New Income Tax Bill likely to be introduced in parliament today; here’s what to expect
The Union Cabinet last week cleared the new Income Tax bill. Sitharaman had indicated earlier that the bill will be sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.
Man in US illegally wanted for allegedly groping 7-year-old Texas girl on her way home from school
A man with a lengthy criminal history who was previously on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold is on the run after being accused of groping a 7-year-old Texas girl as she walked home from school. Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, has been charged with felony attempted indecency with a child, the Houston Police Department said. He is accused of grabbing the girl Jan. 27 while she was on her way home from her elementary school, Fox Houston reported. The girl and her mother told the news outlet she was walking behind her older sister and a friend. They said the man ran up, groped her and ran away. The girl didn’t scream because she was in shock and told her older sister when they got home. TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED “A man came behind me, and he touched my private parts,” the girl told the station. “I hope he’s caught and put away much longer, so he can’t hurt other children,” her mother said. Morales has a lengthy criminal history. In 2017, he was charged with four counts of indecency with a child and evading arrest. At the time, police believed Morales, who they called Ayala, was linked to “at least 10 sexual assault incidents in the northeast Houston and Harris County areas.” Authorities were investigating a string of “sexual assaults of school-aged juvenile females, 7-15 years of age, as they traveled to and from school,” according to the news outlet. FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY “Ayala would come up behind the victims and inappropriately touch them through their clothing,” a police news release states. In one incident, Ayala attempted to abduct one of the victims, a 7 year-old female, as she walked home from school with her 9-year-old brother,” police said. “Reading that made me so scared, because that could have been [my child],” the victim’s mother said. When he was arrested in 2017, ICE filed a detainer request for Morales, a Honduran citizen, which was lifted when he was convicted. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice told FOX 26 Ayala was transferred to prison to serve concurrent seven-year sentences for indecency with a child by exposure, three counts of indecency with a child, evading arrest, detention with a vehicle and burglary. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In February 2024, he was released into ICE custody. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE.
PM Modi US visit: PM Modi arrives at Blair House, greets members of Indian diaspora
PM Modi shook hands with members of the Indian diaspora and waved at them as they were present outside the Blair House to welcome him.
Chicago mayor’s office gives inside look at ‘gift room’ after watchdog report flagged ethical concerns
The City of Chicago recently shared a video of its “gift room” after a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting valuable gifts. On Wednesday, the city also announced new protocols for receiving gifts, along with a log and video of items currently inside its “gift room.” The transparency attempt comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them. Alleged unreported gifts included jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags and size 14 men’s shoes, prompting ethical concerns. CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE ‘STUPIDITY’ OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON’S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING The new protocols, which went into effect on Tuesday, note that officials must report and properly log gifts within 10 days; store gifts in a designated area that can be viewed publicly via video recording quarterly; and donate excess gifts. The first video log was sent out on Wednesday and featured artwork, clothing, hats and shoes. The footage attempts to combat OIG claims that Johnson denied internal investigators access to the room where the items were stored during an unannounced inspection in November. TRUMP SUPPORTERS RIP CHICAGO MAYOR TO HIS FACE JUST DAYS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL REJECTS HIS TAX HIKE A written log contains 18 pages of items, along with their location and the organization that donated the gifts. “These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office. Johnson previously accused the inspector general of a “mischaracterization,” while insisting he never personally benefited from any gifts. The OIG report listed Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a 2023 U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade red purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from Feb. 2, 2022, through March 20, 2024. While spotted in the video log, dated Feb. 11, the online log does not account for the tote bag, purse or shoes, as of Wednesday. Other items like the cuff links and pen, while accounted for in the log, do not list the organization or person who donated the gift. Fox News’ Patrick McGovern, Greg Wehner and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant services
Three Republican judges heard oral arguments Wednesday after a lower court blocked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to depose the charity’s leader.
County judge approves election to decide whether SpaceX launch site will become a city
If a majority of the roughly 500 residents living around the South Texas site vote yes in May, Starbase will be the state’s newest city.
Trump blasts Department of Education as ‘con job,’ says he wants it closed ‘immediately’
President Donald Trump called the Department of Education a “con job,” after saying he saw a report that the nation ranks 40th around the world in education, but number one in cost per pupil. Trump spoke with reporters on Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office when he was asked how soon he wanted the Department of Education (DOE) to be closed. “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” he answered. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked number 1 in 1 department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked number 40.” Trump said the last time he looked at where the U.S. ranked in education, it was ranked 38th, but then he looked two days ago, and the country had fallen to number 40. DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’ He even noted that China had ranked in the top five. “As big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five, and that’s our…primary competitor,” Trump said. “So, if we’re ranked number 40, that means something’s really wrong.” The president has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the department led by Elon Musk, to find ways to slash wasteful spending, and the DOE made the chopping block this week. TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS In fact, DOGE announced on Monday that $881 million was being cut in connection with 89 DOE contracts. Of that $881 million, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.” “Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending. Last month, Trump signed two executive orders on education: one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice. TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES The teaching of CRT, and other controversial content in schools, has sparked backlash from parents at school board meetings across the nation over the past several years. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to cut federal funding for schools that promote CRT, transgender ideology and “any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.” Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting federal funding for schools as testing scores continue to drop, according to the Nation’s Report Card. Trump administration officials are also reportedly weighing a plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, according to a Wall Street Journal report published last week. Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Certain criminal suspects would be denied bail under changes OK’d by Texas Senate panel
The package of bills would tighten the state’s bail laws to keep more people in jail — including undocumented immigrants — while their criminal cases are pending.
