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Top DHS official calls citizenship test ‘too soft,’ urges major overhaul of naturalization process

Top DHS official calls citizenship test ‘too soft,’ urges major overhaul of naturalization process

EXCLUSIVE: New Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow is wasting no time shaking up the path to American citizenship. Just weeks into the job, he’s calling for a major overhaul of the U.S. naturalization test — blasting the current version as too soft and out of step with what Congress envisioned. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Edlow said the civics and English exam, which forms the backbone of the naturalization process, fails to reflect the knowledge and assimilation he believes should be required to become an American. “The test needs to reflect the letter and the spirit of what Congress intended,” Edlow said. “It’s important for people to understand English, our history, our government… and the way the test is written and executed right now doesn’t meet that bar.” DOJ DIRECTS US ATTORNEYS TO SEEK TO REVOKE CITIZENSHIP OF NATURALIZED AMERICANS OVER CRIME Under the current format, naturalization applicants must correctly answer six out of 10 civics questions randomly selected from a list of 100, covering topics like the Constitution, U.S. history, geography and civic responsibilities. They must also read one sentence aloud and write one simple sentence correctly in English. Edlow says that’s not enough. He wants the test to probe deeper — presenting a broader cross-section of U.S. principles — and for English skills to be evaluated throughout the entire naturalization interview, not just in isolated reading and writing exercises. “I want adjudicators to really be listening and talking throughout the interview,” he said. “Switch up some of the wording… and see if the individuals are still able to comprehend the questions. That’s a better gauge of readiness.” Edlow said the test must preserve the integrity of the process and reflect assimilation expectations. He also pointed to a recent executive order declaring English the national language, calling language fluency “an imperative part” of the American dream. The director also took aim at long-standing flaws in the H-1B visa system, which permits U.S. companies to hire high-skilled foreign workers in specialty fields. KEY IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL VOWS TO END ‘BACKDOOR HIRING PRACTICES’ IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES “Companies are going for the highest-skilled workers but paying them at the lowest wage level,” he said. “That’s undercutting U.S. graduates, especially in STEM fields.” He cited cases when third-party contracting firms helped employers lay off American workers — sometimes even requiring them to train their own foreign replacements — as evidence of a program being exploited to suppress wages. Vice President JD Vance has echoed a similar sentiment. In July, he called out Microsoft for laying off around 9,000 American workers while applying for 4,700 H1-B visas. “I don’t want companies to fire 9,000 American workers and then to go and say, ‘We can’t find workers here in America.’ That’s a bulls— story.” The visa program has emerged as a political flashpoint within the GOP, creating a rift between MAGA populists and pro-business conservatives.  Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he’d “go to war” in support of the H1-B visa program and branded its Republican opponents “hateful, unrepentant racists.”  To tighten oversight of the program, Edlow said USCIS will work with the Department of Labor to expand worksite enforcement and ensure that wages and job functions match what’s on paper. “We want to make sure those brought over are truly commensurate with the roles they’re filling — and not part of a cost-cutting scheme,” he added. On the issue of welfare-related immigration policy, Edlow said USCIS is preparing to revisit the public charge rule — a legal standard that bars green cards for applicants likely to become reliant on public assistance. The rule has existed in some form for over a century but was more strictly interpreted during the Trump administration to include certain non-cash benefits like Medicaid or housing aid. The Biden administration returned to guidance that did not take non-cash benefits into account.  Edlow said changes would take time.  “It’s something we’ve got to study and get right,” he said. “We need to look at the means-tested benefits being offered and ensure our adjudicators know what to look for to determine if someone would be a burden on U.S. taxpayers.” Beyond policy changes, Edlow flagged the growing USCIS case backlog as a top operational threat — one he says now carries national security implications. “Backlogs that continue to grow are nothing short of a national security threat to this country,” he said, blaming the Biden administration for shifting agency resources away from legal immigration priorities in response to record-breaking illegal border crossings. While he pledged to reduce adjudication times, Edlow warned that shortcuts won’t be part of the strategy. “There may be short-term pain,” he said. “But we will decrease the backlog at a steady clip while protecting the integrity and security of the system.”

