Fort Worth ISD at risk for state takeover after 2023 ratings released
A Fort Worth middle school has chronically underperformed for years, qualifying the entire district for state intervention. Failing grades for districts were made public for the first time since 2019.
Texas school districts got their first A-F grades in five years. See how your school did here.
The Texas Education Agency released the 2022-23 school year ratings on Thursday after a 19-month legal battle over how those ratings are calculated.
Texas may officially recognize Gulf of America change after Senate gives first OK
Senate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication.
Trump’s executive order on voting blocked by federal judge amid flurry of legal setbacks
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity, specifically provisions related to providing documentary proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down the order in response to lawsuits filed by three separate groups of plaintiffs over five different provisions in a March 25 Trump executive order relating to election integrity. While Kollar-Kotelly dismissed requests to block three of the provisions, requests to block two other provisions pertaining to a proof of citizenship requirement for voters were granted. The first blocked provision sought to compel the Election Assistance Commission to amend standardized national voter registration forms to require documentary proof of citizenship. The second sought to require federal agencies offering voter registration to people on public assistance to “assess” the individual’s citizenship status before doing so. CITIZENSHIP VOTER REGISTRATION BILL IS ‘COMMON SENSE,’ GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES “Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States – not the President – with the authority to regulate federal elections. Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton-appointee, wrote in her order. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.” Kollar-Kotelly said she would not block the other provisions that the groups sought to challenge, which cover mail-in ballots and data collection on citizenship status, calling the challenges “premature” and indicating they would be best challenged at the state level. Earlier this month, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote in federal elections. The measure still must pass the Senate, however, before the president can sign it into law. TOP OFFICIAL APPLAUDS RED STATE’S HISTORIC LEGISLATION REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO VOTE: ‘HUGE WINNERS’ Meanwhile, 25 states are considering some form of proof-of-citizenship legislation, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which is tracking such legislation. In total, 15 state constitutions have explicit prohibitions against non-citizen voting. In addition to Trump’s proof-of-citizenship orders getting shot down, two other federal judges from Maryland and New Hampshire also shot down additional orders from the president related to ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 public schools on Thursday. The rulings followed lawsuits filed by the National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. The groups argued that making federal funding contingent on whether educators squash their DEI programs violates First Amendment rights granted by the Constitution. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this article but did not receive a response in time for publication.
DOGE slashes ‘wasteful’ ‘problem-solving’ contract worth $50K in latest round of eliminations
Slash and burn. Contracts and grants worth hundreds of millions of dollars were terminated over several days, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Thursday, including one aimed at providing “problem-solving” services. Federal agencies have eliminated 269 “wasteful” contracts with a “ceiling value of $845M and savings of $255M,” according to a DOGE post on X. DAVID MARCUS: WHAT AMERICA OWES ELON MUSK AFTER DOGE DOGE eliminated $90 million in grants, including $995,000 for “a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) culinary program” and $625,000 for a “Russian-Far East biodiversity partnership.” One of the terminated contracts was a $50,000 Department of the Interior consulting contract to “provide facilitation and collaborative problem-solving services.” FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said some of the grants the Justice Department eliminated included $2 million for “national listening sessions of individuals with lived experience.” Another was a $625,000 grant for “a parallel convergent mixed-methods case study research design to assess the efficacy of police departments’ LGBTQ liaison services.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP DOGE, which is led by Elon Musk, has been aggressive in its mission to root out wasteful spending and to downsize the scope of the federal government.
Navy torpedoes Biden-era climate agenda to focus on lethality
The Navy will no longer pursue a zero-emissions goal instituted under the Biden administration, Secretary John Phelan announced on Wednesday. “We need to focus on having a lethal and ready naval force, unimpeded by ideologically motivated regulations,” Phelan said in a video announcing he would rescind the Navy Climate Action 2030 Plan. The plan had called for the Navy to use 100% emissions-free vehicles by 2035 and to use 100% carbon pollution-free electricity sources by 2030, with a 65% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. HEGSETH MAINTAINS WHITE HOUSE BACKING AMID ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ ALLEGING LIKELY OUSTER Naval installations all along the coast are threatened by rising sea levels and increased storms, Meredith Berger, the former assistant secretary for energy, installations and environment, argued at the time. “2030 is the marker that we laid down initially because the scientific community and others have said that this is the decade of decisive action, and so we’re taking that very seriously,” she told reporters. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth applauded Phelan’s move in a post on X: “Well done.” DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA Under Biden’s Navy secretary, Carlos del Toro, the service branch produced a 32-page document deeming climate change “one of the most destabilizing forces of our time.” It laid out a series of climate change-related threats to the Navy: destructive storms, black flag days at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit where strenuous training is curtailed, and strains on the energy grid as people compete for power. The document followed Biden’s own bold plan to make the U.S. economy net-zero-emissions by 2050. During the Obama administration, then-Navy Sec. Ray Mabus launched an effort dubbed the “Great Green Fleet,” aimed at renewable energy sources for warships. The effort was canned by the first Trump administration in 2017. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In February, Hegseth ordered Pentagon agencies to identify 8% of their budget that could be cut, “low-impact and low-priority” Biden-era programs, and the funding redirected to Trump priorities. Programs that could be on the chopping block include “so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs, as well as excessive bureaucracy,” according to Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses.
