How to know the difference between a local power outage and rolling blackouts
Power outages are a possibility during any severe weather event. But a local power outage is different from a larger power grid problem.
How Texans can prepare for this weekend’s winter weather
Freezing rain, sleet and snow are expected to hit a large portion of Texas beginning Friday.
Gov. Abbott endorses Nate Sheets over Sid Miller for agriculture commissioner
In a statement, Abbott said Texans deserve a commissioner focused on Texas agriculture and “with zero tolerance for criminality.”
Texas counties, auto industry push back on proposed ID restrictions on car registration tied to immigration
People testified during a Wednesday hearing said the DMV’s proposed changes would harm not just affected residents, but also Texas businesses and road safety.
An arctic storm is expected to blanket the state. Here’s what Texans can expect.
Texas is preparing for the coldest temperatures of the season, and forecasters are warning of possible power outages and icy roads in much of the state.
Barron Trump reportedly saved woman’s life after witnessing violent assault on FaceTime call
A woman who said she was violently attacked by her ex-boyfriend last year told a London court that her friend Barron Trump unexpectedly saved her life after she managed to call him during the assault, United Kingdom media outlet Metro reported Wednesday. After answering the FaceTime call and witnessing the alleged assault, the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump reportedly contacted emergency operators, prompting UK police to respond to the scene on Jan. 18, 2025, shortly after 2 a.m. local time. The woman, who cannot be named, reportedly claimed that her former Russian partner, 22-year-old Matvei Rumianstev, of east London, was jealous of her friendship with Trump. She added that she was raped on the day she called Trump and alleged that her ex-boyfriend, who first became violent six months into their relationship, had a history of assaulting her, including stranglings, Metro said, citing hearings at Snaresbrook Crown Court. BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION According to bodycam footage from the day of the alleged attack, Trump was heard over the phone telling officials, “I just saw a ceiling and could hear screaming. I could see a guy’s head on the phone, and then the camera turns to her crying and getting hit.” Trump, who reportedly attempted to call his friend for a casual conversation before finally receiving a callback, said the call lasted only 10 to 15 seconds, after which he contacted the authorities. According to the 999 emergency call played in court, Trump reportedly said, “I just got a call from a girl I know. She’s getting beaten up.” After giving them her address, he emphasized that, “It’s really an emergency, please. I got a call from her with a guy beating her up.” When police arrived, the woman identified their anonymous caller as Trump, explaining, “I am friends with Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s son.” An officer was later heard on bodycam footage telling a colleague, “So apparently, this informant from America is likely to be Donald Trump’s son,” he said. “This female is friends with Donald Trump’s son. She was on a Facetime with him when this assault happened, and he’s called us.” ‘CLASS ACT’: BARRON TRUMP SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE FOR SHAKING HANDS WITH BIDEN AT DAD’S INAUGURATION To confirm to the police, the woman called Trump again, asking, “Hello, Barron, did you call the police or anything?” “I had someone call the police,” Trump said. “I called you guys, that was the best thing I could do. I wasn’t going to call back and threaten things to him because that would just make the situation worse.” During her testimony, the woman said Trump “helped save my life. That call was like a sign from God at that moment.” BARRON TRUMP, CELEBRATING 19TH BIRTHDAY, PRAISED AS ‘SMART GUY’ BY HIS FATHER The trial between Trump’s friend and Rumianstev remains ongoing. While Rumianstev has denied the allegations, the woman said she has been repeatedly attacked and sexually abused, including being raped in November 2024 and on January 18. She also alleged that Rumianstev has been pressuring her to withdraw her complaints. The Russian defendant, of New Providence Wharf, east London, has denied assault, actual bodily harm, two counts of rape, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for more information.
