U.S. Supreme Court will hear Texas anti-pornography law that challengers say violates free-speech rights
Porn sites are not accessible in Texas as companies cite the onerous process and privacy issues associated with setting up age verification.
Texas should close prisons and jails with staffing challenges, state oversight panel says
A report found up to 70% of guard positions were unfilled at some prisons. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has a 26% staff turnover rate.
Rubio brushes off demonstrators who erupted in Senate hearing: ‘I get bilingual protesters’
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who was tapped to lead the Department of State under the second Trump administration, was repeatedly interrupted by protesters during his Senate hearing on Wednesday. One female protester was heard shouting at Rubio in Spanish, while at least two men, including one wearing pink, were seen being pulled out of the hearing by Capitol Police after shouting. “I get bilingual protesters,” Rubio quipped after a protester yelled at him in Spanish, earning laughter from the crowd. Ahead of the hearing kicking off on Wednesday morning, Fox News Digital spotted Code Pink protesters wearing bright pink with shirts reading, “hands of Iran,” and “stop killing the children of Gaza.” They also sported anti-Rubio stickers on their headbands and hats. HEGSETH INTERRUPTED BY MULTIPLE PROTESTERS DURING SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING Protesters were warned by the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ahead of the hearing kicking off to not disrupt proceedings, saying they will be removed from the hearing and would not be permitted to a public hearing for at least a year. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH’S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING PROTESTS ERUPT IN CHRIS WRIGHT’S CONFIRMATION HEARING “Distractions will include not only noise, not only standing up, not only holding up painted hands, painted signs. None of that will be allowed. If you do that, I’m going to pause the committee. I’m going to ask our friends, first of all, my, my faithful, Sergeant at Arms here — who’s, perhaps, tougher than the Capitol Police. But also the Capitol Police to assist. And, we will pause briefly … If you are removed, you’ll not be permitted back into one of these public hearings for at least 12 months. And, that’s the purpose of this is, as I’ve stated, and it’s important work,” Republican Idaho Sen. James Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in opening remarks. A handful of President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for his cabinet are facing Senate hearings this week ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Department of Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright’s confirmation hearing was also interrupted by protesters on Wednesday, who shouted if his policies would “put out the fires in LA.” Protesters also interrupted Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, when he joined the Senate Armed Services Committee and he was grilled by lawmakers ahead of a committee vote and final confirmation vote on his nomination as secretary of Defense. JD VANCE SPELLS OUT WHAT TRUMP’S PROCESS TO ‘RECTIFY’ ‘UNFAIR’ JAN 6 PROSECUTIONS COULD LOOK LIKE “Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza,” one female protester wearing fatigues shouted as she was escorted from the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows. An elderly man who was handcuffed with zipties was also seen being escorted out of the hearing. Another man, also appearing to wear fatigues, was seen being carried out by Capitol Police. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including regarding the war in Israel that has been ongoing since 2023. “Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton said. “I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth responded.
Tennessee to call special session fast-tracking Trump agenda on immigration, school choice and disaster relief
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is calling a special legislative session to address his school choice bill, as well as other prioritizes of President-elect Trump’s incoming administration, such as immigration law and disaster relief in the Volunteer State. Lee announced that he would call for the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a special session on Monday, Jan. 27, to pass the Education Freedom Act. The governor said he will introduce a disaster relief legislative package addressing recovery needs for Hurricane Helene, as well as future natural disasters, and that the session will also tackle public safety measures regarding immigration, “as the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.” The announcement from Tennessee came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday that he was calling a special session of his own to help coordinate Trump’s planned illegal immigration crackdown in the Sunshine State. Lee issued a joint statement with Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and state House Majority Leader William Lamberth. TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS TRUMP PLAN TO NIX DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, SEES BELLWETHER ON NEW SCHOOL CHOICE BILL “We believe the state has a responsibility to act quickly on issues that matter most to Tennesseans, and there is widespread support in the General Assembly and across Tennessee for a special session on the most pressing legislative priorities: the unified Education Freedom Act and a comprehensive relief package for Hurricane Helene and other disaster recovery efforts,” they said. “The majority of Tennesseans, regardless of political affiliation, have made it clear that they support empowering parents with school choice, and the best thing we can do for Tennessee students is deliver choices and public school resources without delay.” The statement added: “Hurricane Helene was an unprecedented disaster across rural, at-risk, and distressed communities that cannot shoulder the local cost share of federal relief funds on their own. The state has an opportunity and obligation to partner with these impacted counties and develop innovative solutions for natural disasters going forward.” “Finally, the American