Explained: Did Rahul Gandhi’s Meloni joke cross the line? MEA, BJP weigh in amid diplomatic controversy
A day after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Sandip Dikshit joked about the Prime Minister’s approach of hugging the world leaders, the controversy deepened. Know in detail what the ruling BJP and the MEA have said.
‘Operation Sindoor sent a firm message’: Murmu speaks on terror, Indus Waters Treaty in I-Day message
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of Independence Day, highlighting Operation Sindoor, the Indus Waters Treaty suspension, Naxalism, poverty reduction and India’s development journey.
Data center audit lacks specifics even as Gov. Abbott, industry leaders tout it
Without key details on the audits but the eagerness to support them, policy watchers question how impactful these audits will be in curbing data center growth.
Lawsuit seeks to stop Big Bend border wall construction
A tribal nonprofit and an outdoor recreation company filed the federal lawsuit, arguing the work threatens archeological sites and sacred grounds.
Texas’ schools A-F grades relatively flat while more districts hope to avoid takeovers
Austin is among at least five Texas school districts inching toward state sanctions because of chronic academic underperformance.
New York City’s lone Republican in Congress accuses Mamdani, Schumer of ‘hypocrisy’ in voter ID fight
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., slammed what she deemed “hypocrisy” shown by Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing that the two officials are betraying their constituents by refusing to support voter identification measures. “I think the Democrats are showing the two sides that they have,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview. “They go to their district, they tell their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they turn around to go to Washington and vote against it,” she continued. SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS Malliotakis called on the Senate to pass President Donald Trump’s Safeguard America’s Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a piece of legislation that would require voters to prove American citizenship before casting a ballot. “If you want people to be confident in the outcome of the election, then we need to pass the Save America Act. We need to require voter ID,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital. “Over 80% of America wants it,” Malliotakis continued, adding “the only people that don’t seem to want it are the Democrats who are in Congress right now and they’re not representing the people of their districts who are overwhelmingly saying they want it. Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of race, they are saying that they want a voter ID and the Senate Democrats should vote for it,” she continued. “Let’s make sure that we show America that we’re taking the integrity of our elections seriously. And voter ID is really the most common-sense step that we should be taking as a body,” she added. SCHUMER SAID ‘DEMOCRATS SUPPORT VOTER ID’ — THEN EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST GOP BILL Malliotakis pinned the blame in particular on Schumer for blocking the SAVE Act. “We’ve passed it out of the House now four times and is up to the Senate to get the job done. These Senators keep going to their district saying that they support the SAVE America act, or at least they’re telling their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they go to Washington and they vote against it, and so citizens need to hold those senators accountable,” she told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately that dissent is being led by my own senator, Senator Chuck Schumer. Who always seems to be at odds with his constituents and America these days,” she said. Malliotakis, New York City’s lone Republican in Congress, also laid into Mamdani, highlighting what she called his hypocrisy in requiring identification for city programs. FLASHBACK: MAMDANI’S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES “Sadly, you see the hypocrisy when you see programs like Mayor Mamdani wanting to require photo ID to utilize a government-run supermarket or when he wanted you to use a photo ID, not just one, but multiple IDs for a snow shoveling program,” she told Fox News Digital. “This is the hypocrisy we’re seeing where things like that for everyday activities, they want ID, but when it comes to voting, the most important thing you do as a United States citizen is vote in your elections and elect your representatives, they don’t want any type of accountability, any type a transparency or any type of requirement for voter identification to prove who you are, that you’re eligible to vote, that you actually reside in the district in which you’re voting and that you are an American citizen,” she said. Malliotakis also pointed to a recent event in her Staten Island district where Mamdani was booed off the stage. “This was an event for National Night Out Against Crime. It was in support of our law enforcement and the NYPD. Mamdani, in his career as a state assembly member, led the fight for the defund the police movement. And my constituents have not forgotten that. So number one, they were calling him out on his hypocrisy. But number two, they are making very clear they do not support his communist agenda and my borough of Staten Island is the only borough in the five boroughs of New York City that did not vote for Zohran Mamdani,” she concluded. Fox News Digital contacted the offices of Mamdani and Schumer for further comment.
