Rajasthan police bust BIG explosive racket on New Year’s Eve! Cease 150 Kg Ammonium Nitrate, other items, check details
On New Year’s Eve, the Rajasthan police busted a major racket as they recovered more than 100 kg of explosives from a car. The police have detained two men who were travelling in the car and have been questioning them. The operation was led by the District Special Task Force (DST).
Karnataka govt makes arrangements for ‘heavily drunk’, safety this New Year’s Eve celebrations, check details
To prevent any untoward incident, chaos or danger, the Karnataka government has made required arrangements for the partygoers. G Parameshwara Rao said that 15 centres will be established for intoxicated people.
Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot greenfield corridor in Maharashtra approved; check project cost, distance and more
The six-lane greenfield project corridor is to improve travel efficiency, and it is expected to cut travel time by 17 hours and reduce the travel distance by 201 km.
Will BNP reset India-Bangladesh ties after Jaishankar meets Tarique Rahman at Khaleda Zia funeral?
Will BNP soften its anti-India rhetoric after S Jaishankar met Tarique Rahman in Dhaka during Khaleda Zia’s state funeral? Can India-BNP ties shift ahead of Bangladesh Election 2026?
Who is IPS Ajay Singhal, 1992 batch officer and the new DGP of Haryana?
IPS Ajay Singhal has held several key operational and administrative positions during his career.
Bank Holiday on New Year 2026: Are banks closed on January 1? Know state-wise details here
Happy New Year: Not all offices are closed on the first day of the new year. All states have their own rules and so bank holidays differ statewise. They are different from nationwide bank holidays. Bank holidays on January 1, 2026 do not disrupt online and digital services like UPI, mobile banking.
Texas 2025: Year in Photos
Photojournalists document another year across Texas. Our photos illustrated the tense redistricting debate at the Capitol, the aftermath of the Hill County floods and more.
Fraud engulfs Minnesota as another blue state kicks off New Year with ID for trains — not votes
While Minnesota grapples with a burgeoning fraud crisis, one blue state that still does not require photo ID to vote will require residents seeking to pay a reduced fare on state-owned transit present one in order to qualify. Reduced-fare on NJTransit, and mass transit in other states, is often offered to senior citizens, military personnel or the infirm. Meanwhile, officials in Minnesota are grappling with a multifaceted fraud scandal involving subsidies paid to largely Somali-led outfits and interests that are allegedly illegitimate and often appear unverified as well. However, New Jersey is one of 14 states that does not require the same stringent photo identification to be shown at the polls on election day. The discrepancy spurred an uproar online as the local outlet Shore News Network drew attention to it in its reporting of the new reduced-fare ID requirement. RED STATE GOVERNOR TOUTS MEDICAID SAVINGS AS MINNESOTA GRAPPLES WITH WIDESPREAD FRAUD ALLEGATIONS “Starting January 1, photo ID required for NJ Transit reduced fares but not for voting,” a headline from the Rutherford-based outlet read. “This change is only for customers who have been using an NJ Transit issued non-photo ID as proof of reduced fare eligibility,” NJ Transit spokesman John Chartier told NJAdvanceMedia. Current non-photo reduced-fare ID cards will no longer be accepted as of Thursday, according to the agency, which announced that Jerseyans must apply for a new photo ID either in-person or by mail – while providing NJTransit proof of age and/or disability and a recent photo. COMER WARNS ‘WALLS ARE CAVING IN’ ON TIM WALZ AS MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE WIDENS NJ Transit said all non-photo Reduced Fare IDs will become invalid after the new year. Riders must apply for the new, free photo ID card online, by mail, or in person, providing proof of age or disability along with a recent photo, according to Shore News Network. By contrast, on election day, voters must include their state driver’s license number on their registration form. Failing to include that number on a registration form would then require identification be presented onsite for first-time voters; which could include a license or a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document – not all of which have a photographic component. MINNESOTA DEM SENATE CANDIDATE FACES CALL FROM OPPONENT TO APOLOGIZE OVER VIRAL ‘PANDERING’ HIJAB VIDEO “This is how ridiculous Democrat-run states are,” one X user said. “Beginning January 1st, a photo ID will be required for the Reduced Fair Program, but it is still not required to vote. This is how they keep states blue by cheating.” The volunteer good-governance organization New Jersey Project also slammed state policies: “Photo ID needed for NJ Transit discounts but not for voting. Starting January,” the group said. WALZ SLAMMED IN WAKE OF VIRAL VIDEO THAT RAISES DAYCARE FUNDING QUESTIONS: ‘NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’ “Priorities, Trenton?” The blog New Jersey News wrote that state officials often claim voter ID “disenfranchises minorities” who cannot get such identification. “Guess they won’t be riding the train either,” the outlet said. MINNESOTA’S NEW MEDICAID FRAUD PREVENTION FIX WON’T MAKE ‘ANY DIFFERENCE,’ FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS The group “Wake Up NJ” also fired back at the new policy, citing the same disparity between arguments against voter-ID and the state’s actions toward reduced-fare straphangers. “New Jersey expects you to get that reduced fare for New Jersey Transit, but it’s OK [if you don’t] for voting,” they said. The photo ID rule in-practice will allow a rider who goes a short distance on a state bus – considered a “Zone 1” fare – to pay 85 cents instead of the full $1.85. Commuters going to “Zone 3” – immediate suburbs of New York City – pay $5.30, but would be able to pay $2.40 under the reduced-fare ID policy. Longer trips see larger savings as NJTransit’s special limited-stop service on the Garden State Parkway from New York to Toms River and Atlantic City currently costs $57.40 to hit the casinos. Showing a reduced-fare ID card would allow the rider to pay $25.80. Fox News Digital reached out to the New Jersey Secretary of State’s office, which oversees elections, for comment.
