CBSE introduces hybrid evaluation scheme for cancelled Class 12 exams in West Asia; know assessment process here
The CBSE said the approach has been designed to ensure “valid, reliable, fair, and unbiased results” in view of the prevailing situation that led to the disruption of exams across the region and that the “decision of the Competent Authority of the Board shall be final and binding.”
At CPAC, Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French calls for deportation of 100 million people
French, a former Tarrant County GOP chair, also said Republicans should more openly embrace Islamophobia.
Dan Patrick adds data centers, prediction markets and THC to Senate priorities
Patrick’s Friday release of priorities calls on lawmakers to study the emerging issues ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
Trump rolls out plan to back farmers amid rising costs, pledging ‘golden age’
President Donald Trump announced a series of actions Friday aimed at assisting farmers and food suppliers to help cut costs amid rising energy prices, promising a new “golden age” for the agricultural industry. Trump shared guidance on farm equipment regulations in an effort to cut costs and increase government loan guarantees for agricultural products, including tractors, among other reforms. He said much farm equipment has become unaffordable for many farmers. “Every day we’re looking for new ways to support our farmers, reduce your costs, and to help lower the price of food for the American family,” Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. “We’re going to prove that the golden age of American agriculture is right here and right now.” I’M AN AMERICAN FARMER — EMPTY USDA OFFICES MEANS FEWER FAMILY FARMS The Biden administration crippled the farming industry, Trump said, with harsh restrictions and a lack of trade deals. To help them, Trump said his administration recently used tariff money to give farmers $12 billion in relief. “I’m also asking Congress to quickly pass the new farm bill,” he said. “And today, I’m promising to request additional farm relief for our great patriots in the next funding bill.” AMERICA’S QUIETEST CROP IS SET TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN TRUMP–XI TALKS In addition, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) will alter guidelines around a system designed to limit diesel emissions that will save farmers billions of dollars, Trump said. He also announced new guidelines to limit Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) rules, which mandate that modern diesel engines use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. “It was a basic disaster,” Trump said. Trump also highlighted the EPA’s efforts to boost renewable fuels from agricultural products, while criticizing environmental activists. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “What they’ve done to you, and the country – what they’ve done to the country – is just incredible,” he said. “They are terrorists.” Trump also announced new loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for small business in the agricultural industry, including food suppliers, farmers – including vegetable farmers, grain farmers and seed farmers – cattle, pig and poultry producers and grocery wholesalers.
Trump signs executive order ensuring TSA workers are paid during DHS shutdown
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order directing federal officials to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees receive back pay during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Trump described the situation as an “emergency,” citing severe strain on airport security operations. “Accordingly, I hereby direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown, consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a),” Trump said. This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Biden judge freezes Trump admin move against AI firm, fueling battle over security authority
A federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from banning AI firm Anthropic from Department of War use is igniting a debate over whether the ruling pushes courts into national security decision-making. The ruling, issued late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, a Biden appointee to the Northern District of California, pauses the administration’s broader effort to bar the company while the case proceeds, though it does not explicitly require the Pentagon to use Anthropic. The judge also gave the government one week to appeal. Under Secretary of War Emil Michael wrote on X that the ruling contained “dozens of factual errors” and was issued “during a time of conflict,” arguing it “seeks to upend the (president’s) role as Commander in Chief” and disrupt the department’s ability to conduct military operations. A BRAVE MARINE COLONEL TOOK ON THE PENTAGON — AND PAID THE PRICE FOR IT Michael said the administration views Anthropic as still designated a supply chain risk pending appeal, signaling officials are disputing the scope and effect of the court’s injunction. Lin said the Pentagon’s move to designate Anthropic as a national security risk was “likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.” “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” Lin said. “Can a judge order the Department of War to use a vendor that is a security risk? No, but also yes? Judge Lin (Biden N.D. California) tries to stop President Trump/Secretary Hegseth from banning Anthropic. But acknowledges they can choose not to use it?” one X user Eric Wess wrote on the social media platform. Others described the ruling as “pure judicial activism” and accused the judge of interfering in a national security decision. But supporters of the decision — including a bipartisan group of nearly 150 retired federal and state judges — say the administration overstepped, warning the Pentagon’s use of a “supply chain risk” designation appeared improperly applied and could chill free speech and legitimate business activity. In a March 3 letter, the Pentagon had notified Anthropic it would be designated a supply chain risk to national security. That designation ordered that no contractor, supplier or partner doing business with the United States military may conduct commercial activity with Anthropic. PALANTIR EXECUTIVE SAYS AI ENABLING RAPID BATTLEFIELD PLANNING AND HIGH-SPEED US STRIKE OPERATIONS The legal fight follows a broader dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic over how the company’s AI system, Claude, can be used in military operations. Claude is the only commercial AI system approved for classified use. War Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned Anthropic it would face termination of its $200 million contract, awarded in July 2025, or be designated a supply chain risk if it did not allow its AI platform to be approved for all lawful uses. Anthropic insisted it would not allow Claude to be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans. Pentagon officials say such uses already are not permitted, emphasizing that humans remain in the loop for lethal decisions and that the military does not conduct domestic surveillance, but maintain that private companies cannot dictate how their systems are used in lawful operations. Lin pointed to the breadth of the measures — including a government-wide ban and contractor restrictions — saying they did not appear “tailored to the stated national security concern” and instead “look(ed) like an attempt to cripple Anthropic. Anthropic welcomed the decision, saying in a statement: “We’re grateful to the court for moving swiftly, and pleased they agree Anthropic is likely to succeed on the merits.” Hegseth described CEO Dario Amodei and Anthropic of a “master class in arrogance” and a “textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government” in a Feb. 27 post on X. OpenAI has emerged as a key alternative, securing a Pentagon deal to deploy its models on classified systems as tensions with Anthropic escalated. Still, Anthropic has not been fully displaced — its Claude system remains deeply embedded in military workflows, and replacing it would take time.
