Union Budget 2026: FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s maroon handwoven Kanjivaram saree draws attention, know its significance
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman donned a maroon handwoven Kanjivaram saree for her ninth consecutive Union Budget presentation, paying tribute to Tamil Nadu’s rich textile heritage.
Texas lawmakers: Cannabis is here to stay. And we will regulate the market in 2027.
Lawmakers and industry leaders gathered in Austin this week to discuss the future of the market. “We almost have to take it on,” a Republican state House member said.
Judge orders 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his dad released from detention in Texas
Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spiderman backpack being surrounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers, sparked even more outcry about President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown.
Cornyn continues to lead Texas Senate GOP field in fundraising, cash reserves as primary hits homestretch
Despite dominating the airwaves, Texas’ senior senator has been neck and neck with Attorney General Ken Paxton in public polling, both falling well short of the support needed to avoid a runoff.
Talarico began 2026 with bigger war chest than Crockett in Democratic Senate primary awash in cash
Crockett raised about $2 million between her Dec. 8 campaign launch and year’s end, about one-third of Talarico’s haul over the first three weeks of his Senate bid.
Texas’ long love affair with wrestling could be getting serious
The sport’s been in Texas for nearly a century, but has yet to achieve the recognition other industries have. Its recent successes in the state could change all that.
Houston Democrat Christian Menefee wins special election to complete Sylvester Turner’s term in Congress
The former Harris County attorney defeated Amanda Edwards in Texas’ 18th Congressional District. The two will face off again in the March 3 primary for a redrawn version of the district.
House GOP’s already fragile majority to further shrink after Democrats’ ballot box victory
Democrat Christian Menefee, a former attorney for Houston’s Harris County, has won a special congressional election in a left-leaning congressional district in Texas, which has been vacant for nearly a year. The Associated Press reports that Menefee defeated former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, a fellow Democrat, in Saturday’s runoff election to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner died last March. Menefee’s victory means the Republicans’ razor-thin House majority — they currently control the chamber 218-213 — will shrink by one seat when Menefee is sworn in to Congress. DEMOCRATIC TAKEOVER FEARS SOAR AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS CLING TO FRAGILE MAJORITY Sylvester, a former longtime state lawmaker, served two terms as Houston mayor before winning election to Congress in 2024, to fill the seat of the late longtime Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. While Texas has redrawn its congressional maps for the 2026 midterms, as part of the high-stakes redistricting battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats, the special election used the state’s current district lines. The addition of another lawmaker into the House Democrats’ ranks will give Republican leadership in the chamber further headaches. “They’d better be here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said of his members. “I told everybody, and not in jest, I said, no adventure sports, no risk-taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here.” DEMOCRATIC TAKEOVER FEARS SOAR AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS CLING TO FRAGILE MAJORITY And House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office confirmed it is advising members that “outside of life-and-death circumstances,” they expect Republican lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill. Three other special congressional elections are on tap this year. Eleven candidates are running in the Feb. 5 Democratic Party primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The seat was left vacant after now New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after winning November’s gubernatorial election in the Garden State. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off with Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the only Republican to file for the special election, which will be held on April 16. The suburban district in northern New Jersey leans to the left, with Sherrill winning re-election in 2024 by 15 points, the same margin she carried the district in November’s gubernatorial showdown. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE EXODUS THREATENS JOHNSON’S GRIP ON POWER AS OVER 40 MEMBERS HEAD FOR EXIT But then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by just eight points in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hopes of possibly flipping the seat. A whopping 22 candidates, including 17 Republicans, are running in a special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The MAGA firebrand and one-time top Trump House ally four weeks ago stepped down from Congress a year before her term ended. According to Georgia state law, all the candidates will run on the same ballot. If no contender tops 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two finishers will take place on April 7. The district in northwestern Georgia is solidly Republican, with Greene winning re-election in 2024 by nearly 30 points and Trump carrying the district by 37 points. Primary Day in California for the 2026 elections is scheduled for June 2, and this year it will also include a primary for the special election in the state’s 1st Congressional District, in the race to fill a seat left vacant following the recent unexpected death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa. The general election will be held on Aug. 4. The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican. Similar to Texas, California is also altering its congressional maps as part of the redistricting wars, but the special election will be held under the current district lines. The White House and congressional Republicans criticized the decision by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to not hold a special election to fill LaMalfa’s seat until August, six months after the late congressman’s death. But Democrats similarly complained about Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas not scheduling the special election to fill Turner’s seat until eight months after the late lawmaker died. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this story.
