Teachers unions lose, parents win under major policy move says red state schools chief
FIRST ON FOX: The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is eliminating statewide standardized end-of-year testing for several subjects as part of an effort to give “local control back to school districts.” OSDE stated that the changes will take effect in the 2025-2026 school year and will impact math and English courses in grades three through eight. In place of the standardized tests, Oklahoma will allow districts to use approved benchmark assessments that are already in use to report on students’ academic achievement and growth. It said the change will reduce the overall testing burden on students and teachers as well as allow teachers to focus on classroom instruction rather than test preparation. OSDE noted that the benchmark assessments will continue to comply with federal and state protections for students with disabilities. OSDE is also “exploring” future options to eliminate standardized testing for science and history in the same grades. TRANS BATHROOM POLICIES HAVE 10 DAYS TO GO, TRUMP EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WARNS 5 VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS This follows President Donald Trump dramatically reducing the scope of the federal Department of Education as part of an effort to eventually eliminate it entirely. After railing against the Department of Education during the 2024 campaign for being filled with “radicals, zealots and Marxists,” Trump signed an executive order in March directing that the department be dismantled and its functions “returned to the States.” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said during a gathering of Republican and Democratic governors that returning education to the states “is really a nonpartisan issue” and “just means giving them back the part that is now provided by the federal government, and they’re anxious for it.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, OSDE explained its decision to eliminate standardized testing, calling it “a move to take power over performance from liberal teacher unions and undo a burden that has been placed on students and teachers.” TRUMP DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TO ABSORB SOME EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The department said it surveyed Oklahoma parents on the issue and found that 86% of the 15,349 respondents expressed that standardized testing was not necessary for evaluating student learning. “For far too long, the teachers unions have used standardized testing to keep states in line with their woke standards,” the department said. Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, a Republican, told Fox News Digital, “President Trump is returning power back to the states so we can return power back to hard-working Oklahoma families.” RED STATE WILL REQUIRE NEW TEACHERS PASS PRAGERU ‘AMERICA FIRST’ TEST TO KEEP LICENSE “The teachers-union-approach is failing our kids,” said Walters. “By moving away from outdated state tests and empowering local districts, we’re reducing the burden on students, parents, and teachers while ensuring high-quality education that is no longer driven by bureaucrats or outside groups.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Oklahoma Education Association, Professional Oklahoma Educators and the American Federation of Teachers – Oklahoma for comment.
California Democrat drops out of governor’s race to run for a different role
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who launched a gubernatorial bid more than two years ago, is dropping out and running for state treasurer instead. “At this moment, I believe I can make the greatest impact by focusing on California’s financial future,” the Democrat noted in a statement. Fox News Digital emailed Kounalakis’ campaign early on Friday morning to request comment from the lieutenant governor. GOP CONGRESSMAN VOWS ‘ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE’ TO STOP US-WIDE REDISTRICTING WAR Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced in a statement last week that she had “given serious thought to” seeking the governorship, but decided not to do so “in this election.” The 2026 gubernatorial contest is wide open since current Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is serving his second term, cannot run again due to the state’s two-term limit. FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WILL NOT RUN FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR “No Governor may serve more than 2 terms,” the state constitution stipulates. Newsom, who took office in 2019, survived a gubernatorial recall election in 2021, and then went on to win election to a second term in 2022. SCHWARZENEGGER PUSHING BACK AGAINST NEWSOM REDISTRICTING BID IN CALIFORNIA Democrats running to succeed Newsom include former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and others.
After being wrongfully deported, a South Texas man and his family navigate realities of shifting immigration policies
Jaime Galvan Sanchez has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He was deported in less than 24 hours without due process and allowed to return. But his family is still suffering from the aftermath.
Paxton, Burrows ask Illinois court to enforce Texas arrest warrants against Democrats who left the state
The attorney general is calling on the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says states should typically honor each other’s judicial proceedings.