‘Ship has sailed’: This is what Dems won’t get in DHS deal after shunning GOP
Congressional Democrats consider the Senate-passed plan to end the Homeland Security shutdown a victory, but they’re walking away empty-handed with none of their sought-after reforms to immigration enforcement. Pushing for sweeping changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of a pair of fatal shootings in Minnesota is why Democrats blocked more than a half-dozen attempts to prevent or end the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. But the window of opportunity to secure any reforms slammed shut just after 2 a.m. Friday. DHS SHUTDOWN BREAKTHROUGH COMES AT COST FOR REPUBLICANS AS FUNDING FIGHTS NEARS END “I mean, I think that ship has sailed, and they kind of kissed that opportunity goodbye by failing to provide funding for those agencies,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. At the onset of the shutdown in early February, Schumer and Democrats presented 10 categories of reforms they wanted to be implemented for ICE and immigration enforcement in order to earn their votes to fund DHS. The proposals were in response to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good and were designed to drastically rein in the power of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL Among them were requiring judicial warrants for agents, forcing agents to unmask, requiring agents to display identification, ending roving patrols, preventing agents from operating in certain areas like schools and hospitals, requiring body-worn cameras, increasing oversight of detention centers tied to funding, and several more. The warrant requirements and unmasking were hard red lines for Republicans and the White House, but throughout negotiations, the GOP made concessions on several others, including limiting immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, allowing congressional oversight of DHS detention facilities, and enforcing the use of visible identification for DHS agents. Democrats walked away with none of those offers that were on the table, aside from $20 million to purchase body-worn cameras, which was already in the original Homeland Security funding bill. SCHUMER, DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AGAIN, TRUMP INTERVENES TO PAY TSA AGENTS “The Dems wanted reforms. We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms,” Thune said. Still, Schumer and congressional Democrats scored a political victory of sorts, with the legislation carving out funding for ICE and the border protection arm of CBP. Republicans, however, front-loaded immigration enforcement funding last year with $75 billion over the next several years and plan a similar move using the same budget reconciliation process to extend funding for up to a decade. And with a rebellion against the legislation fomenting among House Republicans — who are widely unhappy with immigration enforcement not being funded right away — all parties could be taken back to square one. “This is exactly what we wanted,” Schumer said after the Senate advanced the bill. “This is what we asked for, and I’m very proud of my caucus. My caucus held the line.”