White House touts Trump’s ‘bold vision’ for towering Independence Arch for America 250
President Donald Trump is pushing plans for a massive triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., a project the White House says will become one of the most iconic landmarks in the world as critics warn the structure could visually dominate nearby memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial. The White House defended the proposal in a statement to Fox News Digital, describing the monument as a central part of Trump’s legacy and vision ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. “The Arch is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “President Trump’s bold vision will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and be felt by generations to come. His successes will continue to give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves.” The renewed attention follows reporting by The Washington Post, which said that Trump has expressed a preference for an Independence Arch that could rise as high as 250 feet, a scale that would dramatically alter the skyline near Arlington Memorial Bridge. PHOTOS: THE MAKING OF TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, A LOOK AT THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS For comparison, the White House stands roughly 70 feet, while the Lincoln Memorial rises to about 100 feet. A 250-foot structure would tower over both. Trump fueled fresh speculation earlier this month when he shared a series of renderings of a classical triumphal arch on his Truth Social account on Jan. 23. The images showed multiple design variations inspired by classical European-style arches like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, featuring massive columns, wide central openings and ornate detailing. The president has also displayed scale models of the proposed monument at White House events in recent months, showcasing his personal involvement in shaping the project’s design and placement. TRUMP ADMIN DEFENDS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM AS NATIONAL SECURITY MATTER Trump has publicly discussed the idea since late last year, when he said construction on an Arc de Triomphe-style monument commemorating America’s 250th anniversary could begin within two months. Trump said construction had not yet begun but suggested the project would move quickly. “It hasn’t started yet. It starts sometime in the next two months. It’ll be great. Everyone loves it,” Trump told Politico during a phone call from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “They love the ballroom too. But they love the Triumphal Arch,” he added. The monument would be funded privately, using leftover donations from the White House ballroom project, Fox News Digital previously reported. Key details surrounding the project have not yet been finalized. The White House has not released specifics on the monument’s cost, approval process, exact location or final height, and construction has not yet begun. Some architects and historians cited by The Washington Post have raised questions about placing a monument of that scale near Memorial Circle, saying it could affect historic sightlines, and the character of the area. Fox News Digital’s Alex Koch and Amanda Macias contributed to this reporting.
Criminal illegal immigrant allegedly rams ICE vehicle in Minnesota as attacks on agents surge
A criminal illegal immigrant was detained Saturday after allegedly ramming his car into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle in Minnesota, according to federal authorities. Tranquilino Sixto-Anorve, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was arrested after allegedly striking an ICE vehicle and a civilian car Saturday morning in St. Paul, officials said. According to ICE, Sixto-Anorve has multiple DUI convictions and was being targeted for arrest because his criminal history indicated he was a “public safety threat.” “This ramming highlights increased risks our brave men and women of ICE face amid hostile rhetoric and actions from anti-ICE agitators and politicians,” ICE said in a statement. CONVICTED PEDOPHILES, SEX PREDATORS ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA IMMIGRATION SWEEP WITHIN THE LAST 24 HOURS A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sixto-Anorve entered the country illegally at an unknown date and location. Sixto-Anorve is in ICE custody. The incident comes amid heightened concern over illegal immigration and reports of anti-ICE agitators attempting to violently disrupt federal law enforcement operations. VIRAL VIDEO SHOWS ICE AGENT TELLING AGITATORS THEY’RE DISRUPTING ARREST OF CHILD SEX OFFENDER IN MINNESOTA DHS said earlier this month that ICE officers are facing a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks. According to DHS, from Jan. 21, 2025, to Jan. 7, 2026, ICE officers experienced 66 “vehicular attacks,” compared to two during the same period the previous year. ICE also arrested an illegal immigrant in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month whom the agency said “weaponized” his vehicle by ramming two ICE vehicles and nearly running over an agent. ‘SCOURGE’ OF SEXUAL PREDATORS, VIOLENT CRIMINALS BEING REMOVED FROM MINNEAPOLIS STREETS DESPITE BACKLASH Cuban illegal immigrant Robyn Argote Brooks is accused of ramming two ICE vehicles in a San Antonio parking lot in an attempt to evade arrest during a targeted vehicle stop, according to DHS. Video of the incident shows Brooks driving a sedan that was boxed in by agents’ vehicles when he allegedly defied law enforcement commands and suddenly reversed, narrowly missing an agent and striking a federal SUV. After unsuccessfully accelerating into the larger vehicle, Brooks then sped forward into another ICE sedan positioned in front of him, continuing to accelerate as agents attempted to stop him. The confrontation ended when an agent broke through the driver-side window and pulled Brooks from the vehicle to place him under arrest. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.