Three Killed, two injured in powerful explosion in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh, probe begins
At least three people were killed and two injured after a powerful explosion rocked Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh city. Police and FSL teams are probing the cause.
Zubeen Garg death case: Singapore police say singer was not murdered, declined life jacket for swimming
Back in India, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police is probing Garg’s death after dozens of First Information Reports were lodged across the state. The police have charged several people with murder.
Texts among Kerr County officials show confusion about missing campers during July 4 floods
Hundreds of newly released messages add more detail to the devastating timeline of the deadly floods.
Why Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s endorsed candidates always win
No GOP candidate for the Texas Senate has ever defeated a Patrick-endorsed primary opponent since he became the state’s second-in-command over a decade ago.
House Dem lashes out at ‘racist’ MN fraud probe amid major investigation in his own state
As House Oversight Democrats denounced a hearing on Minnesota’s sprawling fraud scandal as politically motivated, Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., took it further — calling the investigation “partisan and racist.” But back in California, state auditors have repeatedly flagged major programs as “high-risk” for waste and improper payments, raising fresh questions about whether Min is dismissing scrutiny he wouldn’t want aimed at his own state. During a House Oversight Hearing earlier this month on the fraud issues in Minnesota, Min said, “We have not seen evidence of any type of fraud on the scale we’re talking about” in California. Min added during the hearing that he had concerns about the ongoing fraud in Minnesota, which has included a significant portion of Somali immigrant perpetrators, but said he had issues with the probe because it appeared Trump was only targeting Democrat-led states, and not Republican-led states as well. MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR JACOB FREY ADMITS FRAUD CRISIS IS REAL, SAYS ‘EVERYBODY COULD HAVE DONE MORE’ TO PREVENT IT “I have concerns about this hearing as well as recent actions by the Trump administration. It’s hard for me not to look at this hearing in the context in which it’s taking place and not see this as a partisan and racist hearing,” Min complained. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on these accusations from Min but did not receive a response in time for publication. “Democrats will do anything to deflect from the fraud that has been allowed to run rampant on their watch, including playing the race card,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said. “First, it’s not racist to call out criminal behavior. Second, I wonder what Congressman Min’s constituents have to say about him not taking fraud seriously when California taxpayers are also being robbed blind to the tune of $72 billion.” A report released by the California State Auditor’s office last month found several state agencies wasted or misused millions, which follows other audits showing many billions being lost to waste, fraud and abuse in the state, according to California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL SPARKS PUSH TO SCRUTINIZE BILLIONS IN BIDEN-ERA ENERGY GRANTS “It’s totally ridiculous,” Hilton told Fox News Digital of Min’s comments that there is no evidence of California fraud. “We’ve already seen state auditor reports that have characterized tens-of-billions-of-dollars as being improperly spent, starting from the audit of state homelessness spending.” According to Hilton, there are criminal prosecutions ongoing in California pertaining to homelessness spending by officials. Meanwhile, seven state agencies in California have been denoted as “high-risk” for fraud, waste and abuse by the State Auditor’s office, while an extra agency was also added to the list of vulnerable programs that is regularly kept. “Vulnerable Democrat Dave Min is more outraged by an oversight hearing than the billions in fraud hurting Americans in Minnesota and California,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez. “For Min, accountability isn’t a principle, it’s a problem.” Fox News Digital reached out to Min for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
US blocks 10K narco-terrorists as terror watchlist swells by 85K in 2025
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. intelligence officials prevented more than 10,000 individuals with ties to narco-terrorism from entering the country in 2025 and placed more than 85,000 similarly tied individuals on the terror watchlist, Fox News Digital has learned. Officials told Fox News Digital that intelligence was collected and passed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to law enforcement partners in the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to block their access to the United States. DNI GABBARD WARNS ‘ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY’ THREATENS WESTERN FREEDOM “President Trump gave the order to secure the homeland, and ODNI’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) delivered,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News Digital. “In 2025, intelligence shared by our team to federal, state and local partners stopped more than 10,000 persons with connections to terrorism from accessing our country.” Gabbard told Fox News Digital that “thousands of successful actions against cartels and gangs are driven by intelligence from the National Counterterrorism Center, whose integrated intelligence, analysis, and timely response to terrorist threats have directly led to the apprehension and removal of thousands of criminals from U.S. soil.” “Thanks to President Trump for his commitment to securing our nation, and thanks to the men and women of NCTC for their vigilance and dedication to keeping the American people safe,” Gabbard said. TULSI GABBARD WARNS OF ‘DIRECT THREAT’ FROM SUSPECTED TERRORISTS NOW LIVING IN UNITED STATES A senior counterterrorism official told Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump’s move to designate cartels as terrorist organizations allowed counterterrorism officials to “leverage the tools of the intelligence community.” The official said that as a result of the intelligence provided by the National Counterterrorism Center, more than 10,000 terror-linked cartel or gang members