Parvesh Verma hits out at AAP over Kirari drainage, says projects to end waterlogging in a year
Delhi’s Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Verma lashed out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the issue of drainage system in Kirari Assembly constituency and promised that BJP would complete the project within a year.
IMD Weather Update: Delhi-NCR sees rain as temperatures fall, winter chill to intensify; AQI remains ‘very poor’
Light rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR as an active western disturbance triggered cloudy skies, thunderstorms, and gusty winds. An orange alert has been issued, temperatures are set to fall sharply, and air quality remains in the very poor category despite slight improvement.
Bomb threat to Schools in Noida, Ahmedabad; classes suspended, Bomb disposal team deployed
Bomb threat targets Shiv Nadar School in Noida, and several schools in Ahmedabad ahead of Republic day. The schools received via email.
Texas leads the nation in supplying new residents to other states
At the same time, Texas gained 2.1 million people.
Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, brother of Rep. Henry Cuellar, indicted on federal fraud charges
The five-term sheriff and brother of Congressman Henry Cuellar denied all wrongdoing through his lawyer.
Trump snubs Canada by withdrawing country’s invite to join ‘most prestigious Board of Leaders ever’
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Canada was no longer welcome to his newly established Board of Peace. In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump rescinded Canada’s invitation, informing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that his country could no longer join the “most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled.” “Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump wrote. Trump unveiled the board during a speech and signing ceremony Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with leaders from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia joining him on stage. TRUMP FLOATS ‘BOARD OF PEACE’ TO REPLACE UN, SIGNALS MAJOR GLOBAL POWER SHIFT The president’s rebuff came after he said Wednesday that the United States should control Greenland to build a large-scale “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which he said would also protect Canada, which he argued depends on U.S. security. “We’re building a Golden Dome that’s going to, just by its very nature, going to be defending Canada. Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also,” Trump said during the forum in Davos. “But they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful. They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he said, referring to remarks Carney made earlier this week. US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH While Carney did not mention Trump by name, he warned in his remarks that the rules-based international order is breaking down as “great powers” increasingly wield economic and security leverage to coerce allies. The prime minister argued that “middle powers” like Canada must heed the “wake-up call” that compliance does not guarantee safety, urging instead a strategy focused on diversification, collective action and respect for sovereignty. Trump said he will chair the new peace board, which will also feature senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and billionaire Marc Rowan. The president has invited Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece, Israel and China, to join the board. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Newly minted Virginia AG who fantasized about opponent’s family dying roasted over glaring typo
Newly sworn-in Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones drew swift online mockery Thursday after his office released a statement referring to him as “Attoney General,” an error that critics seized on as emblematic of his first major move in office. The error appeared in a graphic accompanying Jones’ announcement defending Virginia’s in-state tuition law for undocumented students. Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Jones’ predecessor, struck a lighter tone in a post that quickly gained traction online. “Go easy folks,” Miyares wrote on X with a screengrab of the faux-pas circled in red. “Perhaps someone on the staff was just saying ‘Hey, Tony’ in a Jersey accent?” JAY JONES OVERCOMES MOUNTING SCANDALS TO DEFEAT JASON MIYARES FOR VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL The Virginia GOP offered a sharper jab, saying it “took him a whole day to fix this,” suggesting the mistake lingered longer than it should have. The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) mocked both Jones’ error and the timing of the correction. “Jay Jones is struggling,” RNLA posted. “This time he moved so quickly to change the letterhead from his last embarrassment that he forgot how to spell his new title.” SPANBERGER TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP ADMIN, SAYS VIRGINIANS WORRIED ABOUT ‘RECKLESSNESS COMING OUT OF WASHINGTON’ National Review senior editor Jim Geraghty argued the typo barely registered compared to Jones’ broader record. “The thing is, misspelling ‘attorney’ probably isn’t even in the worst 200 things that Jay Jones has ever sent electronically,” Geraghty quipped. Other users leaned into sarcasm, including one account that joked Jones was “the Valedictorian of the Quality Learing Center.” A newly updated post now sits on Jones’ official government X page, the graphic’s typo scrubbed. Jones began his term under heightened scrutiny after facing backlash on the campaign trail over resurfaced text messages where he fantasized about the death of political opponent House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children. Despite the controversy, Jones was elected in what was considered a blue wave election last November alongside Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger. The misspelling appeared to overshadow Jones’ announcement that he was moving to defend Virginia’s in-state tuition law, framing the decision as resistance to the Trump administration. “On day one, I promised Virginians I would fight back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on our Commonwealth, our institutions of higher education, and most importantly – our students,” Jones said in the release. “Virginians deserve leaders who will put them first, and that’s exactly what my office will continue to do.” Critics argued the optics of the typo undercut Jones’ message, with the error quickly becoming an easy target amid a contentious fight over in-state tuition and immigration policy. When reached by Fox News Digital, Jones’ office did not acknowledge the typo. “In his first week in office, Attorney General Jay Jones has gotten to work protecting the Commonwealth from Donald Trump’s actions that would raise costs on Virginia families and defending Virginians’ rights from the Trump administration’s attacks,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. “He has acted quickly to block overreach and stand up for the people of Virginia. Attorney General Jones is already scoring wins on affordability and accountability while delivering real results for the Commonwealth.”
