IAF set to showcase military power in mega ‘Vayu Shakti 2026’ exercise near Pakistan border in Rajasthan: All you need to know
The air exercise named Vayu Shakti 2026, to be held in Jaisalmer on February 27, has been modelled after Operation Sindoor – the military operation that flattened terror bases across the border and brought Pakistan to its knees.
Gurugram HORROR: Four minors held hostage, stripped, private parts burned in DLF Phase 3 area by group of men
The minors were brutally beaten, allegedly stripped and petrol was poured on their private parts. The men burned the children with hot spoons.
Violence erupts in Manipur over Deputy CM swearing-in, Kuki-Zo protesters clash with police in Churachandpur, watch
A massive violent protest broke out in Manipur’s Churachandpur district against the swearing in of new Deputy Chief Ministers between Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho on Thursday.
This East Texas town wants to capitalize on the state’s growth. Can it break 1,000 residents?
In Pineland, a fresh batch of local elected officials and an expansion of the town’s biggest employer have created the conditions for an economic renaissance. A dearth of housing could slow growth.
Texas’ troubled election software and new congressional maps delay voter registration cards
The holdup comes as early voting in the March primaries is set to begin Feb. 17. The cards aren’t required to cast a ballot, but they identify voters’ congressional districts, which were redrawn last year.
Attorney General Ken Paxton asks judge to shut down Muslim advocacy group CAIR
This is the latest in a deluge of investigations and litigation against Muslim groups in Texas.
Lecturer no longer teaching at Texas State University after expletive-filled message goes public
The Facebook message derided its recipient as a “leftist” and “whore” whom he hoped would be deported. The message gained widespread attention when it was shared online.
White House slams Democrat governor for urging public to track ICE agents with new video portal
The White House and conservatives are slamming New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she announced her administration is launching a portal to monitor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and alert people to their presence. Sherrill, a U.S. Navy veteran who entered office just a few weeks ago, encouraged New Jerseyans to film federal immigration enforcement operations when they see them, saying on a recent episode of The Daily Show, “We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it.” “We are going to be standing up a portal so people can upload all their cell videos and alert people,” she said. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know.” In response, Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, remarked, “If Sherill was as committed to tracking down criminal illegal aliens as she was ICE officers, New Jersey residents would be much safer.” WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES WALZ OF UNDERMINING LAW ENFORCEMENT, BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION Jackson told Fox News Digital “ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats. “Just the other day, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter,” she said. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities, and local officials should work with them, not against them.” Sean Higgins, a spokesperson for Sherrill, framed the governor’s actions as protecting New Jerseyans from federal overreach. “Keeping New Jerseyans safe is Governor Sherrill’s top priority,” Higgins told Fox News Digital. “In the coming days, she and acting Attorney General [Jennifer] Davenport will announce additional actions to protect New Jerseyans from federal overreach.” DEM GOVERNOR DUCKS QUESTION ON ‘MONSTER’ ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO FRACTURED 8-YEAR-OLD’S SKULL WITH ROCK ATTACK While speaking on the show, Sherrill cited the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in confrontations with ICE agents in Minneapolis. She accused agents of shooting Pretti “execution style,” which she called “unacceptable.” “They have not been forthcoming,” the governor said of ICE. “They will pick people up. They will not tell us who they are. They will not tell us if they’re here legally. They won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens.” The White House was not the only critic of Sherrill’s announcement. New Jersey Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio ripped into the governor, saying her portal “puts everyone at risk” and continues a long trend of targeting law enforcement. “For years now, New Jersey has been moving in the wrong direction and making it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs and easier for criminals to exploit the system,” DiMaio said in a statement. “This portal continues that trend by targeting the people whose job it is to protect our communities.” NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR TO LAUNCH PORTAL FOR UPLOADING VIDEOS OF ICE TACTICS: ‘THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING’ “Encouraging people to film and upload law enforcement activity risks escalating tensions and endangering both officers and the public,” he said. DiMaio pointed to recent ICE arrests in New Jersey, which he said included arrests of sex offenders who also endangered children. “ICE has taken real criminals off our streets — offenders convicted of serious crimes against children and violent acts that put innocent lives at risk,” DiMaio said. “At a time when leaders should be lowering the temperature, this piles on. It sends a message that enforcing the law is something to be shamed instead of respected.”