FBI says ‘malicious actors’ targeted Patel’s personal email, Iran-based hacking group claims responsibility
An FBI spokesperson told Fox News the bureau is aware of “malicious actors” targeting FBI Director Patel’s personal email information and has taken “all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks.” The FBI noted the information in question is “historical in nature” and does not involve government information. The Handala Hack Team, an Iran-linked hacking group, has claimed responsibility. The State Department‘s “Rewards for Justice” program is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team — a group that has frequently targeted U.S. government officials. ISRAEL KILLS IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE MINISTER WHO SURVIVED INITIAL STRIKE, OFFICIAL SAYS “Consistent with President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI will continue to pursue the actors responsible, support victims, and share actionable intelligence in defense of networks,” the FBI spokesperson said. “We encourage anyone who experiences a cyber breach, or has information related to malicious cyber activity, to contact their local FBI field office.” The targeting of Patel’s information comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) on March 19 announced a massive crackdown on the hacking group. Weeks ago, the DOJ announced the seizure of four domains as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt hacking and transnational repression schemes conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which allegedly ramped up after the U.S.-Iran war began on Feb. 28. FBI DIRECTOR TICKS OFF TERROR THREATS FOILED BY AGENTS The domains were allegedly used by the MOIS to target adversaries of the regime by claiming credit for hacking activity, posting sensitive data stolen during such hacks, and calling for the killing of journalists, regime dissidents and Israelis. In one instance, the seized handala-hack[.]to domain was used by the MOIS to claim responsibility for a destructive March 11 malware attack on a U.S.-based multinational medical technologies firm, according to the DOJ. Handala Hack claimed the attack was retaliation for ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the “Axis of Resistance.” MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TRUMP ASSASSINATION CLAIMS IRAN FORCED HIM TO Days earlier, the MOIS, via the Handala-redwanted[.]to domain, allegedly posted the names and sensitive personally identifiable information of roughly 190 people associated with or employed by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) or Israeli government. Investigators also discovered the alleged cyber-terrorists used an Outlook email account to send death threats to Iranian dissidents and journalists living in the U.S. and abroad, openly offering bounties to Mexican cartel “partners” to commit acts of violence. A March 1 email with the subject line, “Death to [redacted victim names],” read: “We the Handala Hack team, the loyal followers of the supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, declare war on all the enemies of Islam in the West. Our partners, the CJNG [Jalisco New Generation Cartel] cartel in America and Canada have been given a list of our enemies who are responsible for our great leaders [sic] death. [Redacted names], you laughed like hyenas during the [redacted] show. We have hacked and revealed your home addresses in [redacted] and [redacted] to our partners in the CJNG who are in [redacted U.S. state] and [redacted foreign country] now. Both of you will be executed soon, and we have offered a reward of $250,000 for the operatives who kills [sic] and beheads both of you. ALLAHU AKBAR[.]” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Obama-appointed judge reverses course, rules voter ID law isn’t discriminatory in GOP win
An Obama-appointed federal judge who once blocked North Carolina’s voter identification law has reversed course and ruled it constitutional, delivering a major win for Republicans and election security advocates after a seven-year court fight. Judge Loretta Biggs upheld the law Thursday, finding the liberal voting rights groups that sued North Carolina’s election board failed to prove the voter ID law was discriminatory. The ruling leaves North Carolina’s voter ID law in place ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. It also comes as President Donald Trump has been advocating stricter voter ID laws nationwide, alleging what he has said is widespread fraud in elections and to prevent illegal immigrants from potentially casting ballots. The North Carolina case centered on a bill that the GOP-led Senate crafted in 2018 to govern how the state would enforce an amendment requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls. The amendment had been approved by about 55% of North Carolina voters, and the legislation dictated how the amendment would be put into practice. THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT “Finally. After seven years, we can put to rest any doubt that our state’s Voter I.D. law is constitutional,” said Republican state Sen. Phil Berger, who intervened in the case to defend the law. Biggs emphasized in her 134-page decision that North Carolina had a “history of extensive official discrimination against African Americans” that was undisputed by parties in the case. The judge said she found evidence that the voter ID law served to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters but that precedents set by higher courts meant the evidence was not enough to invalidate the law. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT “This Court … concludes that it is compelled by controlling case law to render Judgment in favor of the Defendants,” Biggs said, tossing out the plaintiffs’ allegations that the law violated the 14th and 15th amendments and the Voting Rights Act. The judge said the “case law requires this Court to assign less weight to the historical background. It further requires almost impenetrable deference to the presumption of legislative good faith.” The judge’s findings echo prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have called voter ID laws “Jim Crow 2.0.” Schumer has said the SAVE America Act, which he is currently blocking from Senate passage, is “a dagger to the heart of our democracy.” Trump has been aggressively urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would impose a nationwide requirement that people provide a physical document proving U.S. citizenship when they register to vote. But tensions have flared on Capitol Hill after the bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate because of Democrats’ opposition to it. The decision marked a reversal for Biggs after she issued a preliminary injunction in December 2019 that blocked the state from enforcing the voter ID law for the 2020 election cycle. In that opinion, she cited the state’s “sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression,” arguing that parts of the law were “impermissibly motivated, at least in part, by discriminatory intent.” Her injunction was later reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The state Supreme Court also upheld the law in a separate state-level case. North Carolina Republicans have defended the law as one designed to be accommodating to all voters, saying it offered a wide range of identification options for people showing up to the polls while also boosting election integrity and confidence in elections.