RNC eyes ‘America First’ midterm convention to boost Trump, GOP ahead of critical elections
FIRST ON FOX — The Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking a big step toward holding its first-ever midterm convention. The RNC on Thursday advanced a change to the party’s rules that would allow Chairman Joe Gruters “to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle,” according to a memo shared first with Fox News Digital. National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party’s presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years. But with Republicans aiming to protect their narrow control of the Senate and their razor-thin House majority in this year’s elections, President Donald Trump announced in September that the GOP would hold a convention ahead of the midterms “in order to show the great things we have done” since recapturing the White House. SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH The new memo highlights “the possibility of an America First midterm convention-style gathering aligned with President Trump’s vision for energizing the party this fall.” The party in power, in this case the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms. And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president’s record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms. The RNC’s rules are based on holding a convention every four years. The proposed rule change will allow the RNC to hold a midterm convention. If adopted, the rule states that the convention must be called at least 60 days in advance, and no business would be conducted during the gathering. RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES The proposed change was adopted Thursday evening by the RNC’s Rules Committee during the party’s winter meeting in Santa Barbara, California. It’s unclear if the full RNC membership will vote on the rule change when it gathers Friday at the confab’s general session. If the rule isn’t adopted by the full RNC, it’s expected to be approved at the party’s spring meeting. Gruters, in a statement to Fox News Digital, highlighted that the RNC’s winter meeting “shows how completely united Republicans are behind President Trump and our efforts to win the midterms. The RNC has been aggressively focused on expanding our war chest, turning out voters and protecting the ballot in this fall’s elections. We’re building the operation needed to protect our majorities and give President Trump a full four-year term with a Republican Congress.” Details on the date and location of the midterm convention will come at a later date and will likely be announced by the president. But a Republican source told Fox News Digital it’s probable the convention would be held at the same time as the RNC’s summer meeting, which typically occurs in August. The rival Democratic National Committee (DNC) may also hold a midterm convention. Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last summer that DNC chair Ken Martin and other party leaders were quietly pushing the idea of a convention ahead of the midterms. Democrats held a handful of midterm conventions in the 1970s and 1980s.
Inside ‘MELANIA’: The unprecedented access behind Melania Trump’s first film
EXCLUSIVE: From the music, to the cinematography, to the lighting, the marketing and beyond, first lady Melania Trump has planned “every element” of her upcoming first film, “MELANIA,” with her agent and exclusive senior advisor telling Fox News Digital that her involvement in bringing her vision to life has been “unparalleled.” “MELANIA,” a 104-minute film, is set to hit the big screen globally Jan. 30, appearing in theaters across North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and more. TRUMP, FIRST LADY SET FOR WASHINGTON TRUMP–KENNEDY CENTER PREMIERE OF ‘MELANIA’ AHEAD OF GLOBAL RELEASE But the night before, on Jan. 29, premiere events will be hosted across the nation, as Amazon brings the film to theaters. Fox News Digital has learned that President Donald Trump and the first lady will attend the premiere event at the newly renamed Trump–Kennedy Center in Washington Jan. 29. Premiere events also will be held in New York; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Chicago; Miami; San Diego; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Orange County, California; San Francisco/Palo Alto; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; Denver; Detroit; Kansas City, Missouri; Boston; Austin, Texas; Houston; Las Vegas; Dallas; and Los Angeles. Fox News Digital has learned that Amazon executives will attend premiere events for the film. Marc Beckman, the first lady’s agent and exclusive senior advisor — and her right-hand-man — told Fox News Digital that the first lady has been hands-on from day one. “The first lady’s involvement and her participation in this film is unparalleled,” Beckman said. “She is fully committed from ideation of the concept itself to the creative direction across all touchpoints.” “As everyone knows, the first lady is a very visual person — she is best in class when it comes to style and design,” Beckman said. “She had the idea of getting into the film industry for many, many years.” Beckman said that from the get-go, the first lady’s idea was “to create a very rich, cinematic experience unlike anything that has been created before. This is not a documentary. This is a film.” “It is to give her fans, and Americans, and people around the world the