Democrats flip Texas state Senate seat in shock upset

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 5:04 am

Democrats scored a stunning upset on Saturday in a special election runoff for Texas Senate, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, giving the party a major boost ahead of the November midterms. Fort Worth Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a machinist and Air Force veteran, defeated Southlake Republican Leigh Wambsganss to fill the vacant state Senate...

Trump says Warsh should have 'no trouble' getting through confirmation process

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 4:19 am

President Trump said Saturday that he expects his pick for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, to easily make it through the Senate confirmation process. “He’s very high-quality person. He should have no trouble getting through,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, suggesting Warsh could pick up some Democratic support. “I think he might get Democrat...

Democrat Menefee wins Sylvester Turner's House seat, narrowing GOP majority

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 4:01 am

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee (D) has won the special election runoff for late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) seat, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection. Menefee defeated former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards (D) in the Saturday runoff, after they were the top two vote-getters in the November primary.  The Lone Star State’s 18th Congressional...

Trump says Democratic-led cities must ask and say 'please' before DHS will intervene in protests

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 2:31 am

President Trump said Saturday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not intervene in protests in Democratic-led cities unless local leaders “ask us for help,” while still pledging to guard federal buildings but “only as a back up.” “I have instructed Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, that under no circumstances are we going...

German soccer federation rules out World Cup boycott despite calls to oppose Trump

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 2:19 am

(The Associated Press) -- The German soccer federation has ruled out a boycott of the World Cup despite calls from within to send a message to President Trump. “We believe in the unifying power of sport and the global impact that a FIFA World Cup can have, the federation said in a statement issued late Friday. “Our...

State of Texas: Agreements between law enforcement agencies and ICE rise as new law takes effect

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 1:20 am

One year into the second term of President Donald Trump, his administration’s focus on undocumented immigrants has intensified, drawing outrage in recent weeks following shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Protests have broken out across the country, including in Texas, where local law enforcement agencies have hurried to sign up as force multipliers to help ICE achieve its stated mission “to make your community safer.” 

James accuses Trump of instilling ‘terror’ after Fulton County raid

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 12:19 am

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has accused the Trump administration of using an FBI raid at a Georgia election office to instill “terror” and undermine trust in the country’s democratic institutions. The search for records related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., this week has raised eyebrows, with local officials questioning...

Live results: Democrats vie for Sylvester Turner's House seat in Texas

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 12:00 am

Two Democrats are vying to fill the House seat left vacant by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee (D) and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards (D) are running in the special election runoff in the 18th Congressional District after neither secured a majority in November to win outright....

Live results: Texas state Senate runoff

By: The Hill

Published on: February 1, 2026, 12:00 am

Democrats are hoping for an upset in a special runoff election for a state Senate seat in Texas on Saturday. Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a local union leader, is facing off against Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist in the Fort Worth-area district. Though the district is reliably red, Rehmet did better than expected in the...

House Democrats tell GOP leadership they won't help pass funding package through fast-track process

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 11:34 pm

House Democrats have informed GOP leaders that they will not help pass a funding package through a fast-track process, a source familiar confirmed to The Hill — complicating Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) plan to swiftly pass the measure and reopen the government. The decision, first reported by Punchbowl News, comes a day after Johnson told...

Sunday shows preview: Pressure shifts to House to end partial shutdown; Minnesota tensions flare

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 11:08 pm

The federal government is under a partial shutdown after the Senate passed a five-bill funding package and a two-week stopgap measure, but the House will not vote on it until returns on Monday. Senate Democrats vowed to block what previously was a six-bill funding package that would channel money to several federal department, including the...

Minnesota standoff with Trump administration stokes fears of civil war 

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 10:00 pm

Minnesota’s standoff with the Trump administration amid its immigration crackdown in the state has made a political tinderbox of the Twin Cities, as devolving clashes between protesters and federal agents stoke fears of a bigger brewing conflict.   Local officials have deemed the surge of immigration enforcement officers a “federal invasion,” doubling down in the courts...

Trump on partial shutdown: 'Hopefully enough people will use their heads'

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 9:41 pm

President Trump said Saturday that he hopes “enough people will use their heads” to bring a swift end to the partial government shutdown that began this weekend. “I think it’s going fine,” Trump told Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich regarding government funding. “We had a big GDP…I lost a point and a half because of the...

Judge orders release of 5-year-old Minnesota boy, father detained by ICE

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 9:30 pm

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered the release of the 5-year-old boy and father who were transported to a detention center in the state amid the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota. In a Saturday opinion, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery admonished the administration’s removal of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian...

Texas A&M ends women's and gender studies degree program

By: The Hill

Published on: January 31, 2026, 8:31 pm

Texas A&M University said on Friday it will end the school’s women’s and gender studies degree program. The university wrote in the announcement that the interdisciplinary program was ended due to new school restrictions on curriculum topics and a lack of student interest. The school noted that the program’s students will be allowed to complete...