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House GOP Majority Shrinks Further After Democratic Wins in Texas; Other Global Events Unfold
The Republican Party's already narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives was poised to shrink further after a Democrat won a special congressional election in Texas, while globally, Pakistan experienced deadly attacks and Slovakia's national security advisor resigned over links to Jeffrey Epstein.
In Texas, Democrat Christian Menefee, a former attorney for Houston's Harris County, won a special election in a left-leaning congressional district that had been vacant for nearly a year, according to the Associated Press. Menefee defeated fellow Democrat Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member, in Saturday's runoff to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner died last March. Menefee's victory reduced the Republican's House majority, which stood at 218-213 before the election.
Separately, in another Texas election, Taylor Rehmet, a Democrat, won a state legislative special election in a district around Fort Worth that President Trump carried by more than 17 percentage points just over a year ago, according to the New York Times. Rehmet, a local union leader and first-time candidate, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss by a margin of 57 to 43 percent in the historically conservative district. The contest to fill a State Senate seat had been closely followed by national leaders from both parties as a barometer of potential Republican struggles in this year's midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the White House defended President Donald Trump's plans for a massive triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., describing the monument as a central part of Trump's legacy and vision ahead of America's 250th anniversary. According to Fox News, the White House stated the project would become one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Critics, however, warned the structure could visually dominate nearby memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial.
Internationally, Pakistan's Balochistan province experienced a series of deadly gun and bomb attacks that killed 31 civilians and 17 security service personnel, according to the BBC. The region's Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated that security forces killed at least 145 attackers. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The escalation marked one of the deadliest days of violence in the province, where Pakistan's government has been battling an ethnic insurgency for decades. Pakistan accused India of supporting the BLA.
In Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico accepted the resignation of his national security advisor, Miroslav Lajčák, after documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice showed he exchanged messages about girls and diplomacy with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to the BBC. Fico described the adviser as "an incredible source of experience in diplomacy and foreign policy." While the files do not show any wrongdoing, Lajčák said he was stepping down to avoid political ramifications.
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