Parents’ rights group releases scathing ‘Lookout’ warning targeting top 2 teachers unions: ‘Indoctrination’
FIRST ON FOX: A top parents’ rights organization is sending a “Lookout” warning to parents urging vigilance against two of the top teachers unions in the United States, making the case that they are “prioritizing radical agendas” at the “expense of educational outcomes.” The warning, sent by the American Parents Coalition, targets the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) and, in addition to concerns about student outcomes not being the priority, highlights a report that it says shows the unions “have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in woke organizations.” The APC warning hits the NEA and AFT for pushing a variety of far-left causes, including boycotts in support of DEI, legal and activist campaigns against the Trump administration, denouncing a Supreme Court ruling that “enabled parents to opt their children out of age inappropriate and one-sided LGBTQ+ content,” and climate activism. “Teachers’ unions were created to support educators and improve classroom instruction. Instead, they have transformed into radical political organizations that exploit their influence to push far-left ideology instead of prioritizing student academic success,” APC Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Fox News Digital in a statement. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST “Parents should be aware of the outsized influence these unions have on their child’s school, because these organizations may be pushing policies that undermine parental trust and do nothing to further a child’s education. Every year the teachers’ unions funnel millions of dollars into campaigns and activist causes that almost exclusively favor Democrats, while students continue to fall further and further behind on foundational subjects. Families expect schools to teach reading, writing, and math, not political slogans. It is time for teachers’ unions to prioritize academic teaching, restore transparency, and refocus on the purpose of education to prepare children for success, not indoctrination.” The warning also focused on the NEA 2025 Handbook, which the APC claims “exposed the organization’s radical beliefs” and “attacks homeschooling.” “The handbook touted the use of preferred names and pronouns as of the ‘utmost importance’ while blaming ‘white supremacy culture’ as the ‘primary root cause of institutional racism,’” the APC warning states. TEACHER UNION SENDS MAP ERASING ISRAEL TO ITS MILLIONS OF MEMBERS FOR ‘INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY’ Fox News Digital reached out to the NEA and AFT for comment. The warning also provided templates for parents to formally file complaints and call on their local school boards to take action prioritizing student performance. “Parents have the right to know what their children are taught, approve sensitive content, see who influences the classroom, and hold decision-makers accountable,” the report states. “It’s time to reclaim parental authority, and to demand teachers’ unions focus on academic success and not divisive ideologies.” Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that the NEA and AFT have poured tens of millions into far-left causes, including left-wing philanthropic behemoths like the Tides Network, New Venture Fund, Sixteen-Thirty Fund and Future Forward. The unions also forked over significant amounts of cash for groups that focus on supporting left-wing candidates for public office, such as the Democratic Governors Association, Democrat’s House Majority and Senate Majority PACs. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn E Jean Carroll case verdict
President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a jury’s civil lawsuit verdict that he sexually abused and later defamed former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll. Trump’s lawyers argued in a filing that allegations leading to the $5 million verdict were “propped up” by a “series of indefensible evidentiary rulings” that allowed Carroll’s lawyers to present “highly inflammatory propensity evidence” against him. “President Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident ever occurred,” Justin Smith, one of Trump’s lawyers, and his co-counsel wrote in the filing, according to The Associated Press. “No physical or DNA evidence corroborates Carroll’s story. There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation.” Carroll sued Trump twice after she released a book in 2019 that claimed Trump raped her during a brief encounter in a department store dressing room in New York City in the 1990s. Trump vigorously denied the claims, saying he had never met Carroll, that she was not his “type” and that she fabricated the incident to sell books. His vocal and repeated criticisms and denials led to Carroll’s defamation allegations. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS $83.3 MILLION E. JEAN CARROLL JUDGMENT AGAINST TRUMP Trump’s lawyers accused the trial judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, of warping federal evidence rules to bolster Carroll’s “implausible, unsubstantiated assertions.” They also said that by upholding the verdict, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was in conflict with other federal appeals courts on how such rules should be applied. In September, when Trump’s lawyers first indicated they would appeal to the Supreme Court, Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said, “We do not believe that President Trump will be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court,” the AP reported. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told the AP the Supreme Court appeal was part of the president’s crusade against “Liberal Lawfare.” “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes,” the statement said. TRUMP ARGUES SCHUMER ‘MADE A MISTAKE’ AMID DEMOCRAT LEADER’S PARTY INFIGHTING A three-judge appellate panel upheld the verdict in December 2024, rejecting Trump’s claims that Kaplan’s decisions spoiled the trial. Then in June, 2nd Circuit judges denied Trump’s petition for the full appellate court to take up the case. That left Trump with two options: accept the result and allow Carroll to collect the judgment, which he’d previously paid into escrow, or fight on in Supreme Court. Trump skipped the 2023 trial but testified briefly at a follow-up defamation trial last year that ended with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million. The 2nd Circuit upheld that verdict on Sept. 8, with a three-judge panel calling the jury’s damages awards “fair and reasonable.” Trump has since asked the full appellate court to hear arguments and reconsider the ruling. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Ashley Oliver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mamdani’s top incoming aide was ‘chief architect’ of radical proposal overhauling NYPD
