report. During the meeting with Trump, Takaichi is expected to face pressure to raise defense spending even further to match NATO’s 5% target. Next week Trump is set to travel to Asia for meetings in Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, where he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. JAPAN POISED FOR FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER AFTER RULING PARTY ELECTS SANAE TAKAICHI AS NEW LEADER The meetings come as U.S.-China relations have turned frigid, with Beijing cutting off exports of key critical minerals and the U.S. cutting off tariff negotiations. Takaichi, who as a young woman spent time interning in the U.S. Congress, has expressed concern about Japan’s reliance on the U.S., but signaled intentions to work closely with Trump. She took office on a recent populist wave in Japan similar to the MAGA movement. The U.S. has spooked some Japanese officials with Trump’s suggestion that Japan should pay for U.S. troops in the region. Around 60,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan, making it the largest foreign host of U.S. forces. Adding to those concerns, a trade framework in July placed a 15% tariff on imported Japanese goods, with higher rates for steel, aluminum and auto parts. Takaichi has taken a hawkish approach to China and declared “Japan is back,” while promising to more strictly regulate immigration and tourism and suggesting Japan’s textbooks should revise how they teach World War II to reflect a more nationalistic view. The shift marks a dramatic moment for Japan’s postwar defense policy, which has traditionally emphasized restraint under its pacifist constitution. A push toward rearmament under Takaichi would cement a broader regional trend toward military expansion, as China, South Korea and Taiwan all race to modernize their forces amid growing instability in the Indo-Pacific. The Associated Press contributed to this report.