Boston’s Wu orders release of ICE surveillance and bodycam footage, says fed government ‘hides behind masks’
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu accused federal immigration agents of conducting “unconstitutional” operations in the city and ordered the public release of surveillance and body camera footage tied to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. She said the move is aimed at holding federal agents accountable for alleged acts of violence. Wu and other Massachusetts officials held a joint news conference Thursday in the blue city, slamming the Trump administration’s federal immigration enforcement and pointing specifically to ICE activity in various communities. “They are trying to do with federal agents what they have failed to do with canceled grants, sham investigations and the National Guard,” Wu said. “If we experience the kind of unlawful and unconstitutional invasion we’ve all seen in other parts of the country, then Boston will see the [Trump] administration in court again.” The Democrat mayor said she signed an executive order Thursday morning aimed at holding federal officials accountable, directing city departments to protect residents and respond to any violence, property damage or criminal conduct related to immigration enforcement. BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE Wu said the order makes clear that city first responders will prioritize de-escalation and public safety during federal immigration operations. “While the federal government hides behind masks, we will be transparent,” she said. “This order directs city departments to release surveillance and body-worn camera footage of violence or property damage by federal agents, in accordance with state law. “This order also doubles down on our dedication to use city resources to keep our residents safe.” Last week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey introduced legislation aimed at limiting ICE activity in sensitive locations, including courthouses, schools, child care programs, hospitals and churches. PORTLAND MAYOR DEMANDS ICE LEAVE CITY AFTER FEDERAL AGENTS USE TEAR GAS ON PROTESTERS ‘SICKENING DECISIONS’ The proposal would also bar other states from deploying National Guard troops in Massachusetts without the governor’s approval and allow parents to arrange guardianship in advance for their children if they are detained or deported. Like a recent executive order issued by Healey, Wu’s proposal would bar federal immigration agents from using city buildings, parking lots and parks for enforcement operations and makes clear that schools, libraries, community centers and senior centers are intended for learning, gathering and public services. CHICAGO MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON PUTS ICE ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER SEEKING PROSECUTION OF AGENTS Wu also said the order directs the city to investigate any crimes committed in Boston, including those involving federal agents, and to make referrals to prosecutors when appropriate. She said it also instructs city officials to pursue every available legal option to challenge what she described as coercive federal actions. “In Boston, as it should across America, the rule of law applies to everyone,” she said. The order adds Boston to a growing list of blue cities openly challenging the Trump administration’s immigration policies, escalating a national fight over enforcement tactics, transparency and the reach of federal power.
FDA relaxes labeling rules on ‘no artificial colors’ claims amid crackdown
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday it will relax federal regulations regulating when companies may label products as free of artificial coloring. The FDA said businesses can now label products as having “no artificial colors” if the coloring is natural or plant-based. “Companies will now have flexibility to claim products contain ‘no artificial colors’ when the products do not contain petroleum-based colors,” the FDA said. “In the past, companies were generally only able to make such claims when their products had no added color whatsoever — whether derived from natural sources or otherwise.” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the policy shift, saying it will ease the transition for companies while advancing efforts to make food safer. FDA BANS RED FOOD DYE DUE TO POTENTIAL CANCER RISK “This is real progress,” RFK Jr. said in a statement. “We are making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to help Americans eat real food and Make America Healthy Again.” The agency also expanded its list of approved naturally-sourced food colorings, adding beetroot red and broadening the approved use of spirulina extract. The new additions bring the total number of food color options approved under the current administration to six, the FDA said. FDA BANS ARTIFICIAL RED DYE: WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CONSUMERS Health officials said the changes were made in recognition that coloring derived from natural sources should not be classified as artificial. “We acknowledge that calling colors derived from natural sources ‘artificial’ might be confusing for consumers and a hindrance for companies to explore alternative food coloring options,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a statement. “We’re taking away that hindrance and making it easier for companies to use these colors in the foods our families eat every day.” As part of the Trump administration’s initiative to Make America Healthy Again, the HHS and the FDA in April 2025 began a series of actions to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic colors from the nation’s food supply. In January 2025, health officials banned red food dye known as Red 3, or erythrosine, citing potential cancer risks. Food manufacturers were given until January 2027 to remove it from their products, while drug manufacturers will have until January 2028 to do the same.