Weather update: Heavy rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR, IMD predicts more showers till…
The weather body has warned of light to moderate rain, with some parts expected to witness heavy rain over the next two to three hours.
Texas economy, job growth slowing amid trade war and immigration crackdown, Dallas fed report says
Increasing tariffs on foreign goods and the impact of deportations on the work force cited as job growth slows in Texas.
Illinois court rejects Texas request to enforce arrest warrants against House Democrats
Judge Scott Larson ruled that the Texas speaker and attorney general had “failed to present a legal basis for the court” to take up the issue.
If Texas were to ban or regulate THC, crime labs say they would need more resources
Crime lab officials told lawmakers Wednesday they are struggling to keep up with deadlier drugs like fentanyl and a THC ban or new regulations would add to the challenge.
Bill protecting sex trafficking victims from some criminal charges passes Senate
Senate Bill 10 would shield victims from prosecution from some crimes if they’re threatened or coerced into the act by their trafficker.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump touts ‘zero tax’ benefits for majority of seniors on social security’s 90th anniversary
Donald Trump will issue a presidential proclamation Thursday honoring the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, which will tout his administration’s achievements in improving the program, including legislative provisions that will help the vast majority of seniors pay “zero tax” on their social security benefits. The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, during the Great Depression. The bill was aimed at creating a federal safety net to help Americans with unemployment, illness, disability, death and old-age. The president’s Thursday proclamation, obtained and reviewed in advance by Fox News Digital, proclaimed the Act as “a monumental legislative achievement.” SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION PHISHING SCAM TARGETS RETIREES “To this day, Social Security is rooted in a simple promise: those who gave their careers to building our Nation will always have the support, stability, and relief they deserve,” the proclamation states. “Thanks to my Administration’s efforts, Social Security now stands stronger and more resilient than ever before.” During Trump’s second term, Democrats have slammed his approach to helping improve the program, arguing cuts to the Social Security Administration’s workforce and provisions in the Republican’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will negatively impact the critical program. However, the administration is fighting back at those notions, pointing to technological improvements, lower customer service wait times, and disability claim backlogs that have been cleared. “While Democrats flail and peddle lies about Social Security, President Trump is demonstrating his unbreakable commitment to protecting and strengthening this vital program for the nearly 72 million Americans who benefit from it,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said. “By massively improving the customer service experience through technological improvements, preventing illegal aliens from accessing benefits, and delivering no taxes on Social Security through the One Big Beautiful Bill – President Trump has Made Social Security Great Again.” Trump’s critics have suggested he is damaging the program, but according to the administration, things have drastically improved. A source in the administration told Fox News Digital that the administration completed over 3.1 million payments ahead of schedule thus far, totaling $17 billion, to eligible beneficiaries. Additionally, the wait time for social security’s service delivery has been dramatically reduced under Trump, with the average telephone response time reduced from 30-minutes last year, to six minutes as it stands currently. That amounts to an 80% reduction in wait times. TOP DEM DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, CLAIMING WAIT TIMES SPIKED DURING DOGE CUTS Meanwhile, the president touts in his proclamation that provisions in the Republican spending package, signed into law last month, will allow “the vast majority of seniors who receive social security” to pay absolutely nothing in taxes on their benefits. “The largest tax break for seniors in the history of our country,” as the president described it in his proclamation. Trump also expressed that his administration is actively working to root out fraud, waste and abuse in the system, including the longstanding issue of improper and fraudulent payments to deceased individuals. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “On this 90th Anniversary of the Social Security Act, we recognize the countless contributions of every American senior who has invested their time, talent, and resources into our Nation’s future,” Trump writes in his proclamation. “On this momentous milestone, we recommit to strengthening our retirement system, protecting programs like Social Security and Medicare against fraud and abuse, and ensuring that every future generation of American citizens has the income security they need and earned.”