people elected President Trump with a mandate to enforce immigration laws and protect our communities, and Tennessee must have the resources ready to support the Administration on Day One,” they said. “Last year, Gov. Lee directed key state agencies to begin preparing for federal immigration policy implementation,” Lee’s press secretary, Elizabeth Lane Johnson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In this special session, we will ensure the state is best positioned to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration’s plan to enforce the federal immigration laws on the books.” “President Trump has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his Administration to make our communities safer. Tennessee is heeding the call,” she added. Lee, whose initial school choice proposal failed in the state legislature earlier last year, spoke to Fox News Digital in November upon introducing a second package aimed at increasing parental rights. After Trump’s decisive election win, the governor argued that the political environment on the ground in Tennessee is not what it was months before when the first school choice proposal failed. The election saw a wave of pro-school choice candidates win at the state level, and Trump succeeded in his bid for the White House. Lee told Fox News Digital that he agreed with Trump’s promise to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, echoing the president-elect’s concern over the federal bureaucracy becoming entrenched with gender and race ideology rather than learning. FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS “In this case, states certainly know best. We know best in Tennessee what our children need and how best to educate our kids. The parents of this state should be given a greater influence on how their kids are educated, and that will happen if the federal Department of Education is dismantled and those funds are delivered to states to be used in a more efficient and more effective way,” Lee said at the time. “President Trump has long believed that school choice is important for the people of this country and that education freedom is something that all Americans could have. He’s talked about it. He campaigned on it.” Lee’s new school choice bill, titled the Education Freedom Act of 2025, would draw from funding already approved by the state legislature to allow the state Department of Education to award up to 20,000 scholarships – valued at about $7,000 each – for the next school year to be spent on tuition, tutoring, technology and examination expenses. The first 10,000 scholarships would be set aside for low-income students whose parents might not otherwise afford to send their children to institutions other than the public schools in their districts. In addition to establishing Education Freedom Scholarships, Lee’s office said the bill “further invests in public schools and teachers by delivering teacher bonuses to recognize their unwavering commitment to student success, increasing K-12 facilities funding, and ensuring state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment.” The governor and the General Assembly “will maintain their commitment to public schools by further investing hundreds of millions of state dollars in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula, and raising starting teacher pay,” Lee’s office said. The governor is also planning to invest more than $450 million in direct disaster relief. Hurricane Helene “was an unprecedented disaster that primarily impacted at-risk and distressed counties, with eligible damage-related costs estimated at $1.2 billion,” Lee’s office said. The Disaster Relief Grants (DRG) Fund allocates $240 million “to bolster Tennessee’s existing disaster relief fund, as well as reduce the local cost-share burden from 12.5% to 5% and fund the state match requirement in order to access federal funds and cover administrative costs.” Lee’s package also establishes the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund, which allocates $110 million to “help local governments manage loan interest for recovery
Freshman GOP senator sets social media ablaze with ‘best’ response to Hegseth’s answer on gender question
Conservatives erupted on social media Tuesday following an exchange between Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy regarding gender identity. “How many genders are there?” the Montana senator asked Hegseth on Tuesday. “Tough one.” Hegseth responded, “Senator, there are two genders.” “I know that well, I’m a Sheehy, so I’m on board,” Sheehy responded, referencing the “she” and “he” that make up his last name. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH’S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING After Hegseth laughed at the freshman senator’s joke, Sheehy then went on to ask Hegseth, a fellow combat veteran, the diameter of a round fired out of a M4A1 rifle and how many pushups he could do. The line of questioning, particularly the exchange on gender which Sheehy previously joked about on the campaign trail, immediately drew a response from conservatives. “Right on,” GOP Congressman Darrell Issa posted on X. ‘CLEAR VISION’: CONSERVATIVES RALLY AROUND HEGSETH AFTER ‘CRUSHING’ FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING “QUESTION OF THE DAY,” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X. “Legitimately the best joke every [ever] told in Congress,” conservative commentator Ian Haworth posted on X. “BEST EVER!” radio host Steve Gruber posted on X. “Well, it looks like the new senator from Montana is a huge upgrade,” RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway posted on X in reference to former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who Sheehy defeated in November. “Montana knew what they were doing when they put @TimSheehyMT in the Senate,” conservative commentator and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines posted on X. “A-freakin’-MEN!” Wendy Rogers, Republican state senator from Arizona, posted on X. Sheehy told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that Hegseth is going to do a “great job” and “we support him.” “That’s why my questions were directed the way they were,” Sheehy said. ” I wanted to remind people what this job is really about and it’s supporting the war fighter and protecting America.”
