Heavy rains splash Delhi-Noida-Ghaziabad on Holi: Soaring daily temperature comes down
Delhi and adjoining areas of Noida and Ghaziabad received light showers of rain in Holi.
Dr Oz to face Senate grilling on Capitol Hill in bid to run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, will face questions in front of the Senate Committee on Finance Friday morning. Following the hearing, the committee will schedule a vote to send Oz’s nomination to the full Senate, where approval is likely, considering the Republican majority. If confirmed, Oz would be in charge of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending. Medicare, a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and up, currently provides coverage for about 65 million Americans, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicaid, which assists people with low incomes, covers roughly 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov. THREE THINGS DR. OZ CAN DO AS CMS ADMINISTRATOR TO HELP FIX AMERICAN HEALTH CARE A former heart surgeon who saw his fame rise through his appearances on daytime TV and 13 seasons of “The Dr Oz Show,” Oz later transitioned into politics, launching an unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. He ultimately lost to John Fetterman, then the state’s lieutenant governor. Oz graduated from Harvard and received medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Oz is expected to be grilled by Democrats during the hearing over his financial ties to a myriad of healthcare-related companies, several of which pose potential conflicts of interest for the potential CMS director. Oz has committed to divesting many of his financial interests that pose the most obvious risk of impropriety, such as his hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock in United Health Group, a major private health insurer. He also said that if he were confirmed, he would forfeit the nearly $25 million in stock options he obtained as an advisor to a company selling health and beauty supplements. CALIFORNIA EXPLOITING MEDICAID ‘LOOPHOLE’ TO PAY BILLIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ HEALTHCARE, STUDY SAYS As the administrator of CMS, Oz would make decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospital stays and medication within the federal healthcare programs, as well as the reimbursement rates at which healthcare providers get paid for their services. On Thursday, Trump’s pick to lead the NIH and FDA, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Marty Makary, respectively, were approved in committee and will now face impending votes by the full Senate.
Clinton-era law ‘weaponized’ by Biden against pro-lifers must go, Pence group urges House GOP
FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence’s nonprofit conservative coalition, Americans Advancing Freedom (AAF), is urging House Republicans to “end the weaponization” of a Clinton-era law that they say unfairly targets pro-life activists. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton in May 1994. The FACE Act made it a federal crime to use force, threats or obstruction to interfere with individuals seeking or providing abortion services, which includes blocking access to clinics, threatening or using violence against patients or clinic workers, and damaging abortion-related property. In one of his first actions since taking office, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen pro-life activists who were serving multiyear sentences for participating in 2020 pro-life demonstrations at abortion clinics. Three of those pardoned were elderly. The Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) had charged them with violating the FACE Act. Trump said during the pardons that the advocates “should not have been prosecuted.” CHIP ROY LEADS HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN EFFORT TO REPEAL LAW USED BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO PROSECUTE PRO-LIFERS “Congress must do its part to support President Trump’s effort to end the weaponization of government by repealing the FACE Act in its entirety,” reads the AAF memo, sent to Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday afternoon. “There’s no question that the Biden Administration weaponized the FACE Act against pro-life Americans.” “During the Biden Administration, pro-life Americans faced early morning SWAT team raids, unjust prison sentences, and alleged mistreatment while in custody,” the memo continues. Last month, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing, “Entering the Golden Age: Ending the Weaponization of the Justice Department,” where Peter Breen, the executive vice president and head of litigation at the Christian nonprofit law firm Thomas More Society, testified that one of his clients was subject to such SWAT raids and a lengthy prison sentence. BIDEN DOJ WEAPONIZED FACE ACT TO IMPRISON PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS, ATTORNEY TELLS HOUSE: ‘SYSTEMATIC CAMPAIGN’ “The Biden DOJ engaged in a systematic campaign to abuse the power of the federal government against pro-life advocates, while that same DOJ ignored hundreds of acts of vandalism and violence against pro-life churches, pregnancy help centers, and other advocates,” Breen said. PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST PROSECUTED BY BIDEN DOJ REACTS TO TRUMP PARDON: ‘I WANT TO GIVE HIM A HUG’ While the tide is turning in a different direction from the previous administration’s pro-abortion agenda, conservative lawmakers are now looking at the FACE Act as the next step in the pro-life movement. In January, Trump also revoked two previous executive orders from the Biden administration that expanded abortion services. The new order reaffirms the policy established by the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for elective abortions. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, re-introduced legislation in January around the same time to repeal the law. Roy’s office presented data indicating that 97% of FACE Act prosecutions between 1994 and 2024 targeted pro-life individuals. He is supported in this effort by 32 co-sponsors in the House, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced companion legislation in the Senate. In 2023, several media outlets reported that under the Biden administration, the DOJ initiated at least 15 criminal cases under the FACE Act involving approximately 46 pro-life defendants since January 2021, with victims in all but one case being abortion-rights supporters.