GOP DA trades barbs with Newsom after being blamed for bad ‘plea deal’ for illegal immigrant felon
Orange County, California, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said there was not a “plea deal” made in the case of an illegal immigrant convicted of manslaughter in the death of two teens after new scrutiny over the man’s early release from a California prison. “A convicted felon who was twice previously deported is being released after serving just a fraction of his sentence for killing two 19-year-olds because California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature refuse to hold criminals accountable,” the Republican said in a news release Wednesday. “This was not a plea deal. This was a defendant who pled to the court and was sentenced by a judge under California law, over the objection of Orange County prosecutors, who unsuccessfully argued for the maximum sentence. TWO FEDERAL JUDGES MAY HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT AS HE DEFIES COURTS IN IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN “California’s creative concoction of good time, education and other credits has resulted in criminals being released quicker than ever before, fulfilling Gov. Newsom’s plot to empty California’s prisons and put dangerous and violent felons back on the street,” Spitzer added. Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was driving drunk and high and speeding at nearly 100 mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car carrying 19-year-old Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin. Both were killed and burned alive. In the spring of 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The victims’ families were notified Easter Sunday that Ortega-Anguiano would be released early on July 19, over six years before his 10-year sentence is up. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF KILLING TEENS IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH TO BE RELEASED EARLY: ‘IT’S DISGUSTING’ However, after Fox News’ reporting, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it would comply with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and transfer him into federal custody. The Department of Justice announced it was filing federal charges against him, and border czar Tom Homan said his agency would do everything possible to keep him in custody. “After being deported in 2013, this individual unlawfully re-entered the US & committed heinous crimes. A GOP DA then gave him a plea deal instead of pursuing 2nd-degree murder. [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] will again coordinate with ICE — as they have w/ 10,000+ inmates — to transfer him before release,” the governor’s press account tweeted Wednesday afternoon. In response to Spitzer’s comment, the governor’s office told Fox News on background that district attorneys get a say in what charges are prosecuted in cases. The governor’s office said it was the Orange County District Attorney’s office that dropped great bodily injury enhancements and other charges. Still, it does not play a role in the fact that the individual was scheduled to be released several years sooner, which could have been a part of the state’s credit system to get out early. “For safety and security reasons, CDCR cannot provide information on an incarcerated person’s release date or location in advance of their release. Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the corrections department previously told Fox News. TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS FILE CHARGES AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER FOX NEWS EXPOSES EARLY RELEASE PLANS On Thursday morning, Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, told “America’s Newsroom” why the DOJ is pursuing federal prosecution. “This is what happens when you have an open border policy like we did in the prior administration. But those days are over. Under this administration, our borders are closed,” Essayli said. “I’ve made it a top priority in my office, and I know throughout the United States, to enforce our immigration laws. So this defendant, he’s not gonna get free. He’s not going to be deported. He’s coming to my jurisdiction, and we’re gonna prosecute him. And once he’s convicted, he’s gonna spend many years in federal prison, and then he’ll be deported again.”