Fed’s Cook doubles down on her role after SCOTUS wraps
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook doubled down on the legitimacy of her role on the nation’s central bank Wednesday, stressing what she said was the importance of keeping the bank insulated against political pressures — in direct response to President Donald Trump and his months-long effort to fire her. “Research and experience show that Federal Reserve independence is essential to fulfilling the congressional mandate of price stability and maximum employment,” Cook said Wednesday following nearly two hours of Supreme Court oral arguments, centered on Trump’s attempt to fire her — and more narrowly, whether Cook can remain in her post pending review of her case on its merits. “That is why Congress chose to insulate the Federal Reserve from political threats, while holding it accountable for delivering on that mandate,” Cook said in a statement. “For as long as I serve at the Federal Reserve, I will uphold the principle of political independence in service to the American people,” she added. SCOTUS SIGNALS SKEPTICISM IN ALLOWING TRUMP’S FED FIRING TO PROCEED Cook’s statement, released shortly after arguments concluded, capped a day in which justices weighed the unprecedented question of whether a president can fire a sitting Federal Reserve governor “for cause” and what process, if any, must accompany such a move. The case is the first attempt by a president to fire a sitting Fed governor in the 112-year history of the nation’s central bank. Justices on the high court did not seem inclined to side with Trump’s request to immediately remove Cook from her post as arguments wrapped. They cited concerns not only about a lack of process and the precedent that could be created by her firing, including the notion of at-will removal, but also on the importance of protecting the independence of the Fed. Justice Amy Coney Barrett cited issues with “public confidence,” should Trump be cleared to fire a sitting Fed governor without fully explaining or justifying the reasons. LAWYERS FOR COOK, DOJ TRADE BLOWS AT HIGH-STAKES CLASH OVER FED FIRING “We have amicus briefs from economists who tell us that, if [Cook]” is fired, then it “can trigger a recession,” Barrett said. “How should we think about the public interest in a case like this?” The Federal Reserve System was created by Congress in 1913 as a wholly independent entity, to insulate it from political influence, and from presidents “stacking the deck” with their own nominees. Justices pressed the Trump administration’s lawyer over what process it believes Cook should be provided to challenge her removal, and cited concerns about the downstream effects of allowing Cook to be fired. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, meanwhile, stressed the importance of balancing Cook’s conduct and the independence of the Fed. “It’s less important that the president have full faith in every single governor, and it’s more important that the markets and the public have faith in the independence of the Fed from the president and from Congress,” he said. SCOTUS POISED TO SIDE WITH TRUMP ON FTC FIRING — A SHOWDOWN THAT COULD TOPPLE 90-YEAR PRECEDENT Though Trump administration officials have framed the case as narrowly focused on Cook’s removal, the oral arguments were widely expected to be closely watched by major players in financial markets, as several justices noted. The short-term ripple effects could be felt sooner than later. The next Federal Open Market Committee meeting is slated for later this month, and Cook, barring any eleventh-hour intervention from the high court, will otherwise participate in the meeting as normal. The fight over Cook’s status is part of a bigger clash looming between Trump and the Fed. It comes as Trump has repeatedly assailed Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other members of the central bank, criticizing its reluctance to lower benchmark interest rates as aggressively as he would like, deepening the fast-growing fault lines that have routinely pitted Trump against Fed leaders. Powell said the agency was subpoenaed by the Justice Department last week over allegations that he lied to Congress about the costs of a massive renovation of its headquarters. Powell also attended Wednesday’s hearing in a show of support for Cook.