President Trump increases federal law enforcement presence in DC following violent crime surge
President Donald Trump has directed federal law enforcement to increase its presence throughout Washington, D.C., following a concerning surge in violent crime, including an incident in which a former DOGE worker nicknamed “Big Balls” was brutally beaten in the streets this week. Trump signed an executive order in March establishing the “Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force.” Now the administration is taking a whole-of-government approach by deploying additional law enforcement to increase presence and improve overall public safety in the nation’s capital city, according to a source familiar with the plans. The operation, which will use both local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA and others, begins at midnight on Thursday and will initially last for seven days with the option to extend “as needed.” Law enforcement will focus on improving safety in high-traffic tourist areas and other known hotspots. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES LATEST CHAPTER OF WINS AT 200-DAY MARK In a statement to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced “there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.” beginning on Thursday night. “Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” Leavitt said. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.” She added, “President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.” The source familiar with the plans noted that stamping out the “out-of-control violent crime plaguing DC” has been an “ongoing priority” for the president and that the move is him delivering on his campaign promise to restore the capital city. TRUMP THREATENS TO FEDERALIZE DC AFTER EX-DOGE EMPLOYEE ‘BIG BALLS’ VIOLENTLY BEATEN Among the priorities laid out in Trump’s executive order, he directed the task force to deploy a more robust federal law enforcement presence and coordinate with local law enforcement in the District of Columbia, including the National Mall and Memorial Parks, museums, monuments, Lafayette Park, Union Station, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Suitland Parkway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The order also instructs the task force to review and, if needed, revise federal prosecutorial policies on pretrial detention of criminal defendants to ensure individuals who pose a threat to public safety are detained to the maximum extent permitted by law. Additionally, the order instructs the task force to direct maximum enforcement of federal immigration law, redirecting federal, state or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegals throughout the area. WATCH: TRUMP HINTS HE WILL FEDERALIZE DC SOON, BRING IN NATIONAL GUARD AFTER ‘BIG BALLS’ ATTACK The source said the additional law enforcement will be devoted to protecting D.C. residents and visitors from the “scourge of violent crime plaguing” the city. “President Trump promised to Make DC Safe Again on the campaign trail – this is another promise kept,” they said.
Nancy Pelosi says sex changes for trans kids is something she’s working for ‘at the national level’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that sex changes for transgender children is something she’s working for “at the national level.” Earlier in the day, Pelosi toured the San Francisco VA Medical Center to review health-system upgrades, research initiatives and—according to a press release from her staff—the threat that House Republicans might slash core veterans’ services. While speaking with reporters, she was asked how her office was responding to pauses to “gender-affirming care” in California. “That is something I’m working for at the national level, and we are hoping we can have gender-affirming care for our trans kids,” Pelosi said. “It’s a sad thing for us… I don’t know what effect we can have nationally with what we have going on in the White House and in Congress.” DEMOCRATIC STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER ENDING SEX CHANGE SURGERIES FOR MINORS She called the situation “really sad, adding that a transgender-pride flag—five horizontal stripes of light blue, pink and white—hangs outside her office. Pelosi also said several colleagues display the same flag. She acknowledged that many Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose medical transition for transgender youth. Still, she is not alone in her stance on sex changes for kids. CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL IN DC TO END GENDER TRANSITION MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS Earlier this month, over a dozen officials from Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from blocking access to sex change procedures and treatments for people under the age of 19. The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the Trump administration wants to impose a nationwide ban on sex change procedures by threatening providers with “baseless criminal charges” and investigations. The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department