Iran backlash forces Gulf allies toward Washington as regional tensions rise
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies are showing signs of a quiet but consequential shift in their posture toward Iran, as escalating attacks across the region are testing years of careful balancing between Washington and Tehran. For much of the past decade, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sought to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, maintaining diplomatic and economic ties even while relying on U.S. military backing. But that middle ground is increasingly under strain. That strategy was designed to keep Gulf states out of direct confrontation. But officials and analysts say Iran’s expanding attacks are narrowing the space for neutrality, pushing some Gulf states closer to Washington. One of the clearest signs of that shift is a reported move by Saudi Arabia to grant U.S. forces access to King Fahd Air Base in Taif, a western facility not used for American combat operations since the Gulf War era. HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN’S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES ‘INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT’ The shift is also visible across the region. The UAE has severed diplomatic ties with Tehran, shut down Iranian-linked institutions and launched a crackdown on networks tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a wave of attacks. Bahrain, meanwhile, led efforts at the United Nations to pass a Security Council resolution condemning Iranian strikes on Gulf states, while multiple countries — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait — have issued coordinated statements denouncing Iran’s actions and asserting their right to self-defense. These Gulf states are in line with the U.S. view that Iran’s missile development, uranium enrichment programs and support for regional militant groups need to be “addressed and curtailed” but remain opposed to strikes on critical infrastructure inside Iran, a Gulf official told Fox News Digital. Qatar has also taken concrete steps in response to Iranian attacks, expelling Iranian military and security attachés and ordering them to leave the country after strikes on critical energy infrastructure. However, Qatar has stopped short of severing full diplomatic ties, maintaining its role as a mediator even as tensions rise. The Qatari prime minister was in Washington for talks focused on defense cooperation and protecting critical energy infrastructure Thursday, an official briefed on the visit told Fox News. King Fahd Air Base’s location, deep inside Saudi territory and farther from Iran’s missile and drone reach, would offer strategic depth the U.S. has not relied on in decades. U.S. military posture in the region has long centered on more exposed bases along the Persian Gulf, including hubs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Sources familiar with the matter cited in Wall Street Journal reporting said Saudi Arabia agreed to let American forces use the base. The Pentagon and the Saudi embassy declined to comment on the base. Combat aircraft routinely operate “dark” with transponders off in potential combat zones, so they would not appear on civilian flight radar. Saudi Arabia’s tightly controlled media environment also means there are few, if any, independent local reports of U.S. aircraft activity at King Fahd Air Base. “Our primary concern today is to defend ourselves from the daily attacks on our people and our civilian infrastructure,” the Saudi government said in a statement on its posture toward Iran. “Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions. This harms every stakeholder involved but none more than Iran itself.” The reported basing shift is one of several signs that Gulf states are recalibrating their position as Iranian attacks escalate across the region. While Gulf leaders are still stopping short of joining combat operations and continue to pursue diplomatic off-ramps, their actions — from expanding cooperation with U.S. forces to issuing more direct and coordinated condemnations of Iran — suggest growing frustrations with Iranian attacks on their territory. President Donald Trump said Thursday that countries across the region — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman— were “shocked” as Iranian attacks expanded beyond traditional flashpoints. “They start shooting in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman,” he said at a Cabinet meeting. “They start shooting at them. And they were — they were. Everybody was shocked, including us. You know why? Because they’re sick. And they had a plan to take over the Middle East.” Since late February, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones across the Gulf, targeting countries from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Qatar and Kuwait. After the launch of Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, Iran warned it would retaliate against U.S. forces and their regional partners, a threat it quickly carried out with strikes on bases and infrastructure across the region. Years of diplomatic outreach and de-escalation efforts in Gulf capitals failed to shield them from Iranian retaliation. Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 2023 to restore diplomatic ties while the United Arab Emirates maintained economic channels that allowed limited commercial activity to continue. At the same time, the steps Gulf countries have taken remain measured. The United States already operates from bases in Saudi Arabia, including Prince Sultan Air Base, which has served as a hub for U.S. air operations and force protection in the region. But those sites sit closer to the Gulf and are more exposed to Iranian missile and drone threats, while more interior locations like Taif provide greater depth and longer warning times against potential strikes. “They have to be very careful even now,” former Israeli Defense Forces officer and national security analyst Ehud Eilam told Fox News Digital. “They know that they would have to live with Iran after the war.” WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL “They can’t really strike back hard,” said James Robbins, Institute of World Politics dean and former special assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “They’re small countries, and they’re hard to defend.” Robbins added that Gulf states face a long-term dilemma, warning that even a weakened Iran would likely regroup and pose a continued threat.