Mayor Frey shares highly produced video speaking on Latino radio station: ‘You’re brave and you’re tough’
In a highly produced social media video posted Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sat down with a local Latino radio station to blast ICE, promise sanctuary-style protections and portray himself as a defender of immigrant communities. “Let me tell you very clearly: I am proud to have you in our city, to call you my neighbor, to call you my family,” Frey told La Raza listeners in the video. “We don’t back down when it comes to helping our family. You all make our city a better place.” He added the Latino community “can feel safe calling 911, because the [Minneapolis Police Department] (MPD) does not do immigration enforcement work,” noting “their job is to keep people safe.” “You have an entire city that is standing strong with you, and we won’t back down,” Frey said. “You are part of the fabric of who we are, as Minneapolis.” NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY FOR IGNORING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS Frey then hugged a man sitting next to him at the table during the video, saying, “You’ve got a lot of people that care about you. You’re brave and you’re tough.” He also grabbed the man’s hand and put his arm around him during the videotaped discussion. Frey started the video speaking Spanish but then appeared to switch to using his phone to translate the conversation. DOJ LAUNCHES CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION AFTER MINNESOTA AGITATORS STORM CHURCH Along with the video, Frey wrote a message to Minneapolitans, accusing ICE of causing “real harm.” “Yesterday I sat down with La Raza… a trusted voice for our Latino community,” he wrote in the post. “We talked honestly about the real harm federal immigration agents are causing in our neighborhoods — spreading fear and hurting families. That’s not who we are, and I’ll keep standing with our community.” The video was posted less than a day after the mayor publicly responded to federal prosecutors launching a probe into his alleged impeding of law enforcement efforts in the state. “When the federal gov weaponizes its power to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned,” Frey wrote in an X post Tuesday. “We shouldn’t live in a country where federal law enforcement is used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with. “In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid,” Frey continued. “We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”
Trump unloads on Biden policies from Davos, warns Europe to drop the old playbook
President Donald Trump blasted his predecessor’s policies from the dais in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum in a warning to foreign leaders to buck old political playbooks and rally around the U.S., citing that “when America booms, the entire world booms.” “Under the Biden administration, America was plagued by the nightmare of stagflation, meaning low growth and high inflation. A recipe for misery, failure and decline,” Trump said Wednesday in his speech before the forum. “But now, after just one year of my policies, we are witnessing the exact opposite. Virtually no inflation and extraordinarily high economic growth. Growth like I believe you’ll see very shortly. Our country has never seen before. Perhaps no country has ever seen before.” Trump is in Switzerland Wednesday and Tuesday for the annual World Economic Forum, which attracts government leaders and business leaders from across the world to discuss the world’s economic outlook. Trump’s trip to Europe comes as he threatens to impose tariffs on a handful of European nations in an effort for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, heightening tensions at the forum. Trump mentioned former President Joe Biden by name at least a dozen times during his speech, highlighting how his administration overturned Biden’s left-wing policies as they relate to energy and the economy and immigration to strengthen the U.S. US TRADE REP SHRUGS OFF WORLD LEADERS’ SWIPES AT TRUMP AMID DAVOS BACKLASH “Since my inauguration, we’ve lifted more than 1.2 million people off of food stamps,” Trump continued. “And after four years, in which Biden secured less than $1 trillion of new investment in our country, think of that $1 trillion. Substantially less than that in four years. We’ve secured commitments for a record breaking $18 trillion. And we think when the final numbers come out, they’ll be closer to $20 trillion of investment.” He also revealed his “biggest surprise” since returning to the Oval Office a year ago as of Tuesday. AMERICAN FLAGS TORCHED, RIOT POLICE CLASH WITH PROTESTERS AHEAD OF TRUMP DAVOS ARRIVAL “The USA is the economic engine on the planet. And when America booms, the entire world booms. It’s been the history. When it goes bad, it goes bad. … You all follow us down and you follow us up. … I never thought we could do it this quickly. My biggest surprise is I thought it would take more than a year, maybe like a year and one month. But it’s happened very quickly,” he said. Trump joined the White House press briefing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, which marked his one year back in the Oval Office. Trump delivered a lengthy recap of his administration’s wins during the briefing, rehashing many of his points in Davos to the crowd of foreign leaders. NEWSOM WARNS ‘PATHETIC’ FOREIGN LEADERS TO GROW A BACKBONE IN BIZARRE TAKEDOWN LIKENING TRUMP TO A T.REX “It became conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration, and endless foreign imports,” Trump said. “The consensus was that so-called dirty jobs and heavy industries should be sent elsewhere, that affordable energy should be replaced by the Green New scam, and that countries could be propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from faraway lands.” “This was the path that Sleepy Joe Biden’s administration and many other Western governments very foolishly followed, turning their backs on everything that makes nations rich and powerful and strong,” he added. Trump also scolded European leaders for transforming the continent into one he no longer recognizes, calling on them to set itself on the “right direction.” “I don’t recognize it. And that’s not in a positive way. That’s in a very negative way. And I love Europe and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” he said. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office Wednesday morning for comment on the criticisms but did not immediately receive a reply.