as defendants. It challenges Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order barring government support for sex change operations and treatments and two memos by Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. Pelosi’s office told Fox News Digital the Democrat was referring to this lawsuit when she spoke about supporting sex changes for children. TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TARGETS DOCTORS, CLINICS WHO PROVIDE SEX CHANGE PROCEDURES TO MINORS Bondi’s memo directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute those who offer sex-change treatments to minors. Shumate’s memo directs prosecutors to prioritize investigations against doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that perform such procedures. In July, Kaiser Permanente announced that it would pause sex change surgeries for patients under 19 beginning Aug. 29 in response to the Trump administration’s efforts on the matter. The same month, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shuttered its Center for Trans Youth Health and Development, one of the nation’s largest clinics for transgender young people. The Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., also announced that it will no longer provide gender transition-related medical interventions. Many states have laws restricting or banning sex change surgeries for children. The states named in the lawsuit – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. – allow such procedures. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Pentagon announces massive migrant detention facility at Fort Bliss in Texas with 5,000 beds
The Department of Defense plans to build the largest federal migrant detention facility in the U.S. to date, at Fort Bliss in Texas, which is expected to have up to 5,000 beds for illegal aliens. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson announced the project during a press briefing Thursday, stating that construction began in July. “Since then, work has begun for initial detainment capacity of 1,000 illegal aliens with initial operating capacity likely to be achieved by mid to late August,” Wilson said. “Once DOD achieves initial stand up, we will finish construction for up to 5,000 beds in the weeks and months ahead.” Wilson said the facility will become the largest of its kind in U.S. history, serving what she called “this critical mission: the deportation of illegal aliens.” TRUMP ADMIN OFFERS $608M FOR STATES TO BUILD MIGRANT CAMPS MODELED AFTER ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ The new facility is being established to support President Donald Trump’s executive order to protect Americans against an invasion. The announcement follows Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s recent statement that the state will build a facility dubbed the “Speedway Slammer” at the Miami Correctional Center, located between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Named in reference to Indiana’s racing heritage, including the Indianapolis 500, the “Speedway Slammer” will house up to 1,000 migrants once operational. SELF-DEPORT OR END UP IN ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,’ NOEM WARNS MIGRANTS DURING TRUMP VISIT “We are proud to work with President Trump and Secretary Noem as they remove the worst of the worst with this innovative partnership,” Braun said in a statement on Tuesday. “Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states.” Funding for the project comes from a reconciliation bill signed by Trump last month, which he referred to as the “one big, beautiful bill.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the legislation funds the 287(g) program, which facilitates cooperation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local authorities, as well as 80,000 ICE detention beds. The Trump administration has continued deportation operations while encouraging undocumented immigrants without additional criminal records to self-deport. TRUMP TO VISIT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ FOR GRAND OPENING OF SWAMPY EVERGLADES DETENTION CENTER FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS According to DHS, individuals who voluntarily leave the country are eligible for a $1,000 incentive and free travel, potentially allowing for legal reentry in the future. Another facility, informally known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” opened this summer under the supervision of federal officials and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. It serves as a staging center for deportations. Initially funded by the state, the facility will also receive support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It currently holds 2,000 people, with capacity expected to double. Deportation flights began late last month. The facility was converted from a decommissioned airport in the Everglades. A second center may follow, according to WJHL. State officials have faced criticism from immigration and environmental advocacy groups over the facility’s location and purpose. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.