Dem leader swings through GOP-held districts after ‘clown show protests’ halted town halls
Former vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., is hosting town halls on Friday in Republican-held congressional districts in Iowa and Nebraska, following reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told Republicans in Congress to stop holding in-person town hall meetings. The Republicans in those districts told Fox News Digital that Walz has some questions to answer of his own. The Minnesota governor is holding a town hall in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday morning – Republican Rep. Don Bacon’s home congressional district. The event’s digital flier said they will discuss “Trump and Musk’s cuts to critical programs from Medicaid and SNAP to our national parks.” “Don Bacon is not holding an in-person town hall. Nebraska Democrats are stepping up and taking action,” the flier said. But Bacon fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital, urging Walz to answer for the inconsistencies in his record that plagued his 2024 campaign alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris. WALZ IS BACK IN MINNESOTA WITH $1M IN THE BANK AND ‘WANTS THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT’ “First, Nebraska Democrats brought in Bernie Sanders, the most liberal Senator, to the district. Now they’re bringing in the most liberal Governor in America. Perhaps at the townhall, Gov. Walz can finally clarify what Army rank he actually retired at and when the supposed combat deployment he used to talk about occurred. If he wants to call into our townhall, he can answer these questions,” Bacon added. AOC ‘GOING ON THE OFFENSE’ TO RALLY RED-DISTRICT VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP: REPORT On Friday afternoon, Walz is hosting a town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, where Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, has represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 2023. The Iowa Democratic Party’s fundraising flier for the event alleges “Zach Nunn has refused to host a public town hall since he was sworn into office in 2023.” Nunn took aim at the Democrats, in response to the town hall, for calling “a fundraiser a forum.” “The American people spoke loud and clear in November—they voted for change. I’m delivering to: secure the border, unleash US energy, and cut taxes for working Americans. If out-of-state Democrats want to call a fundraiser a ‘forum,’ they should join us at our listening sessions, where Iowans help drive real results. Next week, I begin my Air Force Reserve duty—I hope the Senate avoids a Schumer Shutdown, so our troops continue to get paid,” Nunn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Walz’s office did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on his upcoming town halls. The NRCC, the political campaign committee tasked with electing more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, advised against town halls following a series of disruptions by Democrats’ discontent with President Donald Trump’s second term. Walz announced on Wednesday if a Republican representative refused to meet with his constituents, then he would “lend a megaphone” to the red state constituents. “I’m hitting the road, traveling to red states across the country to lend a megaphone to the people. Your congressman may not want to listen, but they’re going to hear from us anyway,” Walz said in a post on Wednesday. The NRCC said the protests that shut down Republicans’ town hall meetings were “manufactured productions.” Fox News Digital reported last month about the coordinated effort by progressive groups protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY “The Democrat Party has sold themselves out to the far-left crazies and their mega-donors who are funding these clown show protests. This isn’t grassroots — it’s manufactured productions, orchestrated to distract voters from the Democrats’ failed and out of touch record. Sending out Tampon Tim won’t solve the Democrats’ ‘massive brand problem,’ despite what they may think,” Mike Marinella, NRCC National Press Secretary, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. MoveOn.org, which has accepted millions of dollars from billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Policy Center, announced in a press release last month that it was mobilizing resources as part of a “Congress Works for Us, Not Musk” initiative “aimed at pressuring lawmakers to fight back against the Trump-Musk agenda.” “MoveOn members and allies will show up at congressional-led town halls and congressional offices across the country, targeting House Republicans whose votes will be crucial in opposing Trump and Musk’s harmful policies,” MoveOn.org said in the press release. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., kicked off his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in Omaha last month. Sanders drew thousands of supporters to his stops in Michigan and Wisconsin this past weekend as the Vermont senator stands out as the leading progressive voice opposing Trump’s second term. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has reportedly started planning her own rallies in Republican-held congressional districts. Walz teased his red state tour in a post last week, promising to host events in Republican-held congressional districts “to help local Democrats beat ‘em.” “If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will. Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em,” Walz said in the post. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that town hall protests should be the “first clue” that Republicans “should drop their terrible agenda.” “Americans are organizing in public, and Republicans have seen these frustrations at town halls. That should be the first clue that they should drop their terrible agenda. When a lead Republican in the House tells Republicans, you better cancel your town halls, they’re running away from their policies and priorities,” Schumer said. NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., told reporters it was a “shame that the Democrats are threats to democracy by disrupting this dialogue” at town halls. Hudson also emphasized the expanded reach of tele-town halls, where representatives can meet with thousands of constituents at a time. DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING EARLY MOVES TO LINE UP
Will deteriorating land and order in Bihar become political issue in Assembly Elections 2025? ASI dies as mob attacks police station in Araria
Amid opposition’s charge of deteriorating law and order in Bihar, an angry mob ransacked a police station, vandalised it freed a wanted accused in the Araria district. It has come at a time when the political parties are gearing up for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, which will be held in Novembe
Texas lawmakers and charter leaders push back on the $870K paid to Valere schools’ superintendent
The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country.
All illegal migrants held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have been sent to Louisiana
All 40 illegal migrants held at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. naval base in Cuba have been sent back to the United States and are now being held in Louisiana, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News. The group includes 23 “high-threat illegal aliens” who were held at the detention facility on base and 17 migrants who were held at the migrant operations center on base. The illegal migrants were transported to Louisiana via Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aircraft and there are currently no migrants being held at the base and no flights scheduled to arrive with more migrants, the officials said. ‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS The U.S. defense officials were not told why the 40 migrants were sent back to the United States, and Homeland Security and ICE have not yet responded to any inquiries about why they were sent back and where in Louisiana they are being held. It is unclear if the U.S. will continue to hold migrants at the base, commonly known as “Gitmo.” None of the 195 tents that were set up to hold migrants have been used because they do not meet ICE standards, according to several U.S. defense officials, such as having air conditioning and other amenities. In late January, President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to prepare 30,000 beds at the base to house “criminal illegal aliens” who pose a threat to the American public, adding that putting them there would ensure they do not come back. The president said the move would bring the U.S. one step closer to “eradicating the scourge” of migrant crime in communities, once and for all. VANCE TAKES VICTORY LAP IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET But the operation to build more tents was halted back in February, just several weeks after it started. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the base in late February and met with troops serving there. The 45-square-mile base, located about 430 miles southeast of Miami, is best known for detaining terrorism suspects, including those behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It’s been leased from Cuba since 1903 and serves as a key operational and logistics hub for maritime security, humanitarian assistance and joint operations. News of the migrants being sent to Louisiana comes as President Donald Trump is reportedly expected to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in an effort to pave the way for faster mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Trump will use the law to target members of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, the New York Post reported, citing two sources close to the administration. Trump campaigned on invoking the wartime law, which allows the president to detain or deport the natives and citizens of an enemy nation. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Republican AGs praise teamwork with feds on crime ahead of meeting with Trump, Bondi
FIRST ON FOX – GOP state attorneys general previewed their upcoming meeting Friday at the Department of Justice, where President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will discuss collaborating with state top cops to combat crime. Fox News Digital is told much of the conversation is expected to focus on fighting the scourge of fentanyl in communities. Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday previewing his Justice Department speech. He nodded to problems faced in cities, such as subway violence. “We don’t want to have crime in the streets. We don’t want to have people pushed into subways and killed,” Trump said. “We want to have safety in our cities, as well as in our communities, and we’ll be talking about immigration. We’ll be talking about a lot of things. The complete gamut.” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares championed Bondi’s “proactive” approach, saying he had received more calls from the DOJ in Trump’s first 30 days in office than he did in his prior three years of service under the Biden administration. “They keep open lines of communication. Whereas, before, the only time I ever heard from Merrick Garland was if he was trying to sue Virginia for some reason,” Miyares told Fox News Digital. Miyares said he viewed the fentanyl epidemic as both a national security and domestic challenge, citing how an average of 105,000 Americans were dying every 12 months of addiction deaths at the peak of the crisis. By contrast, over 50,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War over the course of 15 years. “It was two Vietnam wars happening every 12 months in this country to absolutely devastating impact. Virginia was not lost on that,” Miyares said. FENTANYL’S FINANCIAL GRIP ON US SKYROCKETED TO $2.7T AT HEIGHT OF BIDEN ADMIN: STUDY Virginia has seen a 40% reduction in addiction deaths since 2021, one of the most significant drops in the country, Miyares said, arguing he and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s three-prong approach of prosecution, prevention and treatment can be applied nationally. He noted that Trump’s nominee to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, is currently serving as Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. “He’s going to be an exceptional, exceptional head of a DEA,” Miyares said. “He knows what we’ve done in Virginia because he’s been part of it. I look forward to seeing him bring that nationwide.” Miyares praised Trump’s Inauguration Day executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. As for the Biden administration, Miyares said he “never felt that they took it as seriously.” He said one federal agent told him the Biden administration discouraged posting about drug busts online, describing the attitude at the top of the bureaucracy as signaling,[ “We don’t want to admit we have a drug problem in this country.” “It was almost like an ostrich with its head in the sand. The other problem was the border. More fentanyl was crossing our southern border in one year to kill every man, woman and child in America three or four times over. It was staggering,” Miyares said. “The reality is the Sinaloa Cartel is the single most dangerous criminal enterprise, I would argue, in the history of the world, they have a reach that is staggering.” “It was President Trump who has declared the cartels a foreign terrorist organization. The Biden administration could have done so,” Miyares said. “These were criminal enterprises that, in my opinion, were conducting chemical warfare on everyday Americans to levels that we don’t see even lost in war or happening to our kids, our friends and our neighbors. They are terrorist organizations.” With Democrats having lost control of both houses of Congress, Democratic attorneys general have led their party’s charge against the Trump administration’s agenda on a number of issues, including immigration. Miyares urged fellow state top cops across the aisle to “lock arms and work together” when it comes to the fentanyl epidemic, because “it affects every American Republican or Democrat, red state or blue state.” “Make sure you do that partnership so we can save lives, because our real enemy is not the other political party,” he said. “Our real enemy are the cartels and these dealers poisoning our kids.” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday told Fox News Digital that keeping families together is a crucial component to public safety. He also said that Republicans must have a greater presence in inner cities long controlled by Democrats. “The only way that we can maximize outcomes to keep people safe in this country is when we all work together. And having a Justice Department that’s aligned with my philosophy of public safety, that without safe communities, nothing else matters, it puts us in a position where we can take that collaboration to the next level,” Sunday said. “Citizens have the absolute right to demand that their government works to keep them safe.” “As I go into this meeting tomorrow, I view this through a positive lens. This is an opportunity for us,” he told Fox News Digital. “This epidemic not only is killing people. It’s destroying our economy, and it’s tearing families apart. And that’s one of the absolute worst parts of this. You know that the family in America is one of the most crucial components to a thriving community and public safety.” “When you have addiction permeating our community, that tears families apart. And it’s something that I absolutely do not want to see,” Sunday said. “Local law enforcement cannot do the job by themselves.” SENATE DEMOCRATS SAY THEY’LL OPPOSE GOP FUNDING BILL AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMS He said from his experience as a local prosecutor that some of the “most painful meetings I’ve ever had are with parents who’ve lost their children to addiction.” “The thought of having to watch a child slip away into the web of addiction and become someone that’s not even, you know, the person that you knew. It’s so gut-wrenching,” he said. Sunday said part of
Feds are opening more detention centers in Texas as Trump administration steps up deportations
The feds are adding thousands of beds to hold families in Texas, which reportedly holds the most immigrants of any state at its 21 detention centers.
Texas lawmakers are pushing harsher criminal penalties while prison and jail populations soar
Proposed legislation includes increased penalties for retail theft, car burglaries and forgery, among others.