Cuban ties put powerful US union under microscope over alleged communist influence push
FIRST ON FOX: The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is investigating reports that a union representing roughly 600,000 members is working to advance the interests of the Cuban regime. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., sent a letter to the International Association of Machinists (IAM) on Thursday night demanding information about its possible links to the Cuban government. His letter follows reports that IAM has traveled to Cuba, taken policy positions aligned with the regime, put out public messaging aligned with the regime’s interests and participated in a meeting at a local IAM union hall where a Cuban diplomat addressed union members. IAM did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital. “I am concerned that IAM Union member dues are financing efforts to change U.S. policy related to the Cuban regime, a State Sponsor of Terror, instead of supporting American workers’ priorities,” Cassidy wrote. “These examples raise serious concerns that IAM Union officials have used their positions within the union to advocate for policy objectives promoted by the Cuban regime as part of a foreign influence scheme.” INSIDE CUBA’S FOREIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN: FROM THE ’60S VENCEREMOS BRIGADE TO A CALIFORNIA UNION HALL “American workers should not be compelled to finance advocacy that advances the foreign policy aims of a hostile foreign power, particularly one responsible for the deaths of at least three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident in international waters,” the senator added. Cassidy was referencing a 1996 incident where Cuban MiG fighters destroyed two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, resulting in the deaths of three American citizens and one permanent resident. David Ramírez Álvarez, second secretary at the Embassy of Cuba, spoke at a U.S. Hands Off Cuba campaign meeting held at Machinists Hall, a local IAM union hall, Fox News Digital reported in May. Cassidy’s letter says Ramírez Álvarez instructed union members on ways to support Cuba’s policy priorities and oppose U.S. policy toward the island. Sources told Fox News Digital that Ramírez Álvarez has drawn the attention of American officials for allegedly coordinating an influence network within the United States. Ramírez Álvarez spoke to union members and leaders on how they could help Cuba by lobbying, following certain pieces of legislation and engaging in national activism. CUBA BUILT COVERT NETWORK INSIDE AMERICA THROUGH SPIES, ACTIVISTS AND UNIVERSITIES, STATE DEPT ALLEGES “The job now is defending Cuba in whatever way we can,” an IAM representative told attendees, encouraging them to visit the island if possible, according to previous reporting. He was also involved in an effort that resulted in the California AFL-CIO adopting a resolution calling for Cuba to be removed from the United States’ list of state terror sponsors. Before Cassidy sent his letter, the State Department released a report in July laying out the ties between organized labor and the communist regime in Cuba. The report alleges that Havana leverages a sizable network of labor union contacts in the United States to push for policies advantageous to its regime, such as lifting embargoes or removing Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. Cassidy said that the Cuban government has used IAM members for “propagandistic purposes.” To support this claim, he pointed to a video posted by the Cuban Embassy where an IAM leader said, “We must and will continue to defend the sovereignty of Cuba and Cuban self-determination.” “We must continue to protest, we must continue to make our voices heard in the streets, through social media and beyond,” he continued. In a separate video, the same leader gave a welcome message to two Cuban officials on behalf of his union. RUBIO WARNS CUBA HAS INFILTRATED US WITH SPIES, CALLS COMMUNIST REGIME AN ‘ESPIONAGE SUPERPOWER’ Cassidy is hitting the IAM with a bevy of questions, notably whether union employees are working with Cuban officials while on the clock, if the union has ever taken payments from Cuba, if the union has ever made payments to individuals linked to the Cuban regime, if the union had lobbied on Cuba policy and whether the union has any concerns that its members could be wrapped up in Cuban influence operations. The senator has also requested a full accounting of members and union leadership who have engaged in advocacy related to America’s policy toward Cuba and whether they consulted with Cuban government officials in connection with that activism.