Defense Secretary Hegseth considers reversing Army ban on aggressive ‘shark attack’ training
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering reversing a ban on the “shark attack,” the time-honored aggressive practice used by drill sergeants to train U.S. Army recruits in basic training. The practice was usually employed at the beginning of training by having several drill sergeants swarming trainees and yelling in their faces at the top of their lungs. “It starts at basic training. It starts at our military academies,” Hegseth said Thursday during an appearance on “The Will Cain Show.” “We are going back to basics. Drill sergeants will be drill sergeants with knife hands who ensure, who maintain good order and discipline and train up great recruits who will make great formations. Just like we need military officers with that same rigorous discipline and background. So, we’re going back to the basics, and it’s bearing fruit.” HEGSETH VOWS TO RESTORE WARRIOR MENTALITY AND RAISE STANDARDS IN SWEEPING MILITARY TRANSFORMATION The Army began phasing out the shark attack in recent years and largely ended it in 2020. It was replaced by the ‘First 100 Yards,’ a more structured training exercise designed to build camaraderie and encourage teamwork under stress. “‘The First 100 Yards’ is a U.S. Army trainee’s first exposure to their Basic Training (BCT), Drill Sergeants, and their first opportunity to begin their transformation as members of the world’s most potent and lethal fighting force,” the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training posted on Facebook. “‘The First 100 Yards,’ a homage to their lineage of closing the last 100 yards of the fight, incorporates teamwork into a competition that features mental and physical challenges on the day they arrive to their basic training company.” HEGSETH SPARS WITH SENATE DEMOCRATS OVER MARINE DEPLOYMENT TO LA ANTI-ICE RIOTS: ‘NOT ABOUT LETHALITY’ The act of replacing the shark attack grew out of deliberations at the Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Senior leaders believed the practice was outdated but stressed at the time that the Army was not going soft despite the absence of the in-your-face pile-on trainees were subjected to. Supporters of the shark attack said it helps trainees transition from civilian to military life and prepares them for the chaotic environment some will experience on the battlefield. “The secretary is very excited to be making basic training great,” Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson said Thursday. “Again, I can confirm that he’s going to be looking at basic training and making sure that the standards are where they should be. “We want our warfighters to be strong, and that starts in basic training, and we want to make sure we really, again, go back to basics. And shark attacks are going to be something that he is looking at reinstating.” One Army unit recently reversed a ban on “tossing bays,” another traditional practice in which drill sergeants overturn bunks and mattresses, wall lockers, garbage cans and other items in the bays where enlisted trainees sleep, forcing them to clean the area. A July 31 memo by Col. Christopher J.C. Hallows, commander of the 197th Infantry Brigade, which trains infantry soldiers, announced that bay tossing was “strictly prohibited.” “Drill sergeants will not ‘toss’ the bay to include flipping mattresses, knocking over wall lockers, touching and/or damaging Trainee personal items or equipment,” the memo states. “Drill sergeants will not use bay ‘tossing’ for any reason to include methods of corrective action.” On Sunday, Hallows issued another memo reversing the ban. On Thursday, Hegseth noted that bay tossing and the shark attack have been part of basic training for decades. “It’s the basic stuff that anyone who went through any form of basic training for decades understood as a recruit, you were going into a crucible,” he said. “You were going to be forged. You were gonna be challenged. You were to be scared, nervous and anxious. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “And by coming through that, you are gonna be forged an American warrior. A shark attack is when drill sergeants surround one particular enlistee, right?” he added. “Creating a stressful situation that they have to figure out how to manage. Bed tossing inside barracks after you’ve had a long day doing map out on the range or walk in patrol — this is basic stuff. This is not beyond what’s been done. This is a restoration.”
AG Bondi offers $50M for arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Justice Department and State Department announced the reward, up from $25 million. The United States has accused Maduro of aiding drug cartels and street gangs, as well as operating a corrupt and repressive regime. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TdA (Tren de Aragua), Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de Soles) to bring deadly violence to our country,” Bondi said in a video message. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.” US ACCUSES VENEZUELAN REGIME OF NARCO-TERRORISM OVER ALLIANCES WITH TREN DE ARAGUA, SINALOA CARTEL Cartel of the Suns is a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. In March 2020, Maduro was charged in a federal indictment with narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. To date, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, Bondi said. The drugs are a primary source of income for Mexican and Venezuelan-based cartels, she said. Bondi noted that cocaine is often laced with fentanyl, resulting in thousands of American lives lost. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has frequently criticized Maduro, whom he said is not the South American nation’s legitimate leader following a disputed 2024 election victory. “One year since dictator Nicolás Maduro defied the will of the Venezuelan people by baselessly declaring himself the winner, the United States remains firm in its unwavering support to Venezuela’s restoration of democratic order and justice,” Rubio said last month. “Maduro is not the President of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.” RUBIO RIPS VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘NARCO-TERRORIST’ LEADER THREATENING US ONE YEAR AFTER DISPUTED ELECTION “Maduro is the leader of the designated narco-terrorist organization Cartel de Los Soles, and he is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Rubio continued. “Maduro, currently indicted by our nation, has corrupted Venezuela’s institutions to assist the cartel’s criminal narco-trafficking scheme into the United States.” In January, the State Department announced a $25 million reward for Muduro’s arrest. The agency said Muduro has participated in a violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. In addition, Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated with drug traffickers in Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns. In addition to the charges against him, the Justice Department has seized more than $700 million of assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets and nine vehicles, Bondi said.