were denied access to the U.S. in 2025. “Denied access” can come in the form of visa revocations, arrests, deportations or investigations, according to the official. The National Counterterrorism Center also added more than 85,000 new identities to the terrorist database, which directly informs the FBI’s Terror Watchlist and is shared with local law enforcement across the country. MADURO’S CAPTURE IS ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ FOR CUBA’S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS “Had we had a capability like this pre-9/11, the hijackers wouldn’t have been able to come into our country in the first place,” the official told Fox News Digital. “We have denied 10,000 narco-terrorists from coming into the country — from every setting foot in America — which is a huge success.” The official said those career officials working in the National Counterterrorism Center said that the previous administration allowed these individuals to “come back and forth between Mexico, South America, and more as they pleased, with impunity.” “But because of watchlisting work and designation, these 10,000 have been denied access, and another 85,000 have been put on the watchlist. These people will also be denied access,” the official said. “Cartels prior to the Trump administration were killing 100,000 Americans per year due to fentanyl alone, so taking them off the playing field is saving American lives.” The official said that under the Biden administration, officials would need to “wait for the individuals to come into the country and then commit another crime.” ICE AGENTS REPORT ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ 3,200% SURGE IN CAR ATTACKS LAST YEAR Meanwhile, the official told Fox News Digital that “traditional terrorists” are “still very much a threat.” “The tragic thing is that after 9/11, NCTC developed a comprehensive set of tools to block traditional terrorists from coming into the country,” the official said. “The Biden administration did not use those tools. And it is still a threat because the border was wide open for four years.” But the official said that the Trump administration has seen “less than five traditional terrorists” attempting to access the United States. The official said those individuals avoided the southern border, and instead attempted entry through commercial airlines, but were denied. “Don’t even try,” the official said. The official told Fox News Digital that the National Counterterrorism Center stays focused on terror related to cartels and gangs, al Qaeda, Iranian networks and ISIS. “We also have gotten the inclusion of Antifa as a terrorist organization,” the official said. “We are looking at foreign ties to that organization as well.” The official said those inquiries into Antifa are ongoing.
Mamdani finally speaks out about Iranian regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani noted that he does not support Iran’s deadly crackdown against protesters. “I absolutely do not support the way the Iranian government has responded to that,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday when asked about Iran. “I think that the Iranian government and every government should respect the right of people to express their political opinions, and for people to be able to do so safely,” he stated. HOCHUL, AOC, MAMDANI SLAM ‘WE SUPPORT HAMAS’ CHANTS AT QUEENS PROTEST: ‘DISGUSTING AND ANTISEMITIC’ Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, was sworn in at the start of this year. Last year he met with President Donald Trump after winning the mayoral contest. MAMDANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN TEXTING AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK — AS UNLIKELY BROMANCE BLOSSOMS: SOURCES “I’ve exchanged a handful of texts with the president since we met in the Oval Office,” Mamdani said on Tuesday. “And those texts, the conversations that we’ve had, they always come back to New York City and the importance of delivering for the people who call this city home,” he noted. Trump has been signaling that the U.S. will take action to support Iranian dissidents. IRAN REGIME OPENED FIRE WITH LIVE AMMUNITION ON PROTESTERS, DOCTOR SAYS: ‘SHOOT-TO-KILL’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” he declared in a Tuesday Truth Social post, using the acronym that stands for “Make Iran Great Again.”
Number of House Democrats backing Noem impeachment tops 60
The number of House Democrats backing articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has climbed past more than five dozen members. Rep. Robin Kelly’s, D-Ill., office told Fox News Digital Wednesday that 67 co-sponsors have signed on to the bill. Axios first reported the co-sponsor count on Tuesday. Kelly announced her intent to impeach Noem last week following an encounter in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she allegedly struck him with her vehicle. TRUMP VOWS DAY OF ‘RECKONING AND RETRIBUTION’ IN MINNESOTA AS MORE ICE AGENTS FLOOD TO MINNEAPOLIS The congresswoman’s office said Kelly is seeking to initiate three articles of impeachment against the DHS secretary for allegedly obstructing Congress, violating public trust and self-dealing for using her office for personal gain. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital of the impeachment push: “How silly during a serious time. As ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, Rep. Kelly is more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district. We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem.” Kelly said on the House floor Tuesday that Noem “needs to be held accountable for terrorizing our communities.” MINNESOTA SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER SWEEPING IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN TWIN CITIES “Operation Midway Blitz has torn apart the Chicago land area. President Trump declared war on Chicago and then he brought violence and destruction to our city and suburbs in the form of immigration enforcement,” she added. Noem dismissed the impeachment push, telling “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo that she would continue doing her job. “President Trump promised the American people that he would make America safe again, that we would be out there enforcing the laws and that we would apply them equally, that nobody was above the law and that we were going to start putting American citizens first,” she said. “So, criminal, illegal aliens in this country are going to be brought to justice under his administration.”