400 National Guard members descend upon DC; expanded crime crackdown expected Wednesday night
Around 400 D.C. National Guard members have reported for duty in the nation’s capital as of Wednesday afternoon in response to President Donald Trump’s directive to help make Washington “safe, clean and beautiful,” a U.S. Army official told Fox News. Hundreds more D.C. National Guard troops are expected to report for duty later Wednesday and Thursday, with a significantly higher presence on the ground Wednesday evening. By the end of the week, it is expected all 800 who have been activated will have reported for duty. Law enforcement officials have made 103 arrests since Aug. 7, when Trump’s order to “federalize” D.C. and crack down on crime was announced and more law enforcement officers took to the streets. INSIDE THE WASHINGTON, DC HOMELESS HOT SPOTS TRUMP HAS VOWED TO CLEAN UP Guardsmen were spotted rolling in on military vehicles near the National Mall Wednesday evening. Troops gathered at the D.C. armory before deploying near monuments and near a U.S. Park building in the crime-ridden neighborhood of Anacostia in southeast D.C. In addition to sending in the Guard, Trump placed D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, using the Home Rule Act that allows him to do so for up to 30 days. On Monday, federal and local authorities made 23 arrests, including suspects wanted for murder, gun offenses and other crimes. On Tuesday, they made 43 arrests, and 24 guns were seized. While only 30 National Guard troops were on the ground Tuesday night, more than 1,450 participated in the operations, including 750 Metropolitan Police Department officers and federal law enforcement officers. Beginning Wednesday night, the operations will be active around the clock rather than just evening hours. TRUMP ACTIVATES NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO ADDRESS ‘TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL’ CRIME IN WASHINGTON The White House-led operation will not only tackle crime but also homelessness within the district. For those camping in D.C. federal parks under the National Park Service’s jurisdiction, the options are to leave, go to a homeless shelter or go to jail. Trump has described the federalization of the police as “Liberation Day in D.C.,” declaring, “We’re going to take our capital back.” Fox News’ David Spunt and Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Dems accuse JD Vance of ‘congressional level shoplifting,’ call for more to join AWOL lawmakers
Democratic lawmakers from the Texas and Indiana legislatures slammed Republican redistricting efforts before the 2026 Midterm Elections, with one Indiana lawmaker accusing Vice President JD Vance of being “engaged in congressional-level shoplifting.” The lawmakers held a press conference in Chicago on Wednesday to protest an ongoing effort in Texas to pass a redistricting bill that would likely hand the GOP five additional congressional seats. During the event, Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, who is chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said that by fleeing the state to deny a voting quorum in the Texas House, his caucus is “blocking a racist, unconstitutional and illegal gerrymandering effort.” He said the AWOL Democrats are also “stopping the DC swamp from dictating who we get to vote for.” GOV. ABBOT STILL BEAT NEWSOM IN DISASTER RELIEF DESPITE TEXAS DEMOCRATS STALLING, HIDING OUT This comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state authorities have called for the arrest and removal of Democratic lawmakers who disappeared from the state and brought legislative progress in the state House of Representatives to a grinding halt. Because of the missing Democrats, the Texas House has not been able to pass the redistricting bill though it passed in the Texas Senate on Tuesday. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott said that, in addition to political backlash, Democratic lawmakers who accepted money to assist with their exodus could face felony bribery charges. Now, several Democrats are reportedly planning to return to the state as Abbott calls for a second special legislative session to pass the redistricting bill. Despite this, the Democrats are asserting that their efforts have been a success. Speaking on Wednesday, Wu said, “I’m so happy to be here today because in the past week we have heard from California, we have heard from New York, we have heard from Illinois, that people are ready to stand up. People are ready to fight back.” DEMS FACE SCRUTINY OVER CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION GAPS IN BLUE STATES: ‘DON’T HAVE CLEAN HANDS’ Wu called on more people to join in the efforts and to take “more aggressive actions” to fight the GOP. “We cannot do this alone; that this is not a fight that we can sustain and win on our own,” said Wu. “What we need is we need more people to join us. We need more states to come to our aid, and we need more people to say we will start taking more aggressive actions, we will defend against this.” Wu went on to say that if Texas and other red states are “determined to do this,” then “other states will make sure that it does not matter what they do, that we will nullify their actions.” “We will make it pointless for them to attack our democracy,” he said. In response, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that “Democrats fundamentally misunderstand Texans.” “Texans expect their elected leaders to show up to work, and the Democrats refuse to do so,” said Mahaleris. “Voters, especially Hispanic Texans, are increasingly deserting the Democrats and deserve to be able to vote for candidates who better align with their values. At the end of the day, candidates win on the merits, not the map. If Democrats have any hope of winning elections, they need to change their platform. Running away from a fight is not a solution and is the antithesis of being a Texan.” Amidst this controversy, Vance has also called for red states to counter what he called “aggressive” Democratic gerrymandering in blue states like California, New York and Illinois. Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” this past weekend, Vance said, “We’re just trying to rebalance the scales and frankly push back against a very unfair system created by the Democrats.” JD VANCE CALLS ON REPUBLICANS TO TAKE ‘DECISIVE ACTION’ TO COUNTER DEMOCRATIC GERRYMANDERING Vance said Democrats have had the upper hand in the game for many years and, under President Donald Trump‘s leadership, Republicans are finally playing offense. “It’s ridiculously unfair,” he said of illegal immigrants being included in the total population used to determine how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. “The only real way to fight back against it is for us to redistrict, in some ways, as aggressively as these hard blue states have done,” he added. On Wednesday, Indiana state Rep. Ed DeLaney, a Democrat serving in a majority Republican legislature, accused Vance of engaging in “congressional-level shoplifting.” “JD Vance, in my view, and I’m being serious about this, the man is engaged in congressional-level shoplifting, and I say that again. That’s what he’s doing,” said DeLaney. “Never in my life did I think that the Vice President of the United States would come to my state to ask our legislators to shoplift a congressional district like this, steal them off the shelf, run outside and wave them in front of the country. We cannot have this kind of conduct,” he said. O’ROURKE, SOROS-LINKED GROUPS FACE CALL FOR DOJ PROBE OVER ALLEGED FUNDING OF TEXAS DEM WALKOUT DeLaney asserted that “this game of, you know, ritual gerrymandering” puts at risk “the mutual respect of the legislature of our state and of Texas and of other states.” He went on to say, “If these idiots get their wishes, what happens if they lose one of those five congressional races? Oh my God, let’s have another redistricting next year. This has got to be put to a stop.” He went on to say that the Texas Democrats “are the people who are going to try to put it to a stop,” adding, “I know how hard it is, but we need to support them and stand with them. Otherwise, our people will be subjected to ever-changing districts, none of which are representative.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Vance’s office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Federal oversight in Washington – a special case as old as America itself
The District of Columbia is a special case in American governance. Which is why President Trump has distinctive authority to dispatch federal agents and National Guard troops to patrol the city’s streets for at least a month. It’s in the Constitution. Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the power “To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular states, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the government of the United States.” That’s a reference to what would become the District of Columbia. REPUBLICANS READY TO SUPPORT TRUMP’S MOVE TO SKIRT CONGRESS IN DC CRIME CRACKDOWN The Founders wanted the home of the federal government somewhat cloistered – and protected – from local whims and danger. The precursor to the present Congress convened in Philadelphia. But Continental Army soldiers staged what was known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, claiming the “Congress of the Confederation” owed them back pay. The incident prompted Alexander Hamilton to suggest that the Congress vacate Philadelphia. It wasn’t clear that local authorities could protect the incipient Congress from the mutineers. So they abandoned Philadelphia for Princeton, New Jersey. Scarred by what happened in Philadelphia, the Founders etched out a quirky “federal district” which didn’t exist in a state. The Founders felt Pennsylvania was lax at guarding the original Congress. So developing their own “capital city” for Congress – with the government in control – would grant them security. The 1st Congress adopted the “Residence Act.” It established what became Washington, DC. There was a compromise that the new nation would initiate the seat of government anywhere from what is now Hagerstown, Md., to its present location. But the law gave President George Washington authority to determine the exact location. Washington’s residence was along the Potomac at Mount Vernon. So they carved out a “District of Columbia” from territory which was otherwise part of Maryland and Virginia – on opposite sides of the Potomac River. Congress forked over the parcel of land on the “western” shore of the Potomac to Virginia in the 1840s. Stone markers still mark the old District of Columbia boundaries in and around Alexandria, Va. So Congress was in charge of the District of Columbia until 1973. That’s when lawmakers approved the Home Rule Act for DC. DC gained a non-voting delegate to the House (similar to those from U.S. territories) a few years earlier. But now Washington, DC would feature a mayor and a city council. But under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress would maintain ultimate authority over the city. The House and Senate presided as a sort of “super city council.” SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING IS UNEASY ON CAPITOL HILL Lawmakers periodically infused themselves into Washington’s local affairs beginning in the late 1980s – and mostly at the behest of Republicans. Congress blocked the legalization of medical marijuana in DC in 1998. The House and Senate also bigfooted a new criminal justice system for the city in 2022. That’s because the local law diminished punishments for serious crimes like carjacking. Republicans won control of the House in 1994 and promptly discussed dialing back home rule for Washington, DC. Republicans made their mark by blocking a needle exchange program for drug abusers. The U.S. ratified the 23rd Amendment