SCOOP: Inside progressives’ plan to have ‘thousands’ protest vulnerable Republican’s town hall
EXCLUSIVE: Leaders of a progressive group in the New York City suburbs are looking to protest a front-line House Republican’s town hall on Sunday night – and Fox News Digital got an inside look at their plans. Footage from the Indivisible Rockland Organizing Committee’s monthly meeting on Wednesday shows one of the group’s leaders discussing “potentially [having] thousands of people out front” of the event in West Nyack being held by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., this weekend. “It is a long street, and we’re trying to fill the entire street, so everyone coming into the rally will see people there and recognize it’s not going to be all, like, sunshine and daisies,” organizer Pascale Jean-Gilles can be seen saying. Jean-Gilles is also a local elected official in Lawler’s district, serving on the Nyack Village Board of Trustees and as deputy mayor. SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES “We want to be able to push back on some of the rules that we feel like are really cutting and chilling our First Amendment rights, like saying that we can’t record it. It’s a public meeting,” Jean-Gilles said. The demonstration outside Lawler’s town hall will be a joint-organized effort as well, Jean-Gilles said, with “local unions” and other groups. And while she made clear that her group was only behind the demonstration outside Lawler’s rally, the local elected official appeared to endorse disruptions inside the event as well. She said the rally rules made it “very clear you cannot whoop or shout or yell,” but added, “There will be things we’re not gonna want to hear from him, and we should be able to make it known.” “I think that it looks poorly upon him if he’s kicking people out for just booing him, because that is, as people have seen through thousands of Supreme Court cases, that’s an acceptable form of dissent, and it’s covered under First Amendment rights,” Jean-Gilles said. “Now, if people are shouting slurs and hate speech, that’s where I absolutely draw the line . . . that only feeds into his argument that we’re all crazy leftists and liberals, as opposed to people who live in this community.” Jean-Gilles said she and other activists would also prepare suggested questions for town hall attendees. “We are prepared, and this will be something we may hand out on the day of – a couple of us have been working on just questions that we think that folks will either want to ask, or maybe want to add their own personal twist to,” the official said. “So we’ll have those prepared for people, that just in case their number gets called, if you didn’t already think of one yourself, have a question that you can be prepared to ask.” Indivisible is a national left-wing organization whose local offshoots have been targeting Republican town halls for much of this year, encouraging activists to disrupt the events from both inside and outside. An event listed by Indivisible on the organizing platform Mobilize is advertising a full-day event beginning in New York City and ending at Lawler’s town hall on Sunday. “Republicans are planning to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs to fund massive tax cuts for billionaires. Congress will be home for April Recess and must hear from us,” the event summary read. “Join other activists to inform constituents in NY17/Tarrytown of this outrageous bill, urge them to phone Rep. Lawler to oppose it as well as attending Rep. Lawler’s Town Hall on April 27. We’ll be taking Metro North to Tarrytown.” Democrats are poised to pour enormous time and resources into New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Lawler is widely seen as one of the most vulnerable House Republicans of the 2026 election cycle. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE When reached for comment on plans to disrupt the upcoming town hall, Lawler spokesman Ciro Riccardi told Fox News Digital, “It is deeply disappointing that far-left radical groups like Indivisible Rockland are planning to disrupt the upcoming town hall.” “These actions undermine our democratic process by stifling civil debate, harming the very constituents who attend to discuss critical voter issues. We remain committed to fostering open, respectful dialogue and will take precautions to ensure a safe environment for all attendees,” Riccardi said. Jean-Gilles referred Fox News Digital to the Indivisible Rockland Organizing Committee for comment. When reached, the group’s steering committee said it had received “hundreds” of messages from constituents who could not get into Lawler’s town hall. “In response, we decided to organize a peaceful demonstration outside the venue. This demonstration is meant to give voice to those who were excluded from the room but still want to be part of the democratic process. We want to make it clear that we are not organizing or endorsing any protest activity inside the town hall,” Indivisible Rockland said. “It is also important to recognize the truth of the matter: This so-called town hall offers very limited opportunities for real public engagement. That is not right, it is not fair, and, in fact, it goes against the spirit of the Constitution.” Regarding Jean-Gilles, specifically, the group noted she was hosting the event in a personal capacity unrelated to her government role. “Her comments during what was a private organizing meeting reflected the consensus of our group and not her official role or anything related to the governance of Nyack. She accurately underscored our values of free expression and clear boundaries against hate speech and harassment,” the group said. “We hope Congressman Lawler does more than just see this demonstration. We hope he listens. The people showing up are his constituents. They are families, workers, students and neighbors who care deeply about this community and are demanding to be heard. This demonstration is not just a sign of civic involvement, it is a message: We are watching, we are engaged, and we expect better from those in power.”
