Midwest
Nikki Haley participates in Fox News town hall amid polling surge with one week until Iowa caucuses
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the Fox News Town Hall with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley LIVE tonight at 6pm ET.
DES MOINES, IA. – With one week until Iowa’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, Nikki Haley is participate in a Fox News town hall as her numbers move in the right direction.
“Momentum is surging, Nikki’s message is resonating, and Americans are rallying behind our movement in droves,” the GOP White House candidate’s campaign wrote in an email to supporters on Monday.
And Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in former President Donald Trump’s administration, touted in a Fox News interview this past weekend that “we can feel the momentum on the ground. We can feel the excitement.”
Once a long-shot for the nomination, Haley has soared in recent months, thanks in part to her well-regarded performances in the first three Republican presidential primary debates.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS: THE PRESSURE’S ON FOR TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND HALEY TO PERFORM IN IOWA’S CAUCUSES
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks with a voter during a campaign visit in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. January 5, 2024. REUTERS/Rachel Mummey (REUTERS/Rachel Mummey)
Haley over the past month has caught up with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the latest Iowa polls and in national surveys, for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.
And Haley has surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and votes second – just eight days after Iowa. Helping to boost Haley in New Hampshire, where independent voters play a crucial role in the state’s storied primary, is popular Gov. Chris Sununu, who backed her last month.
CHRISTIE TURNS UP THE VOLUME ON HALEY AS SHE CLOSES THE GAP WITH TRUMP
But with her rise in the polls comes more scrutiny for Haley, and more incoming fire from her rivals, as she takes questions Monday evening at a Fox News town hall in Des Moines from hosts “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum. The hour-long town hall starts at 6pm ET and will be in front of a live audience.
Haley’s failure to mention slavery when answering a question late last month over the caucuses of the Civil War quickly went viral, and provided instant ammunition for her GOP presidential competitors. So did her comments this past weekend that you “change personalities” from Iowa to New Hampshire and last week that New Hampshire voters “correct” the results of the Iowa caucuses.
DeSantis, who is staking much of his campaign on a strong Iowa finish, charged Thursday in a local radio interview in the Hawkeye State that Haley was “incredibly disrespectful to Iowans to say somehow their votes need to be corrected.”
And another rival – former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is making his second White House run – accused Haley of acting “immature.”
Haley, during a CNN town hall last week in Iowa, said her comment was intended as a joke, noting “we’ve done 150 plus town halls. You got to have some fun, too.”
FIRST ON FOX: HALEY FUNDRAISING SOARS THE PAST THREE MONTHS
Christie and DeSantis have also taken aim at Haley for not being vocal enough in her criticism of Trump, and criticize her for not categorically saying she wouldn’t accept – if asked – to serve as the former president’s running-mate.
Meanwhile Trump, his campaign, and an aligned super PAC, have increasingly targeted Haley in recent weeks.
Longtime Iowa-based Republican consultant Jimmy Centers noted that Trump’s campaign and DeSantis – through his aligned super PAC – “have built organizational juggernauts.”
“Ambassador Haley has a message that is resonating, and she has built momentum. Now is the time for a campaign’s organization to shine,” Centers, who served as communications director for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and current Gov. Kim Reynolds, emphasized.
While Haley has been criss-crossing Iowa, holding town halls and reaching out to voters, Monday’s town hall with Fox News will give her access to a wider audience, both in the Hawkeye State and across the nation.
DeSantis joins Fox News Tuesday for a similar town hall, with Trump taking questions from Baier and Macullum on Wednesday.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Read the full article from Here
Indianapolis, IN
How to Watch 2026 Indianapolis SX, Talladega GNCC, and MXGP of Argentina Live on TV – Racer X
The ninth round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will take place on Saturday, March 7, as Lucas Oil Stadium hosts the Indianapolis Supercross. This will be the third round of the 250SX East Division championship and will be our second Triple Crown event of the ’26 season.
Check out how to watch the Indianapolis SX below, plus check out the full race day schedule, the entry lists, injury report, track maps, AMA national numbers refresher, live timing link, and anything and everything else you need to know for Indianapolis for Saturday.
What you need to know the most for the Indianapolis SX: the Triple Crown races begin just after 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.
On Saturday, qualifying can still be seen on Race Day Live beginning at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT on Peacock. The Race Day Live broadcast will end with the two last chance qualifier races to determine the gate picks for the main program/night show Triple Crown races.
The SMX Video pass broadcast—which is available only outside of the United States—will start at the same time. Once again, there are Spanish and French broadcasts as a part of the 2026 SMX Video Pass this year, just as they were last year.