opportunity to look into the life of a first lady who has been very, very private,” he explained. The film will give the audience a look into the first lady’s business, her philanthropic efforts and her family life, “all as she prepares to be the first lady of the United States again.” “She brings the audience into certain moments — interacting with her husband; the U.S. Secret Service for security; geopolitical moments; moments with world leaders; and — of course, for those who want it — there is tons of fashion here.” Beckman added: “I call it a fashion explosion. Vogue can’t keep up with the first lady’s fashion. She is undeniably the most fashionable first lady in history.” “She brings the audience into incredible meetings that no one has ever seen before of a first lady and a president of the United States going into office — this is unprecedented access that all Americans, and people all over the world, would love to see.” Beckman said that the film, on one hand, is about Melania Trump. “But on the other hand, it is about what a first lady of the United States has to do to get her family ready, on the personal side, to retake the office, on a professional side,” he said. Beckman detailed the original negotiations he led with major companies like Amazon, who ultimately bought the rights, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, Netflix and Disney. EXCLUSIVE: FIRST LOOK AT ‘MELANIA’ FILM Fox News Digital has learned that Disney sought to obtain the exclusive rights to the film, as well as Netflix and Paramount. Amazon and MGM had the highest bid, purchasing the license for the film for $40 million — the largest documentary deal in history. Beckman stressed that he negotiated the deal on behalf of the first lady while dealing with “all the studios directly.” “Effectively, we created a bidding war,” he said. “I was able to have a very competitive bidding process between best-in-class companies.” Beckman said the decision to select Amazon was “not only for their financial offer, but because they had the most impressive team for what the first lady wanted to create — a quality film in theaters, and later, the docuseries.” “The docuseries will allow the first lady to unpack these stories in a much bigger, detailed way,” he said. As for the deal, Beckman said it was structured in a way that made “both sides very enthusiastic.” “Amazon has been incredible,” he said. “They have been so great and so committed to the first lady and the success of this film. We’re very grateful.” The film is directed by Brett Ratner, director of the “Rush Hour” film series, who worked hand-in-hand with Melania Trump to bring her vision to life. “Brett Ratner has been amazed — he says it is as if Mrs. Trump has been working in Hollywood for her whole life — she’s a natural,” Beckman explained. “She has been involved in setting the tone with regard to, not just the concept, but lighting and filming.” Post-production, the first lady was very hands-on alongside the director with editing, color-correcting and hand-selecting all the songs for the film. “Beyond that, the first lady is also involved in the developing of all of the marketing elements,” Beckman said, noting that she built the trailer with the director and the Amazon team, commercials, and the ad and print campaign as well. Meanwhile, the first lady’s team tapped famous fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth for the photography of the film. “This is something the fashion industry will not expect,” Beckman said. Ellen is at the top of her game — a modern legend. Unwerth works on some of the biggest fashion campaigns for Chanel, Dior and more. She has been featured in Vanity Fair and Vogue. “They worked together years ago on a campaign and, for obvious reasons, we
Trump calls for investigation into Ilhan Omar’s wealth, says it should start ‘NOW’
President Donald Trump on Thursday called for an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., alleging in a social media post that the lawmaker is worth “over $30 Million Dollars” and questioning how such wealth could have been accumulated while serving in public office. “Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is worth over $30 Million Dollars,” Trump wrote. “There is no way such wealth could have been accumulated, legally, while being paid the salary of a politician.” Trump said Omar “should be investigated for Financial and Political Crimes, and that investigation should start, NOW!” TRUMP RIPS ‘CROOKED’ ILHAN OMAR AS HOUSE RAMPS UP INVESTIGATION INTO EXPLODING NET WORTH The comments were posted to Truth Social Thursday, and the post quickly drew thousands of reactions on the platform. Omar, a Somalia-born Democrat who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, is the subject of a House Oversight Committee investigation into her and husband Tim Mynett’s finances, though no formal charges have been filed against her. ILHAN OMAR VOWS ‘NOT TO GIVE ICE A SINGLE CENT’ IN HEATED CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING FIGHT Her net worth allegedly skyrocketed nearly $30 million in just one year, according to financial disclosures released last week. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has previously said his panel is seeking answers on Omar and Mynett through congressional oversight. Omar is expected to attend an “ICE Out of Minnesota” protest Friday in Minneapolis. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this reporting.