Linda McMahon pulls back the curtain on Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education

Linda McMahon pulls back the curtain on Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education

Despite Democrats protesting President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said returning education to the states is a “nonpartisan issue.” “I’m not getting push back, because if it were just Democrat states or Republican states that were doing well or doing poorly, that would be one thing, but it’s many of the states on both sides of the aisle. That’s why this is really a nonpartisan issue,” McMahon explained in an exclusive interview at the National Governors Association (NGA) summer meeting. The Education Secretary participated in discussions with governors from both parties at the Colorado Springs, Colo., meeting, and her department announced the release of roughly $6.8 billion in previously frozen federal funds for K-12 programs ahead of her panel discussion with the outgoing NGA chair, Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo. “It’s just incredibly important that if we are going to return education to the states, we have to talk to the governors,” McMahon emphasized. “What’s meaningful to them? How can we work together? This is both sides of the aisle because, clearly, education is a nonpartisan issue.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES OVER $6B IN FROZEN EDUCATION FUNDS TO THE STATES Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling one of his key campaign promises during the 2024 presidential election.  McMahon explained that returning education to the states “just means giving them back the part that is now provided by the federal government, and they’re anxious for it.” EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON TOUTS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S $200M SETTLEMENT ‘TEMPLATE’ In a joint statement on behalf of the NGA, Polis and incoming NGA chair Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Ok., said they were “thankful these bipartisan discussions with Secretary McMahon and other key officials during the NGA Summer Meeting led to the distribution of these education funds,” adding that they are “proud our advocacy helped secure this vital support for states and districts.” The Education Secretary, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), explained to Fox News Digital that participating in events like NGA, having discussions with governors from both parties and visiting as many states as possible is critical to understanding America’s diverse educational landscape.  McMahon said she has already visited different types of schools, from charter schools to public schools, to learn the best practices across the country.  “Every state does have different needs,” McMahon said. “There’s no one size fits all, but what I hear with every governor and almost every educator coming in, is what we are stressing, which is literacy.” A Department of Education report released earlier this year revealed that American students’ reading skills have continued to decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, and their math skills have barely improved.  Despite the dismal report, McMahon said “the future for education is very bright” because the Trump administration has called attention to the “Nation’s Report Card,” which reveals “how the United States doesn’t compare all that favorably with the rest of the world.” “The president is very keen on making sure that those levels rise, so that the United States takes its rightful place as one of the leaders in education in the world,” McMahon explained.  And when asked how the Education Secretary would address teachers who are anxious about the dismantling the Department of Education, McMahon said she is focused on ensuring best practices are carried out nationwide, while empowering states to deliver for teachers’ individual needs.  “[Teachers] are working with their school boards, they’re working with their principals and superintendents and their governors to have the best policies in their states,” McMahon said. “This is a win for teachers because governors are already talking about that teachers should be paid fairly, that they should be allowed to innovate in the classroom, that they shouldn’t spend their time doing paperwork and regulatory compliance. They should be able to spend that time with the students.” “Let’s let teachers teach. This is all good,” McMahon explained. 

Trump takes jab at GOP senator, urging Republicans to ‘vote the exact opposite of’ how she does

Trump takes jab at GOP senator, urging Republicans to ‘vote the exact opposite of’ how she does

President Donald Trump targeted Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a Thursday night Truth Social post, urging Republicans to vote in the opposite of the way that she does. “Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong. Thank you for your attention to this matter and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president declared in the post. Fox News Digital reached out to Collins’ office early on Friday morning to request a comment from the senator. TWO REPUBLICANS VOTE AGAINST TRUMP’S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK OF FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDING Last month Collins voted against passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and against passage of a rescissions measure, both of which Trump ultimately signed. Earlier this year she voted against confirming Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense and against confirming Kash Patel to serve as FBI director. SENATE PASSES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA In February 2021, she voted to convict Trump after the House impeached him in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, but that Senate vote, which occurred after Trump had already departed from office, did not reach the threshold necessary for conviction. SUSAN COLLINS VOWS TO OPPOSE TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE Collins has served in the Senate since 1997.

Trump envoy to visit Gaza aid sites as Israel accused of starvation policy

Trump envoy to visit Gaza aid sites as Israel accused of starvation policy

US envoy Steve Witkoff to visit aid distribution sites in Gaza to assess ‘dire situation on the ground’: White House United States President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Gaza to inspect aid distribution as pressure mounts on Israel over its starvation policy in the war-torn Palestinian territory. Witkoff will travel to Gaza on Friday with US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to inspect aid distribution as condemnation of Israel grows over famine in Gaza and reports that more than 1,000 desperately hungry Palestinians have been killed since May at food distribution sites operated by the notorious US- and Israeli-backed GHF. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Witkoff would visit “distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground”. “The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region,” Leavitt said. The visit by the top US envoy comes a day after more than 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the territory and health officials reported the deaths of two more children from starvation, adding to the Gaza Health Ministry’s confirmed death toll of 154 people who have died from “famine and malnutrition” – including 89 children – in recent weeks. Witkoff met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after his arrival in the country on Thursday, the Israeli leader’s office said. Earlier this week, President Trump contradicted Netanyahu’s insistence that reports of hunger in Gaza were untrue, with the US leader saying the enclave was experiencing “real starvation”. Advertisement The United Nations and independent experts had warned for months that starvation was taking hold in Gaza due to the Israeli military blockade on humanitarian relief, and this week, they said that “famine is now unfolding”. Angered by Israel’s denial of aid and ongoing attacks on Gaza’s population, the United Kingdom, Canada and Portugal this week became the latest Western governments to announce plans to recognise a Palestinian state. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, following Spain, Norway and Ireland’s lead. Some 142 countries out of the 193 members of the UN currently recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state. Following a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said “the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination”. “Here, the Israeli government must act quickly, safely and effectively to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation from becoming a reality,” he said. “I have the impression that this has been understood today.” Once a vibrant centre of Palestinian life, much of Gaza has been pulverised by Israeli bombardments and more than 60,000 Palestinians killed, and almost 150,000 wounded, since October 2023, after the Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,139 people. Adblock test (Why?)