Biden camp skipped Super Bowl interview amid Robert Hur report concerns: source
Former President Joe Biden’s campaign team allegedly opted against a Super Bowl interview last year because of special counsel Robert Hur’s report, Fox News Digital has learned. A source familiar with Anita Dunn’s interview with the House Oversight Committee told Fox News Digital the report, in which Hur described Biden as “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” factored into Biden breaking with the decades-old tradition. But a source close to Dunn told Fox News Digital she said Biden’s team decided against doing a Super Bowl interview last year because it thought the main coverage would be about what he did with classified records and not about the president’s policy decisions. The source claimed the choice was made before Hur’s report was released. Dunn sat with House investigators for just over five hours Thursday as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., probes allegations that Biden’s inner circle worked to conceal evidence of mental decline in the former president. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP The source familiar with her interview said Dunn also told committee staff that Biden’s inner circle came to a consensus he should not take a cognitive test, concluding it would offer no political benefit. It comes two days after Fox News Digital was told that ex-deputy White House chief of staff Bruce Reed, who met with House investigators Tuesday, said Biden’s White House physician Kevin O’Connor called cognitive tests “meaningless.” The source close to Dunn said Thursday that Biden’s team believed he would be able to pass a cognitive test, even if they saw no political benefit in one. Dunn also told investigators she was not aware of Biden’s stutter, which he’s said he dealt with all his life, until media coverage of it in 2020, the first source said. LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION “She went on to blame the media for pushing the narrative that President Biden was old,” the source said. The practice of pre-Super Bowl interviews began with former President George W. Bush opting to sit for an interview before the big game in 2004 and has followed by both former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, though Trump also skipped out on a Super Bowl interview in 2019. Biden sat for Super Bowl interviews in 2021 and 2022, but did not in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, talks about a pre-Super Bowl interview fell through with Fox Corp. Hur’s report was released publicly Feb. 8, 2024. The Super Bowl was played Feb. 11 that year. Hur was appointed special counsel by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2023 to investigate whether Biden mishandled classified documents. Hur “uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice-presidency when he was a private citizen” but said it did not “establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” Given that Biden “would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” Hur said, “it would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.” RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE Dunn is the tenth ex-Biden administration official to appear before the House Oversight Committee. In addition to investigating the alleged cover-up, Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is looking into whether decisions were approved via autopen without the former president’s knowledge. Of particular interest to Comer is the myriad of clemency orders Biden signed in the latter half of his presidency, though the former president told The New York Times last month he was behind every decision. Dunn, like most who appeared before her, defended Biden’s mental acuity to committee investigators. “The president made it clear that decisions rested with him, and White House staff brought issues to him for him to decide,” Dunn said in her opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital. “I believed strongly then, and I believe just as strongly today, that Joe Biden was an effective president who accomplished many important things for the American people.” A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee criticized Dunn after the statement came out in the media, however. “It’s no surprise Anita Dunn is telling the American people not to believe their own eyes, claiming Joe Biden was sharp and ‘fully engaged.’ This opening statement, leaked to media before Ms. Dunn even delivered it, is yet another example of the absurd lengths Biden loyalists will go to defend his failed presidency,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital also reached out to a representative for Biden and to Dunn’s counsel for comment.