in 1961. That granted the city three electoral votes. However, Washington lacks a vote on the floor of the House or two votes in the Senate – even though its citizens pay federal income taxes, serve in the military and are subject to the draft. That’s why the city festooned license plates with the moniker “Taxation Without Representation” in the 1990s. Democrats have largely championed the plight of DC. A bill to make DC a state failed in 1993, 277-153. However, the House passed a statehood bill for DC in 2020, 232-180. The bill would convert most of the present city into “Douglass Commonwealth,” named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. So the city wouldn’t be a state, but a “commonwealth” like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and Massachusetts. That bill would chisel out a swath of land, encompassing the Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court, the National Mall and many federal buildings. Supporters of the legislation argued that this would be the new “seat” of government as prescribed by the Constitution. SCHIFF BLASTS ‘TINPOT DICTATOR’ TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD MOBILIZATION, WARNS OTHER CITIES ARE NEXT But the measure never got a vote in the GOP-controlled Senate. And statehood is unlikely any time soon for DC. The city is overwhelmingly Democratic. The new state or commonwealth would likely elect a Democratic U.S. Representative and two Democratic senators. Republicans would never abide that as it would tip the balance of power in Congress. Note that Alaska and Hawaii entered the union virtually together as part of a compromise. One would be the “Democratic” state. The other would be the “Republican” state. Therefore, the admissions created political balance in Congress. Ironically, Alaska was supposed to be the “Democratic” state and Hawaii the “Republican” state. However, the prevailing politics of both of those states mostly flipped over the years. Moreover, it’s hard to see how any plan for statehood could overcome a Senate filibuster requiring 60 yeas. That’s why some progressives pushed Senate Democratic leaders to abolish the filibuster several years ago. But it was unclear if DC even had the votes to become a state when Democrats controlled a slim Senate majority. DC VIOLENCE HAS GROWN FAR MORE DEADLY, DESPITE DEMS CLAIMING 30-YEAR LOW So this brings us to present day and President Trump’s use of the 1973 Home Rule Act to take over the local police department in Washington. The law says Congress must approve such action within a month. One can bet that the GOP-controlled House and Senate will consider such a measure in September. Prospective passage is always tight in the House because of the narrow majority. However, such a plan is likely subject to a filibuster
Bill Clinton ‘prime suspect’ in oversight probe into Epstein case, GOP lawmaker says
Former President Bill Clinton is the “prime suspect” in the House Oversight Committee’s probe looking at the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case, according to the committee’s chairman Rep. James Comer. “Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island, and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee,” Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said in a Monday interview with Newsmax. Fox News Digital reached out to Comer’s office and received confirmation of his comments to the outlet. The House Oversight Committee issued a large batch of deposition subpoenas to those with ties to Epstein Aug. 5 — including the former president and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — to testify before lawmakers. COMER SUBPOENAS THE CLINTONS, TRUMP’S DOJ IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT’S EPSTEIN PROBE Democrats joined Republicans in voting to move forward issuing the subpoenas. The committee requested Hillary Clinton appear Oct. 9, and Bill Clinton Oct. 14. “So, hopefully we’ll win that court battle with that subpoena and see President Clinton in October,” Comer told Newsmax. Clinton has said he has never visited Epstein’s island. Clinton wrote in his 2024 memoir “Citizen” that he’d never gone to the island and that he wished he’d never even met Epstein in the first place. A spokesperson for Clinton did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, the case has attracted additional attention after the Department of Justice and the FBI announced in July the agencies would not release new documents from the Epstein sex trafficking case and that their review into Epstein was closed. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE VOTED IN FAVOR OF SUBPOENAING BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON OVER GHISLAINE MAXWELL CONNECTION The agencies said at the time that they did not track down a list of sexual predators with connections to Epstein, and determined there were no new people who would face charges. But that’s at odds with efforts by the Oversight Committee, which also issued a subpoena for all Justice Department documents pertaining to Epstein. The committee also issued subpoenas to former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorneys General Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions and Merrick Garland, among others. The Justice Department faces a Tuesday deadline to submit documents related to Epstein, Fox News Digital previously reported. ‘NOT GOING AWAY’: INSIDE THE EPSTEIN DRAMA THAT’S THROWN HOUSE GOP INTO CHAOS While Comer acknowledged it would prove challenging to actually get the former president to testify before Congress, he remained optimistic about the odds — given his track record. “I’ve never lost a subpoena battle,” Comer said Monday. “I’ve been chairman of that committee for a year and a half — this is the most challenging subpoena I’ve ever issued, but what makes this subpoena different is that the Democrats voted with Republicans.” Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.