Only 1 in 5 Americans support US effort to acquire Greenland, poll finds
A new poll found that only one in five American adults approve of the Trump administration’s efforts to acquire Greenland. Just 17% of those surveyed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week said they were in favor of U.S. actions to take over the Danish territory. The survey showed 40% of Republicans said they approved of U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, compared to 2% of Democrats. Both sides were in closer agreement in their opposition to using U.S. military force to seize Greenland. A total of 71% of adults said it would not be a good idea for the U.S. to do so, including 60% of Republicans and 89% of Democrats. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON: ‘NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND’ FOR TRUMP’S GREENLAND ACQUISITION PLANS AMID MILITARY SPECULATION The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that 66% of American adults believe U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland could hurt relations with NATO and European countries. The poll of 1,217 adults was conducted online from Jan. 12–13, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points for all adults, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that, “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security.” TRUMP’S GREENLAND PUSH ESCALATES AS GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO MAKE IT AMERICA’S 51ST STATE “It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” Trump continued. “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” he added. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt are meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, Greenland’s prime minister declared that, “we choose Denmark,” if it had to decide between remaining a Danish territory or becoming part of the United States.
Hawley expects ‘Trojan Horse’ hearing to reveal dozens of terror-linked Afghan parolees in US
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said a Senate hearing Wednesday will expose how the Biden administration’s Afghan refugee program allowed scores of individuals with alleged terrorist ties to enter the United States — failures he argues put American lives at risk. “I think we’re going to see tomorrow that pro-Hamas groups, pro-terrorist groups actually got money from the Biden administration to shepherd these parolees. It is a scandal. It’s outrageous,” Hawley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. BIDEN OFFICIALS GO SILENT WHEN ASKED ABOUT AFGHAN REFUGEE PROGRAM AFTER GUARDSMEN SHOOTING “We’ve got to figure out how many people are here with national security concerns. And I can tell you, I think we’re going to hear testimony tomorrow that there are over 50 folks known in the country with terrorist ties who had hits on terrorist databases and were allowed to come into the country. I mean, over 50,” Hawley said. The Senate hearing is titled, “Biden’s Afghan parolee program — a Trojan Horse with flawed vetting and deadly consequences.” The hearing comes after an Afghan national shot a pair of National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in November, killing one and leaving the other in critical condition. The attack, which the FBI labeled an act of terrorism, raised questions among Republicans like Hawley about whether the administration had done enough to ensure the United States had screened the people it was attempting to help. According to reporting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. welcomed 76,000 evacuees during its Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, a directive from Biden to resettle vulnerable Afghans. But other experts believe the number of total refugees goes much higher. The Biden administration allowed more than 200,000 Afghan nationals into the country as the U.S. wound down nearly 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan, according to the conservative think tank Center for Immigration Studies. The failed attempt to prevent the Taliban from returning to power left many key American allies in the country worried that they could suffer retribution from a new government hostile to the U.S. SEN TOM COTTON: ALLEGED AFGHAN ATTACK ON GUARDSMEN WAS PREVENTABLE. WE MUST DO BETTER NEXT TIME According to Nayla Rush, a senior researcher with the Center for Immigration Studies, the administration had paid little attention to admitting the Afghans who had assisted the U.S. in their time in Afghanistan — and those who hadn’t. “They were not U.S. ‘allies,’ nor were they ‘persecuted’ individuals in need of refugee resettlement. Lacking immigrant visas, they were granted ‘parole,’ a temporary permission to enter and remain in the United States,” Rush wrote in a report released in December. Although Hawley noted that the U.S. had received assistance from some of them, he said the government neglected its primary responsibility to protect its citizens by fast-tracking their admission to the country. “Nobody has a right to come into this country. If you’re not an American citizen, you have no right to come into the country and just do whatever the heck you want on any basis,” Hawley said. “We have an obligation to protect the country. And so, we ask when we come into the country, ‘Who are you?’ ‘Do you have terrorist ties?’ This is why we do interviews. And none of that happened. None of that happened with tens of thousands of [Afghans.] And listen, now we’re suffering the consequences of that.” SENATE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO BIDEN IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS AFTER DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING In addition to Rush, the committee will entertain testimony from several other immigration experts, including Craig Adelman, the deputy inspector general at the DHS office of audits, and Arne Baker, deputy inspector general for evaluations at the Department of War. The committee is slated to begin its hearing at 2:00 p.m. EST. Fox News’ Dan Scully contributed to this report.