Comer, House Oversight demand answers in Minnesota fraud hearing, call on Walz to testify
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are escalating their investigation into Minnesota’s sweeping fraud schemes, setting a hearing next week and demanding answers from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration over what they say were glaring failures of oversight. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced lawmakers would hold a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 7, evaluating the fraud scandal, its scale and whether the state’s leadership could have done something to prevent exploitation from happening in the first place. “Congress has a duty to conduct rigorous oversight of this heist and enact stronger safeguards to prevent fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, as well as strong sanctions to hold offenders accountable,” Comer said in a statement on Wednesday morning. MINNESOTA’S NEW MEDICAID FRAUD PREVENTION FIX WON’T MAKE ‘ANY DIFFERENCE,’ FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS While the committee will also hear testimony from lawmakers in Minnesota, Republican lawmakers believe it is the Walz administration that holds the answers on how the problem got so large. “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs. American taxpayers demand and deserve accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money,” Comer said. The Committee will hear from Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick — all Republican members of the Minnesota House of Representatives. It’s unclear if Walz or Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will accept the invitation. When asked about whether he would cooperate with congressional investigations, Walz told Fox News Digital he believed the hearing would have little to do with the problem of fraud. “We’re always happy to work with Congress, though this committee has a track record of holding circus hearings that have nothing to do with the issue at hand. While the Governor has been working to ensure fraudsters go to prison, the president has been selling pardons to let them out,” Walz’s office said. SHIRLEY ASSOCIATE IN VIRAL VIDEO SAYS HE FILED CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST WALZ OVER DAYCARE FRAUD ALLEGATIONS The hearing is a part of the committee’s own investigation into the Minnesota fraud, a separate effort from ongoing FBI probes. The Oversight Committee’s announcement comes as new revelations about fraud in Minnesota reveal that the state could have lost as much as $9 billion through abuse of its government assistance programs. In recent months, investigators have unearthed sweeping fraud schemes masquerading as daycare centers, medical providers, food assistance programs and more. By fabricating services or inflating the number of people they claimed to serve, the schemes allegedly siphoned billions in government funds. “In addition to conducting transcribed interviews with Minnesota state officials, the House Oversight Committee will hold hearings on fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs to expose failures, identify solutions, and deliver accountability,” Comer said. Given their size and frequency, lawmakers have raised questions about how a state’s lack of awareness of its own programs could have been so easily abused. MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS Comer believes the lawmakers who have agreed to testify before the committee will provide insight into the visibility of the fraud rings and whether Walz was made aware of their scale ahead of shocking reporting that made Minnesota’s shortcomings a matter of national attention. “Next week, we will hear from Minnesota state lawmakers who sounded the alarm on this fraud — and whose warnings were ignored by the Walz administration. This misconduct cannot be swept aside, and Congress will not stop until taxpayers get the answers and accountability they deserve,” Comer said.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tells Border Patrol official his ‘day of reckoning is fast approaching’
As senior U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino continued to suggest that the agency will be in Chicago “for years,” former Windy City Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the federal official that his “day of reckoning is fast approaching.” “If you think we’re done with Chicago, you’d better check yourself before you wreck yourself,” Bovino, commander of Operation At Large in California, wrote in a post on X. “Don’t call it a comeback; we’re gonna be here for years,” he added in a play on lyrics in LL Cool J’s song, “Mama Said Knock You Out,” which plays in the background of a video montage included in the post. AG PAM BONDI PUTS EX-CHICAGO MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT ON NOTICE OVER HER VOW TO ‘UNMASK’ ICE AGENTS Lightfoot slammed Bovino when responding to his post on X. “Glory hound Greg Bovino cannot resist acting a fool in the third largest media market. The actions of the CBP militia under his command have been unconstitional [sic] and shameful. Hey, Greg, your day of reckoning is fast approaching,” she asserted. Bovino issued a similar post on X last week. “Don’t worry, Chicago, we will be here for YEARS! Despite calls for violence against our agents, the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol have come together and developed serious plans to help Chicago rid their streets of criminal illegal aliens,” he declared. “We work for YOU.” Current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has backed the idea of putting the message “Abolish ICE” on a city snow plow. CHICAGO MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON ENDORSES ‘ABOLISH ICE’ FOR NAME OF NEW SNOWPLOW “‘Abolish ICE’ has my full endorsement for the name of one of Chicago’s next Snow Plows. Remember to submit your choice by January 10th, 2026!” Johnson wrote in a post on X. Bovino fired back at the mayor: “Oh oh, i’ve got a nomination for the mayor. Name the plow ‘Reality Check’ and paint it green while your [sic] at it. Johnson obsesses over Border Patrol it seems!!” he wrote. Johnson shared a screenshot of Bovino’s post, pointing out that the federal official should have used the contraction “you’re” in the post. SWALWELL SLAMMED BY BORDER PATROL COMMANDER OVER IMAGERY SHOWING ICE RAIDING JESUS CHRIST’S MANGER “And reality check, Greg: Chicagoans vote on the snow plow names. The same people who want you out of our city,” Johnson added.