A Texas Democrat running for Senate is facing backlash over his comments about his former opponent.

Morgan Thompson, a political influencer who posts on TikTok under the username @morga_tt, claimed that state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, referred to former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, as a “mediocre Black man.” 

Thompson, who is Black, said the remark was made after a Jan. 12 town hall in Plano Texas. Talarico, who is now facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, allegedly told Thompson that he “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent Black woman.”

Talarico was reportedly referring to Allred as the “mediocre Black man” and Crockett as “a formidable, intelligent Black woman.” Allred had ended his campaign in early December as Crockett prepared to enter the race. She formally launched her bid for the Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, the same day Allred ended his campaign.

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James Talarico, who is facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate nomination, was slammed for allegedly calling former Rep. Colin Allred a “mediocre Black man.” (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, Talarico’s campaign pointed to a statement that was released after Thompson’s video went viral. In the statement, Talarico claimed that it was a “mischaracterization of a private conversation.”

“In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race,” Talarico’s statement read. “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others.”

Talarico asserted that Democrats are “all on the same team” and said he “deeply” respects Allred.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred reacts at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

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Allred, a former NFL linebacker, civil rights attorney and congressman, responded to Talarico in a video posted on X. He slammed Talarico for having “the temerity and the audacity” to make the remark to Thompson.

“First, let me give you some free advice James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it,” Allred said in the video. “Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man, okay?”

“We’re tired of folks using praise for Black women to mask criticism for Black men. That’s not good for our community,” Allred added.

State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat U.S. Senate candidate, left, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a U.S. Senate candidate, shake hands during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.  (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The former congressman suggested that there was “a bit of confession” in Talarico’s remarks, saying “Maybe you used the word ‘mediocre’ because there was something creeping into your mind about yourself because I know you’re not talking about somebody who’s been better at three things than you’ve ever been at one.”

At the end of his video, Allred encouraged people to vote for Crockett, and said that Talarico “should not be our nominee for United States Senate.”

Crockett and Talarico will face off in the state’s March 3 primary. The winner will then run against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office for comment.

Last Updated:February 03, 2026, 23:40 IST

WPL 2026: In the eliminator of Women’s Premier League 2026, Delhi Capitals defeated Gujarat Giants by 7 wickets and made their place in the final. Delhi will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. Delhi Capitals has reached the finals in the tournament for the fourth consecutive time. The journey to reach the final was not easy for Delhi, it had to face defeat in the initial match.

Delhi Capitals reached the final for the fourth time

The US Navy has shot down an Iranian drone approaching an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. According to Reuters report, an American official said that this drone was moving towards the American warship, which was seen as a threat. This incident came to light when talks on nuclear deal between America and Iran are about to begin in Türkiye this week.

According to the news agency, the name of this Iranian drone was Shaheed-139. It was targeted in the air by America’s F-35 fighter jet and shot down. However, there has been no reaction from Iran on the entire incident.

Earlier, Wall Street Journal had reported that Iranian armed boats had tried to stop an American oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the tanker had increased its speed. It was then provided security by American warships.

The US has increased military activity around Iran in the last month

Let us tell you, in the last one month America has increased military deployment around Iran. America has deployed dozens of aircraft here. About a dozen warships have been deployed.

Let us tell you, the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln along with three guided missile destroyers had entered the operation area of ​​the US Central Command on January 26. At present he is deployed in the Arabian Sea. America has deployed about 8 warships in these areas. These include destroyers deployed near the Strait of Hormuz. These activities have been recorded on the basis of American defense officials and satellite imagery.

Tension between America and Iran increased again due to Khamenei’s warning

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday (February 1, 2026) that if America attacks, this entire region could take the form of war. He termed the ongoing protests in Iran as a coup supported by America and Israel.

Khamenei said that the Iranian people are not afraid of any threat. He also added that Iran will not take the initiative to attack any country, but any attack will be given a strong response.

Chandrika Dixit, popularly known as ‘Vada Pav Girl’ on social media, is in the news these days about her personal life. Chandrika has made serious allegations of cheating on her husband Yugam Gera. In a video that surfaced recently, she is seen crying bitterly and shouting angrily over her husband’s alleged affair.

Chandrika Dixit has been a contestant in Bigg Boss

In the video, she also showed the chats on her mobile phone, in which it is being claimed that her husband was talking to another woman. As soon as the video went viral, there was a stir on social media. Chandrika Dixit has been an ex-contestant in Bigg Boss. He has 5.88 lakh followers on Instagram. His videos keep going viral on social media.

I also have proof – Chandrika Dixit

Chandrika Dixit says in the video that she had never imagined such a situation in her marriage. He says that the person whom he trusted hurt him the most. In the caption of the video, Chandrika wrote, I also have the evidence, which clearly indicates that she has enough evidence to prove her allegations.

What did Chandrika Dixit’s family say?

Seeing this emotional video, a large number of people have come out in support of Chandrika. After posting the video on social media, when ABP News tried to contact Chandrika Dixit and her family members, her family members refused to talk about the matter in any way. When the ABP News team tried to talk to Chandrika Dixit, the family members said that her health was not good and she was taking rest.

Last Updated:February 03, 2026, 23:19 IST

England Beat Sri Lanka in 3rd T20I: England cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 12 runs in a low scoring match and won the three-match series 3-0. Sam Curran demonstrated a strong performance in batting for England in this match. After this, Jacob Bethel gave his team a thrilling victory with excellent bowling.

England beat Sri Lanka by 12 runs in the third T20.

A very surprising news has come in Melbourne, Australia. The bronze statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi installed in Rovil area here was cut with a grinder and stolen. The statue was cut at the claw joint. The Indian Foreign Ministry has condemned this incident. Also appealed to the Australian authorities to recover the statue and arrest the accused.

According to Australia Today, a 426Kg bronze statue was stolen from the Australia Indian Community Center located in Rowville. The statue was cut from the base using an angle grinder. Only its claws were left. The statue was cut into pieces.

Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the incident

Here, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that we strongly condemn the damage and removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue by unknown people at the Australia India Community Center in Rowville, Melbourne.

He said that this matter has been taken up strictly with the Australian authorities. Also requested to hold the culprits accountable. Police said the statue was stolen by three unknown people from the charity’s location in Kingsley Close, Rowville, at 12.50am. Police have asked scrap dealers to keep an eye on people who try to sell bronze statues. They have been appealed to immediately report any suspicious activity.

Prime Minister Morrison inaugurated the statue in 2021

This statue was inaugurated by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the year 2021. It was a symbol of the strong relationship between the two countries. This statue was given as a gift by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The Australian government has condemned this incident. Till now no arrest has been made in this case.