‘Squad’ Dems join GOP to advance contempt resolutions against Clintons in Epstein probe
The House Oversight Committee voted to refer former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for chamber-wide votes on criminal contempt of Congress charges with the help of multiple Democrats, including two members of the far-left Squad, for defying subpoenas related to the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein probe. Lawmakers voted to advance a pair of contempt resolutions against the Clintons on Wednesday after they did not appear for scheduled depositions earlier this month. The committee voted 34-9 to advance one contempt recommendation against Bill Clinton, with two members voting present, and another on Hillary Clinton in a 28-15 vote, with one member voting present. Nine Democrats voted with Republicans to advance contempt recommendations against Bill Clinton and three Democrats joined Republicans in the vote against Hillary Clinton. The Democrats who voted to advance Bill Clinton’s resolution were: Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Summer Lee, D-Pa., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Emily Randall, D-Wash., Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. The Democrats who voted to advance Hillary Clinton’s resolution were Stansbury and “Squad” members Lee and Tlaib. “The committee does not take this action lightly. Subpoenas are not mere suggestions,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said of the Clintons’ no-show. “[Subpoenas] carry the force of law and require compliance. Former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton were legally required to appear for depositions before this committee.” HILLARY CLINTON EXPECTED TO DEFY EPSTEIN PROBE SUBPOENA, RISKING CRIMINAL CHARGES “They refused,” he added. If the House votes to refer the Clintons for contempt, it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) whether to prosecute. A contempt-of-Congress conviction can carry up to a $100,000 fine and a year behind bars. Republicans on the committee contend that by not appearing before lawmakers, the Clintons impeded congressional investigations into Epstein and his activities. Bill and Hillary Clinton originally received subpoenas to appear before lawmakers on Oct. 14 and Oct. 9, 2025, respectively, to answer questions on Epstein’s dealings, but even after working with the committee to reschedule, they did not appear for questioning. COMER RIPS ‘PAID DISRUPTOR’ AS BRIEFING ON CLINTON CONTEMPT PUSH DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS An attorney for the Clintons wrote to the committee, calling the subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable” and claiming they lacked a connection to a legislative purpose. Instead, the Clintons offered Comer the opportunity to travel to New York to conduct an interview by himself without an official transcript. Comer rejected the offer, calling it “insulting.” “The Clintons’ latest demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment,” Comer said in a statement. “The House Oversight Committee rejects the Clintons’ unreasonable demands and will move forward with contempt resolutions.” Epstein, a former financier, killed himself while incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking minors in 2019, cutting short a prosecution of his crimes. Epstein was known to have rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s most powerful and wealthy figures, including Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, now-President Donald Trump and the Clintons. Recent disclosures from the DOJ in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act revealed new images and details of Clinton’s relationship with Epstein. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUBPOENA LES WEXNER, 2 OTHERS IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION While none of them bear any proof of wrongdoing on their own, they have raised new questions among Republicans about what the former president may have known about Epstein’s crimes. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a member of the committee, said he believes the Oversight contempt effort will ensure future compliance. “In order for Congress to do investigations, Congress has got to be able to bring people in to ask them questions and get answers so that they can do the work to fulfill our oversight function,” Jordan told Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning. Democrats at the markup called Republican efforts a partisan attack meant to target the political adversaries of President Donald Trump. Rep. Emily Randall, D-Wash., said she would not defend the Clintons but framed the contempt recommendations as an extension of Trump’s political objectives. “I do not feel it is my responsibility to defend the former President of the United States as a member of Congress, in a separate and co-equal branch of government — just like it is not your responsibility, Mr. Chair, to carry out the political retribution of the current president,” Randall said. ‘THE VIEW’ HOSTS CALL ON CLINTONS TO COMPLY WITH SUBPOENA, TESTIFY ON EPSTEIN Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., said he feared the committee’s efforts would continue to weaponize Congress’ investigation powers. “I’m very troubled by this criminal contempt motion,” Min said. “I have deep concerns that this looks like a political witch hunt against Trump’s critics, that it will be referred to the Department of Justice.” The Clintons were two of 10 people subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee but are the only two facing contempt threats so far for not appearing. Despite his concerns, Min added that he also believed the Clintons should have complied with the congressional orders. “No one should be above the law, including presidents and former presidents, and congressional subpoenas are an important part of that rule of law. And I think the Clintons should be here. I think it’s very shameful that they’re not,” Min said. With the committee having voted to suggest House-wide contempt resolutions against the Clintons, the chamber will likely consider them sometime in February, according to statements Comer made to Fox News Digital last week.