WWII Memorial vandalism suspect now in custody, to be charged with two felonies, Pirro announces
The suspect accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., has been taken into custody, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia are charging Melissa L. Farris with two felony charges for her alleged role in the vandalism. “Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather. This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” Pirro added. The DOJ is accusing Farris of an act of vandalism which occurred Thursday. The words “Clean hands, dirty money,” were spray-painted on the memorial in bright pink paint. PROSECUTORS MOVE TO DISMISS FELONY VANDALISM CASE AGAINST OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN OVER REFLECTING POOL Bubble soap was also dumped into the fountain at the center of the memorial, according to authorities. President Donald Trump reacted strongly to the memorial’s defacement. “Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” he wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social. The memorial is the latest D.C. monument targeted this year. Trump continues to seek the prosecution of a former Olympian accused of ripping the Lincoln Monument Memorial Reflecting Pool’s coating. TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM ALLEGATIONS, CITES NEW WITNESS ACCOUNT In June, U.S. Park Police also launched an investigation after the numbers “8647” were burned into the grass near the Washington Monument. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
El-Sayed in the hot seat after ‘sickening’ animal control record goes viral on social media
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over his tenure as Detroit health director, during which Detroit’s animal control department was beset by allegations of animal mistreatment and reportedly branded a “dog slaughterhouse” by a former employee. Detroit Animal Care and Control’s (DACC) live-release rate was roughly 20% to 26% when El-Sayed inherited the operation in late 2015 but climbed to about 61% to 62% by late 2016 — an improvement his campaign points to in arguing that the raw number of animals euthanized during his tenure obscures a turnaround from the dire conditions and euthanasia rates he inherited. The Daily Mail reported that records covering the period surrounding El-Sayed’s tenure showed 4,680 dogs and cats were euthanized, with 1,056 dogs and 29 cats getting euthanized in the first full calendar year DACC was under El-Sayed’s Health Department. After winning a bruising primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., El-Sayed is asking Michigan voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, but his record running Detroit’s Health Department and the troubled animal-control operation under its authority has generated renewed scrutiny. BIDEN-WORLD VETERAN ISSUES STARK WARNING ABOUT ABDUL EL-SAYED AS HE CROSSES PARTY LINES “I actually really really don’t want to believe this. Can someone verify?” questioned Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s one-time press secretary. “This is sickening. Abdul El-Sayed wants Michiganders to trust him with their families,” El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, wrote on X. “Meanwhile, Detroiters couldn’t even trust him with their pets.” The scrutiny stems in part from an October 2015 whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Detroit Animal Control officer Brittany Roberts, who alleged animals died from inadequate food and medical care, were kept in filthy conditions and were subjected to other mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. Roberts also reportedly alleged she was demeaned, harassed and ultimately fired after reporting the problems. The lawsuit landed the same month — and shortly before — the city moved Animal Control from the Detroit Police Department to the Health Department led by El-Sayed. “I was almost embarrassed with myself to be part of a team that played a role of the death of so many dogs in their cages,” Roberts said in 2015 as she accused the agency of neglect and mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. “Every morning, we’d just walk around and see who was alive before we could even feed.” Roberts, who began working at the shelter in March 2015, reportedly alleged in her whistleblower lawsuit filed that October that she witnessed animals die from a lack of food and medical care, unsanitary conditions and other violations of state law and department policy. FOX 2 Detroit reported at the time that Roberts called the shelter a “slaughterhouse” and alleged dogs were rarely euthanized properly, but instead were neglected and mistreated until they died. HOUSE DEM’S GRAPHIC CHICKEN DECAPITATION ‘HORRIFIED’ HER COLLEGE ROOMMATES: ‘BLOOD WENT EVERYWHERE’ Best Friends Animal Society put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s 2015 save rate at just 20%, while numbers from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Animal Shelter Annual Report placed its live-release rate at 26%, according to The Daily Mail. The 2015 numbers showed 1,988 dogs and 272 cats, and a total of 2,260 animals were euthanized, the outlet highlighted. Before the city moved it back under El-Sayed’s health department in October 2015 as part of a broader overhaul, Animal Control had been under the Detroit Police Department since 2012. Changes