Viewers can also listen to audio from the full night show broadcast each and every weekend of SMX in its entirety on SiriusXM Radio (with Indianapolis also starting at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific).
The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series is back in action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The Talladega GNCC will have both Saturday’s pro ATVs (2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST) and Sunday’s pro bikes (1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST) broadcasted live by the RacerTV crew.
And the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) kicks off this weekend with the MXGP of Argentina on Saturday (qualifying) and Sunday (points-paying motos). You can watch the action live on both days on MXGP-TV.com or catch the delayed broadcast of the second motos on CBS Sports (might want to DVR this with the late night time!).
Cleveland, OH
Woman, 28, arrested for murder after 2 young girls found in suitcases on Cleveland’s east side
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland police have charged a 28-year-old woman with aggravated murder and child endangering for the deaths of two young girls found buried in suitcases on the city’s east side.
Aliyah Henderson was arrested Wednesday evening at a home on E. 162nd after officers executed a search warrant. She was then booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail.
Cleveland police said a third child was found inside the home and appeared to be in good health. That child is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the two girls as 10-year-old Amor Wilson and 8-year-old Mila Chatman. The girls are also half-sisters.
The bodies of the two half-sisters were found in partially buried suitcases around 6 p.m. Monday near E. 162nd Street and Midland Avenue.
This is in the city’s South Collinwood neighborhood.
A man was walking his dog in the area, for the first time in a while, due to the snow, and the dog hit on the scent.
The man immediately called 911.
When officers and homicide detectives got to the field, they found the second body nearby.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said the victims had been there for some time.
“These were two young lives with their entire futures ahead of them,” said Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd. “Our detectives worked tirelessly and with great care to identify those responsible. Investigations of this nature require patience, precision, and discretion. Unlike what is often portrayed on television, every detail cannot be shared publicly. Certain information must remain confidential to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure justice for these victims. That careful and methodical work allowed our detectives to develop the evidence needed to make quick identification of a person of interest, ultimately resulting in an arrest.”
Henderson will be in the Cleveland Municipal Court on Friday at 8:30 a.m.
If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
Tips can remain anonymous.
A memorial where the two girls were found has continued to grow with teddy bears, flowers, balloons and more throughout the day.
Cleveland Missing’s resources can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Illinois
Mayors across Illinois push for local gas tax, other state laws
SPRINGFIELD (25News Now) – Illinois mayors are asking state lawmakers for more tools to manage local budgets, roads, and growth as part of their yearly pitch.
The Illinois Municipal League, a coalition of towns, cities and villages throughout the state, laid out their wish list for lawmakers in 2026. Their message: Give cities, villages, and towns more control over how money is raised and spent close to home.
One of their core demands is for the state for fully fund all revenue that is shared with municipalities. One example is the Local Government Distributive Fund.
According to the IML, the LGDF used to spread 10% of state income tax revenues across municipalities. In 2011, that percentage was changed to 6%. This year, Governor JB Pritzker proposed allocating 6.28% to 6.47% of tax revenue towards LGDF.
“Local governments are where residents feel impacts first, so shifting costs to the local level makes Illinois less affordable for residents,” said IML President and Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin.
“Reducing LGDF funding would leave us only two options: raise local taxes or cut critical services like public safety, infrastructure and transportation,” she continued.
City, town and village leaders with the IML are also pushing to amend laws around the Motor Fuel Tax.
“Under current law, only non home rule communities located in Cook County, or those with a population exceeding 100,000 are authorized to impose a local non home rule mobile fuel tax without a referendum”, said Mayor John Lewis and first Vice President of Illinois Municipal League.
New legislation aims to change that. The proposal would allow all Illinois municipalities to add their own local gas tax in one-cent increments, up to a maximum of three cents per gallon, on top of the state’s existing motor fuel tax of 48 cents per gallon.
Any revenue from a local gas tax would be dedicated to infrastructure projects. That includes repairing roads, replacing bridges, and funding other transportation improvements that residents use every day.
Supporters argue that a small local gas tax is a fair and transparent way to pay for the streets and bridges drivers rely on. Opponents focus on what it would mean at the pump. They warn that adding another layer of tax would drive gas prices even higher at a time when many families are already struggling with rising costs.
The motor fuel tax bill, HB 1283, was filed by Chicago Heights Democratic Representative Anthony DeLuca in January 2025. It was last sent to a House committee in March 2025.
Lawmakers will consider it during this year’s legislative session.
You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.
Copyright 2026 WEEK. All rights reserved.
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Wisconsin4 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland5 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Florida5 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Oregon7 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