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,254

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,254

Here are the key events on day 1,254 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Here is how things stand on Friday, August 1: Fighting Russia launched waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv before dawn on Thursday, killing 16 people, including two children, and wounding more than 100 others, officials in the Ukrainian capital said. Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it targeted and hit Ukrainian military airfields and ammunition depots as well as businesses linked to what it called Kyiv’s military-industrial complex. Russia claimed to have taken full control of the shattered town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, an assertion which Kyiv dismissed as “propaganda”. Ukrainian drones, operated by the state security agency SBU, struck an electronics plant which produces combat control systems for the Russian military in the western Russian city of Penza. Military aid A powerful United States Senate committee has approved a military spending bill that includes about $1bn to support Ukraine, despite US President Donald Trump’s administration having asked Congress to eliminate such funding in its budget request. Ceasefire US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia after his current trip to Israel, President Trump said. Trump did not provide an itinerary for Witkoff, who has held extensive ceasefire talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past. Trump has sharply criticised Russia’s “disgusting” behaviour against Ukraine and said he plans to impose sanctions on Moscow if no agreement can be reached on a ceasefire. The US president has given Putin until August 8 to reach a deal to halt the fighting. The US reiterated its Ukraine war ceasefire deadline to the United Nations Security Council, with senior US diplomat John Kelley telling the 15-member council that “both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace”. Kelley said: “It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace”. Trump also told Dmitry Medvedev to “watch his words” after the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council said Washington’s threats of hitting Moscow and buyers of its oil with punitive tariffs were “a game of ultimatums” and a step closer towards a war between Russia and the US. In response, the former Russian president said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort. Advertisement Ukrainian affairs Ukraine’s parliament voted to restore the independence of two key anticorruption agencies, moving to defuse the country’s biggest political crisis since Russia’s invasion. Lawmakers voted 331 to 0 in favour of the bill, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted last week following pressure from thousands of protesters and top European officials to reverse course on the issue. Regional developments Chinese naval vessels have steamed into Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok in advance of joint drills scheduled from August 1-5. Adblock test (Why?)

Who’s included in Trump’s latest round of adjusted tariffs?

Who’s included in Trump’s latest round of adjusted tariffs?

US President Donald Trump set the following rates by region in his executive order on Thursday, titled “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates”: Africa Algeria 30% Angola 15% Botswana 15% Cameroon 15% Chad 15% Ivory Coast 15% Democratic Republic of the Congo 15% Equatorial Guinea 15% Ghana 15% Guyana 15% Lesotho 15% Libya 30% Madagascar 15% Malawi 15% Mauritius 15% Mozambique 15% Namibia 15% South Africa 30% Tunisia 25% Uganda 15% Zambia 15% Zimbabwe 15% Asia Pacific Bangladesh 20% Cambodia 19% Fiji 15% India 25% Indonesia 19% Japan 15% Laos 40% Malaysia 19% Myanmar (Burma) 40% Nauru 15% New Zealand 15% Pakistan 19% Papua New Guinea 15% Philippines 19% South Korea 15% Sri Lanka 20% Taiwan 20% Thailand 19% Vanuatu 15% Vietnam 20% Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina 30% European Union: 15% for most goods Iceland 15% Liechtenstein 15% Moldova 25% North Macedonia 15% Norway 15% Serbia 35% Switzerland 39% United Kingdom 10% Middle East and Central Asia Afghanistan 15% Brunei 25% Iraq 35% Israel 15% Jordan 15% Kazakhstan 25% Syria 41% Turkiye 15% North and South America  Bolivia 15% Brazil 10% Canada 35% Costa Rica 15% Ecuador 15% Falkland Islands 10% Nicaragua 18% Trinidad and Tobago 15% Venezuela 15% Adblock test (Why?)