followed, as the city scrapped the shelter’s no-adoption policy and began working with rescue and foster organizations, while Melissa Miller was brought in as a new animal-control director in December 2015, according to local reporting. The operation later reportedly moved into a larger facility donated by the Michigan Humane Society and expanded partnerships with outside animal-welfare groups. The numbers improved and by September 2016, local reporting put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s live-release rate at 61%, up from 26% the previous year, and Miller said the following month that the figure had reached 62% — nearly triple the prior year’s rate. According to The Daily Mail, the DACC failed to publicly report its 2016 euthanasia figures, but numbers they obtained showed the animal control unit euthanized 1,056 dogs and 29 cats that year. Then-Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at the time that the previous euthanasia rate had been “unacceptable,” but that the improved rate was “more in line with national standards.” WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS Meanwhile, the Detroit mayor’s office acknowledged that DACC had a very high euthanasia rate while it was still under the police department and was transferred to the Health Department in part to change the operation’s culture. The office cited inadequate shelters and Detroit’s emergence from bankruptcy as major challenges that were not entirely within Animal Control’s control because of city budget constraints. “When I was the new director of the Detroit Health Department, I inherited a part of the job that I never trained for and never thought I would do, which is Detroit Animal Control,” El-Sayed said during a 2024 podcast interview. “And it was a mess at the time, and I needed somebody who I could trust, who could come in and do right by the animals and right by the people of the city of Detroit. And Mel Miller was that person.” El-Sayed’s campaign pushed back strongly against any suggestion that the animal deaths define his record, telling Fox News Digital that he inherited an operation with outdated procedures, severe staffing and facility problems and an extraordinarily high euthanasia rate. The campaign said El-Sayed raised frontline animal-care officer pay by 15%, worked to fully staff the operation, moved it into a more modern facility, overhauled care protocols and expanded partnerships aimed at getting animals out of the shelter alive. “During Abdul El-Sayed’s tenure as Detroit Health Director, he dramatically reduced animal euthanizations and reversed the Detroit Animal Control’s abysmal save rate,” the campaign said, arguing that
Mark Lynch endorses Ralph Norman as congressman heads into runoff against Darline Graham
Mark Lynch has endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the runner-up in South Carolina‘s special Republican U.S. Senate primary, who will face first-place finisher Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in a head-to-head runoff. Graham finished first in the Aug. 11 primary, with Norman advancing in second place. The runoff is scheduled for Aug. 25. Lynch — who finished second in the South Carolina Republican U.S. Senate primary that Sen. Lindsey Graham won in June — placed fifth in the special Republican U.S. Senate primary contest. “I’m honored to receive Mark Lynch’s support and endorsement in my race for U.S. Senate!” Norman declared in a Wednesday post on X. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP SENATE SHOWDOWN HEADS TO RUNOFF IN RACE TO SUCCEED LINDSEY GRAHAM The post also included a statement, apparently from Lynch, stating, “I am proud to endorse Ralph Norman for the United States Senate. Our country needs someone who will put America First, and the people of South Carolina have shown they are ready for a businessman and someone with a proven conservative record who will be their voice in Washington, D.C.” Last month, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to serve the remainder of her brother’s Senate term — and President Donald Trump is backing her for election. DARLINE GRAHAM DETAILS HOW SHE’D FORGE OWN PATH IN SENATE WHILE CARRYING ON BROTHER LINDSEY’S LEGACY National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., backed Graham after she placed first in the special GOP U.S. Senate primary this week. “If I were going to endorse in the South Carolina GOP Senate primary, I wanted to do so with confidence. After watching Darline Graham in the Senate and on the campaign trail, I’m confident she’s the real deal. Her first-place finish last night was remarkable, but not surprising. She is a conservative stalwart, a hard worker, and represents our beloved state with class, humility, and dignity,” Scott wrote in a Wednesday post on X. REP RALPH NORMAN ENTERS SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT OF DARLINE GRAHAM “I know she is making her brother proud, but Darline has already proven to be her own person: focused on pocketbook issues, defending our South Carolina values, and delivering for the people she represents. Her priorities are our priorities. I voted for Darline in yesterday’s primary, and I’ll vote for her again in the runoff. I’m proud to endorse Darline Graham for the U.S. Senate, and I encourage South Carolina Republicans across our state to join me in voting for her in the runoff,” Scott added.