Delhi-NCR imposes GRAP IV restrictions as air quality dips due to rising pollution levels, know what’s closed
The Commission for Air Quality Management sub-committee has decided to take drastic measures to combat Delhi’s severe air pollution. With immediate effect, they’re implementing all actions under Stage-III and Stage-IV.
User’s Manual: Why some Trump nominees could be confirmed with a voice vote – and why some could not
The Senate will likely have a few Cabinet nominees who are relatively non-controversial. In the interest of time, senators could agree to expedite the process and confirm an individual nominee or several nominees by voice vote or unanimous consent. As long as there are no objections among all 100 (currently 99) senators. This speeds things up in the Senate, where floor time is at a premium. However, there’s a good reason why some Democrats may oppose a streamlined process for this. It’s not because they’re trying to clog up the Senate plumbing. Democrats may demand a roll call vote on nominees they support in order to show that they voted in a bipartisan fashion to confirm some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees. Democrats are likely to reject the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Defense secretary. However, other relatively easy to confirm nominees like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., picked to serve as secretary of state, or Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary, could require roll call votes. As a result, Democrats can then argue that they voted in favor of “X” number of Mr. Trump’s nominees – and argue they operated in a bipartisan fashion.
Biden admin plows ahead with 11th hour plan to effectively ban cigarettes
The Biden administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a significant new step on Wednesday that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of those with lower levels of nicotine. “Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. If finalized, the United States would be the first country globally to take such a bold, life-saving action to prevent and reduce smoking-related disease and death,” the FDA said in a statement on Wednesday. “The FDA first announced its intent to propose such a rule in 2018, and today’s announcement is an important next step in the rulemaking processExternal Link Disclaimer. The agency intends to seek input on the proposal, including through public comment and the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee,” it added. The “Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Certain Tobacco Products” cleared a regulatory hurdle earlier this month. The rule is not yet published or finalized. BIDEN ADMIN WORKING TO EFFECTIVELY BAN CIGARETTES IN 11TH HOUR PROPOSAL A ‘GIFT’ TO CARTELS, EXPERT SAYS “Multiple administrations have acknowledged the immense opportunity that a proposal of this kind offers to address the burden of tobacco-related disease,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “Today’s proposal envisions a future where it would be less likely for young people to use cigarettes and more individuals who currently smoke could quit or switch to less harmful products. This action, if finalized, could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of severe illness and disability, while also saving huge amounts of money. I hope we can all agree that significantly reducing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. is an admirable goal we should all work toward.” The FDA’s press release states that “the proposed rule would not ban cigarettes or any other tobacco products,” and instead “cap the nicotine level at 0.7 milligrams per gram of tobacco in cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products, which is significantly lower than the average concentration in these products on the market today.” Fox News Digital reported earlier this month, when the rule cleared an FDA regulatory review, that if nicotine levels in cigarettes are lowered under federal regulation, experts say cartels running black market sales of cigarettes will likely benefit. “Biden’s ban is a gift with a bow and balloons to organized crime cartels with it, whether it’s cartels, Chinese organized crime, or Russian mafia. It’s going to keep America smoking, and it’s going to make the streets more violent,” Rich Marianos, former assistant director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the current chair of the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network, told Fox News Digital earlier this month. Marianos said that criminal groups would likely quickly catch on to the proposal if it takes effect and subsequently amplify their tobacco operations – which he says will serve as an economic boon for the criminals. Americans who want to purchase cigarettes with higher levels of nicotine would then need to go through the illicit channels to obtain them, similar to buying “loosie” cigarettes on the streets of New York, putting average Americans at further criminal risk while also offering them cigarettes that are not regulated and originating from foreign nations. BIDEN ADMIN FACING CONGRESSIONAL PROBE OVER PROPOSED BAN ON MENTHOL CIGARETTES The Biden administration pushing the cigarette rule at the 11th hour of his administration comes after its previous effort to ban menthol cigarettes in what was described as a “critical” piece of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. The administration announced last year, however, it was abruptly delaying such regulations as the public decried the move. A handful of groups argued that banning menthol unfairly targeted minority communities, while others argued the ban would open the floodgates to illicit menthol sales. “This rule has garnered historic attention and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said at the time. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time.” POPULAR ITALIAN CITY OFFICIALLY BANS CIGARETTE SMOKING OUTDOORS The state of Massachusetts banned menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco in 2020, with local police since uncovering illegal menthol cigarette sales in the state, including just this month when a man was busted with 700 packs of unstamped menthol cigarettes, as well as 38 bags of crack cocaine, the Boston Herald reported. “Mass. banned menthols and dangerous criminals stepped right in to create an illegal supply chain and make millions in the underground market,” Marianos’ Tobacco Law Enforcement Network posted to X this week about the bust. Former President Barack Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, which granted the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products. In the years since, the agency has worked to lower nicotine levels, including in July 2017 under the Trump administration, when then-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced it would seek to require tobacco companies to drastically cut nicotine in cigarettes in an effort to help adult smokers quit. BIDEN ADMIN ABRUPTLY DELAYS PLAN TO BAN MENTHOL CIGARETTES AMID WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION The FDA announced in 2022 plans for the proposed rule that would lower levels of nicotine so they are less addictive or non-addictive. “Lowering nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would decrease the likelihood that future generations of young people become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers to quit,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said at the time.
Delhi Assembly elections 2025: BJP releases star campaigner list, it includes…
Ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday released a list of star campaigners who will be participating in the poll campaign.
House GOP resolution would overturn Biden’s gas water heater ban
EXCLUSIVE: A new, GOP-introduced congressional resolution could block President Biden’s recent ban on natural gas water heaters, Fox News Digital has learned. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new rule banning non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters by 2029 in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Republicans in Congress, however, are seeking to intervene. On Wednesday, Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to overturn rules enacted by federal agencies, to circumvent the administration’s appliance crackdown, shared first with Fox News Digital. “It’s a radical ban on water heaters. Another example of government overreach under the Biden administration on their way out the door. They care nothing about consumers,” Palmer told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. NEW BIDEN WATER HEATER BAN WILL DRIVE UP ENERGY PRICES FOR POOR, SENIORS: EXPERT Proponents of Biden’s regulation, such as the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), suggest it will eliminate 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from water heaters sold over 30 years. But Palmer said it will have serious economic implications on working Americans, given the amount a household would have to pay out of pocket for a new water heater that complies with the rule. The Alabama congressman expressed confidence that the CRA is going to pass in the House, as several other Republican lawmakers have signed on as sponsors. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., one of the cosponsors of the CRA, told Fox that “Joe Biden’s last-ditch effort to ban gas water heaters in his final days in office is nothing short of another green energy scam.” “This latest assault on American consumers isn’t about saving the planet; it’s about control, higher costs, and forcing an unsustainable, radical agenda on every household,” Burlison said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “It’s time we stand up against this tyranny of regulations and protect the freedoms and choices of the American people.” NEW. NYC ‘CHAR BROIL’ RULE WOULD FORCE RESTAURANTS TO CUT EMISSIONS BY 75% Other Republican co-sponsors include Reps. Julia Letlow of Louisiana, Mike Collins of Georgia, Randy Weber of Texas, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Barry Moore of Alabama, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Claudia Tenney of New York, Russ Fulcher of Idaho, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, and Jim Baird of Indiana. The National Propane Gas Association also supports overturning the ban, telling Fox that it “threatens to eliminate the non-condensing instantaneous gas water heaters market.” “This rule would compel families to replace their existing equipment with unnecessary expensive retrofits, imposing an undue financial burden for a marginal level of energy savings and questionable economic benefits,” Steve Kaminski, President and CEO of the National Propane Gas Association told Fox News Digital. Biden has introduced regulations on several different household appliances during his term, such as washing machines, gas stoves, and ceiling fans. But the Republican-controlled congress is reportedly going to be “very aggressive in rolling back” some of the regulations that evolved from Biden’s climate agenda, Palmer said.