Yale drops alleged Hamas-tied student group’s status after ‘disturbing antisemitic conduct’
Yale University revoked the status of a registered pro-Palestinian student group this week, saying it “flagrantly violated the rules” and set up an unauthorized encampment to protest Israel and blocked Jewish students from crossing. Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) chapter at Yale, Yalies4Palestine, rallied others to join the blockage over social media, the university said in a statement. SJP, which described the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel as a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance,“ has come under scrutiny in the last year for its alleged ties to Hamas. The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released a report last year alleging that SJP receives funding linked to organizations accused of supporting Hamas. The report also claimed that SJP endorsed violence against Israelis and collaborated with terrorist groups. A federal lawsuit was also filed against SJP and its affiliate, the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), alleging they acted as collaborators and propagandists for Hamas. HAWLEY TAPS DOJ TO INVESTIGATE PRO-PALESTINIAN STUDENT GROUPS’ POTENTIAL TIES TO HAMAS Lawmakers have been skeptical of the group, too. In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed state universities to disband SJP chapters, alleging that the organization illegally supported Hamas. “Concerns have been raised about disturbing antisemitic conduct at the gathering,” Yale’s statement said. “The university is investigating those concerns, as harassment and discrimination are antithetical to learning and scholarship. Yale condemns antisemitism and will hold those who violate our policies accountable through our disciplinary processes.” The university added that it supports “free expression on campus” that complies with the school’s “time, place, and manner rules.” The student group posted videos of the demonstration on its Instagram account, and videos posted to X showed a group linking arms and blocking a Jewish student from passing through the area. Protesters were heard chanting, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO PULL $1 BILLION IN FUNDING FROM HARVARD AMID CLASH WITH UNIVERSITY: REPORT The disciplinary action comes nearly a year after anti-Israel protests erupted across Ivy League campuses, with Yale being one of the universities with major disruptions and arrests, including a massive graduation walkout. Yale University’s president during the 2024 pro-Palestine protests was Peter Salovey. Maurie McInnis succeeded him June 30. Yale maintains it took disciplinary action against the students appropriately this week and kept a “calm campus.” The removal of the student group’s official status comes a few months after President Donald Trump clamped down on antisemitism on college campuses. In January, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to report on actions taken to address antisemitism in public education and to analyze complaints related to campus antisemitism after the Oct. 7 attacks. But not all schools are falling in line with Trump’s order. Harvard University announced this week a lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing billions of dollars in research funding to the Ivy League school. The complaint argues the administration can’t make a “rational connection” between antisemitism on the campus and the federal funding it receives.
Trump admin blasts NY Times over ‘sob’ story on deported kidnapper
The Trump Department of Homeland Security slammed the New York Times for publishing “sob stories” about deported criminal illegal immigrants while ignoring their victims. The department criticized the outlet for publishing such an account about Nascimento Blair, a 44-year-old Jamaican national who was removed from the country by ICE on Feb. 27 after being convicted of kidnapping. On Thursday, The New York Times published an extensive story about Blair in which the outlet claimed that he was a “changed man” who “had been rebuilding his life and seeking redemption.” The Times reported that, in addition to kidnapping, Blair had been selling marijuana and had been accused of kidnapping, “pistol-whipping” and demanding money from a teenager who had stolen some of his supply. After being convicted of kidnapping, The Times said that Blair used his time in prison to get bachelor’s and master’s degrees and that after his release, he got involved with his community and volunteered. DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS WAS PULLED OVER DRIVING CAR BELONGING TO HUMAN SMUGGLER The outlet wrote that “to Mr. Blair and his supporters, his life story was one of rehabilitation, nuanced and filled with qualities that they believe Mr. Trump’s deportation machine disregards as it flies out immigrants en masse.” Slamming The Times’ coverage, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asked, “Why does the New York Times continue to peddle sob stories about criminal illegal aliens and ignore their victims?” According to a statement by ICE, Blair entered the U.S. in 2004 and then violated the terms of his admission. A year after his arrival, Blair was arrested by the Mount Vernon Police Department for first-degree kidnapping. He was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The agency said that an immigration judge ordered Blair removed from the U.S. on Aug. 4, 2008. However, Blair was allowed to stay in the country after the New York State Department of Corrections released him on parole on April 9, 2020. TRUMP ADMIN FILES FIRST RACKETEERING CHARGES AGAINST MASSIVE MIGRANT TERRORIST GROUP PRESENT IN US ICE’s New York City field office finally arrested him on Feb. 3, 2025. McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that it was “because of the previous administration’s open border policies, this criminal illegal alien was released onto the streets of New York.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE She said, “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, this kidnapper was arrested and is now out of our country.” “President Trump and Secretary Noem have made it clear that we are prioritizing arresting and deporting the worst of the worst,” said McLaughlin. PRESIDENT TRUMP BLASTS COURTS FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF DEPORTATION AGENDA “That includes convicted kidnappers,” she continued, adding, “We are restoring commonsense to our immigration system.” In response to the DHS criticism, a New York Times spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “Mr. Blair’s history is central to our reporting, and prominently described throughout the story.”