Judge restores Trump administration’s buyout offer to federal workers
A federal judge restored President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program for federal workers in a decision Wednesday evening. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling. The deferred resignation program, also known as the administration’s “Fork in the Road” offer, involved asking government workers to either stay or leave after Trump mandated them to return to their offices shortly after his inauguration. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.
House GOP’s budget impasse thaws just as winter storm sacks Capitol
It is said that talk is cheap. And that’s why House Republicans have done so much of it as they attempted to forge an internal agreement on a budget plan to slash taxes and cut spending. It is now the middle of February. House Republicans struggled to finalize plans for what President Donald Trump terms a “big beautiful bill.” Especially when you consider all of the talking Republicans did – among themselves – since the start of the year. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SHARES WHAT’S NEXT FOR HOUSE DOGE PANEL, WHETHER ELON MUSK WOULD TESTIFY House Republicans cloistered themselves for not one but two daylong sessions on Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. That’s where House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., presented their ideas to slash spending and engineer a budget reconciliation package. Keep that term in mind. Budget reconciliation. More on that in a moment. Back on Capitol Hill, House Republicans convened multiple large and small meetings to lay out details on their package. That included a three-day session at President Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida. Republicans returned to Washington with claims of “unity.” But still no agreement. THE CONFIRMATION JUGGERNAUT: HOW TRUMP IS GETTING EVERYTHING HE WANTS IN BUILDING HIS CABINET Arrington hoped to prepare the budget plan in his committee last week. Such a meeting would produce a “budget reconciliation” package. Budget reconciliation is a process where the Senate can bypass a filibuster and approve a bill with a simple majority. But the package must be fiscal in nature, such as addressing spending cuts and taxes. Thus, this plan likely qualifies for reconciliation. Senate Republicans must lean on budget reconciliation because they only have 53 GOP members. Not 60, which are required to break a conventional filibuster. But reconciliation is part of the annual budget process. And the reconciliation option isn’t available unless a budget blueprint is in place. No budget? No reconciliation. House Republicans grappled last week to reach a deal. So the House GOP brass set off for the White House for a meeting with the president. “He’s going to have to make some decisions,” said one senior House Republican of President Trump, noting he’s the only one who could help the party coalesce around an idea. The session lasted for nearly five hours, although President Trump wasn’t in the session the entire time. Meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was supposed to meet at the Capitol with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Netanyahu was left cooling his heels on Capitol Hill as Republicans debated plans and scribbled figures on whiteboards. “[President Trump] set the tone for us to push through some things that we were stuck on,” said Arrington when he returned to the Capitol. “We made serious progress and have narrowed the gap to where we’re very close to getting ready to bring this to Budget Committee,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Johnson even predicted the plan may be ready later that evening. Hence, a group of Republicans retreated for another set of meetings until well after midnight. “I’d like to see their plan,” complained Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “They’re not going to force me into something.” HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS CLASH OVER MAMMOTH TRUMP BUDGET BILL SEEKING $1.5T IN CUTS By Friday morning, Johnson was again diminishing expectations. “It may not be today,” said Johnson. However, the speaker hinted that the details could be ready later that weekend. “We’ve got a few more people we’ve got to talk with and a couple more boxes to check,” said Johnson. “The expectation is it we’ll be marking up a budget next week, potentially as early as Tuesday.” But the weekend optimism died when the speaker appeared on “Fox News Sunday.” “We were going to do a Budget Committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter,” said Johnson on Sunday. “But we’re getting very, very close.” Johnson attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans later that day with President Trump. So could there have been a breakthrough amid the confetti, étouffée and Cooper DeJean madness of the Super Bowl? “Are we going to have this bill this week, yes or no?” yours truly asked the speaker as he entered the Capitol on Monday afternoon. Johnson deployed his favorite verbal placeholder. “Stay tuned,” said the speaker, who uses this line as frequently as a 1950s radio announcer. “You said last week we were going to have it,” I countered. “I know,” said Johnson. “I’ve got 220 people that have shared their opinions on this.” “Did you overpromise?” I followed up. “No. No,” responded Johnson. “The hard work of the negotiation has to be done on the front end so that we can deliver a product that we know everybody will support.” Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tired of the House GOP’s dithering last week, wrote his own budget package, which significantly differs from what the House intends to do. While the House blueprint will focus on taxes and government cuts, Graham’s measure would boost energy production and also call for spending money to tighten the border. The South Carolina Republican has long observed that people voted for border security in the election. He argues that provision should come first. SENATE DOGE CHAIR SAYS SHE SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ‘EVERY FEW DAYS’ AS TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES SPENDING Johnson said he talked with Graham at the Super Bowl and “he and I are on the same page.” When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether Graham’s gambit was “complicating this,” Johnson answered, “Not much.” But when yours truly asked if the Senate moving first would help “increase the sense of urgency” in the House, the speaker responded differently. “I wouldn’t say it’s helpful,” said Johnson. An hour later, reporters again peppered Johnson for timing details. “I’m not going to give a projected date yet because then you’ll tell