Zohran Mamdani’s latest hire to his incoming staff includes the mayor-elect’s long-time chief advisor, who has been dubbed the “chief architect” of Mamdani’s campaign proposal to have social workers respond to certain non-violent 911 calls in New York City. The heavily criticized proposal was drummed up by the Ivy League-educated, California-native Elle Bisgaard-Church, a relative political newcomer affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Bisgaard-Church was tapped by Mamdani Monday to once again be his chief adviser while running the helm at New York City’s City Hall after serving in the same post during his campaign and during his state assembly days. Bisgaard-Church has been credited with being pivotal to getting Mamdani’s message to voters and campaign staff dub her the “chief architect” behind Mamdani’s Department of Community Safety proposal, according to CBS News. When developing the Department of Community Safety proposal, which aims to replace police officers with mental health professionals to deal with non-life-threatening emergencies with a focus on subway stations, Bisgaard-Church reportedly spoke to mental health experts, public safety officials from other cities and former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Department Rodney Harrison. The new department will cost approximately $1.1 billion, according to a campaign proposal on Mamadani’s website. TOP MAMDANI TRANSITION LEADER WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SOROS NETWORK DURING BIDEN ADMIN In addition to leading Mamdani’s much-maligned Department of Community Safety proposal, Bisgaard-Church was a key player setting up weekly standing meetings with the New York City DSA chapter throughout the campaign to incorporate leadership from the groups that helped Mamdani win. During a feature interview last month ahead of the looming mayoral election, the former student at private liberal arts Swarthmore College and the Ivy League’s Columbia University, compared her motivations to those of the DSA. “I still feel daily, deeply ashamed to live in a place where we allow people to sleep on concrete at night … and I fundamentally believe it doesn’t have to be that way. It represents (a) political choice,” Bisgaard-Church told New York’s City & State. “The place where I have seen that shared sense of rage at such a moral failure has been in a handful of movement organizations, including New York City DSA.” REPUBLICANS TARGET 2 KEY DEMOCRATIC RACES WITH MAMDANI CONNECTION STRATEGY It was apparently seeing five democratic-socialist candidates win their 2020 primaries in local races in Brooklyn and Queens that initially galvanized Bisgaard-Church to apply for a role on Mamdani’s team while he was a state representative, according to her City & State feature. It was a public affairs fellowship that initially brought her to the Big Apple, but Bisgaard-Church reportedly thought she would just end up working at some government agency after a couple stints at various nonprofits in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Bisgaard-Church, who does not keep an active social media presence and infrequently comments in the media, gained a reputation of being relatively “low-profile” and has been credited with playing a major role in securing the DSA’s endorsement of Mamdani’s electoral campaign. Her history with the DSA includes helping form their legislative analysis team and helping form a guiding document for the group in 2021 about how the group should interact with elected leaders, according to City & State. In comments following her appointment, Bisgaard-Church said it was “the honor of a lifetime” to lead Mamdani’s campaign, and is now ready to roll up her sleeves and deliver on Mamdani’s “affordability agenda” while “demonstrating what a well-run City Hall can do for everyday New Yorkers.” Mamdani’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Stefanik receives top Jewish award days after announcing New York governor bid at Manhattan gala
Rep. Elise Stefanik on Monday night accepted the World Jewish Congress’ highest honor, vowing to continue fighting antisemitism and defending what she called “the very Western values that have shaped America” just days after announcing her bid for New York governor. Speaking before 400 guests at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, Stefanik received the Theodor Herzl Award from Ronald Lauder, the businessman and former U.S. ambassador to Austria under President Ronald Reagan. Established in 2012, the award is considered the World Jewish Congress’ highest honor and recognizes individuals who embody Herzl’s vision for a secure and self-reliant Jewish people. “I want to thank my friend Ambassador Ronald Lauder for his steadfast leadership and his extraordinary commitment to the cause of Jewish unity and security,” Stefanik said. “Under his leadership, the World Jewish Congress has carried forward Theodor Herzl’s vision — not only of a Jewish homeland, but of a Jewish people strong, self-reliant, and respected among the nations.” “It is deeply humbling to receive the Theodor Herzl Award from the World Jewish Congress — an organization that, for generations, has stood as the diplomatic voice and moral conscience of the Jewish people across the globe,” she continued. “You have defended Jewish communities in every corner of the world, fought antisemitism in every form, and strengthened the unbreakable bonds between Israel and the global community of free nations.” KEY TRUMP ALLY JUMPS INTO NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S RACE DAYS AFTER SHOCKING MAMDANI MAYORAL VICTORY Stefanik described her fight against antisemitism in Congress and on college campuses, recalling her viral 2023 hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania. “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct?” she recalled asking what she said was a moral question, not a political one. “I expected them to say ‘yes.’ But one after another after another said, ‘it depends on the context.’ And the world heard. Let me be clear. It does NOT depend on the context.” She said that exchange “set off a global reckoning and delivered accountability in higher education that we are still just beginning.” STEFANIK DECRIES HOCHUL AS ‘WORST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA’ IN FIERY 2026 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH Turning to New York, Stefanik said the state “is not just a city and state in crisis — it is the epicenter of the battle for the very Western values that have shaped America.” “Eighty years after Kristallnacht, we must not stay silent. I will continue to call out Antisemitism. Bigotry. Jew-hatred. Anti-Americanism,” she said. “This moral fight is particularly important in New York — the beloved home to more Jews than anywhere outside of Israel — where antisemitic incidents hit an all-time high last year, the highest count in the nation.” “My friends, Theodor Herzl’s story is not ancient history,” she said. “That is the spirit I see in this room tonight — the spirit that built Israel, the spirit that has always animated the Jewish people, and the spirit that will save New York.” STEFANIK TO RELEASE NEW BOOK ON COLLEGE ANTISEMITISM AS SHE EYES BID FOR NY GOVERNOR The award comes a day after billionaire philanthropist Miriam Adelson voiced support for Rep. Elise Stefanik’s New York gubernatorial bid during the Zionist Organization of America’s Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner. Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Leadership, was honored with the Zionist Organization of America’s Mortimer Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award for her efforts to combat antisemitism. Introducing her at the gala, Adelson lauded Stefanik for confronting university leaders over antisemitism and invoked her late husband Sheldon Adelson’s insistence on moral conviction. Adelson described Stefanik as “a great leader,” crediting her for defending “the Jewish people, Israel and the Free World.” Stefanik launched her long-anticipated Republican campaign for New York governor on Friday, entering the 2026 race as she challenges Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for a comment. Stefanik, who once criticized President Donald Trump during his first presidential run, has since become one of his staunchest defenders in Congress. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Senate ends 41-day government shutdown stalemate, sends bipartisan deal to House
The shutdown stalemate that has dragged on in the Senate officially ended late Monday night, and it places Congress on a path to reopen the government later this week. Senators advanced a bipartisan funding package to end the government shutdown after a group of Senate Democrats broke from their colleagues and joined Republicans in their bid to reopen the government. Those same eight Senate Democratic caucus members stuck with Republicans and provided the crucial votes needed to send the package to the House. MIKE JOHNSON EYES WEDNESDAY VOTE WITH END OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN SIGHT The votes went deep into Monday night on the shutdown’s 41st day and resulted in an updated continuing resolution (CR) being combined with a trio of spending bills in a minibus package that is now headed to the House. Whether the Senate would get to this point was in the air for much of last week and even earlier in the day. On Monday, lawmakers were riding high after smashing through the package’s first procedural test, but concerns of objections and other procedural maneuvers threatened to derail the process. “I think everybody’s pretty united [behind] this bill,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said. “We want to reopen the government.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus demanded throughout the entirety of the shutdown that they would only vote to reopen the government if they received an ironclad deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies. But that deal, or at least the one that Democrats wanted, never materialized. Instead, eight Senate Democrats took the offer that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has made since the beginning: A guarantee to vote on legislation that would deal with the subsidies. SENATE HOPES TO BLOW THROUGH PROCEDURAL HURDLES IN BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Thune reiterated his promise and noted that a vote would come, “No later than the second week of December.” The subsidies are set to expire by the end of the year. “We have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way,” he said. “These senators are not interested in political games, they’re interested in finding real ways to address healthcare costs for American families. We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue.” Senate Democrats did not leave completely empty-handed, however. Included in the revamped CR, which would reopen the government until Jan. 30, was a reversal of the Trump administration’s firing of furloughed federal workers, a deal to ensure that furloughed workers would get back pay and future protections for federal workers during shutdowns. “This was the only deal on the table,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one of the eight that crossed the aisle to support the package, said. “It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the [Obamacare] tax credits that tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep costs down.” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., another of the eight Senate Democrats to break with Schumer, said that it was clear that Republicans weren’t going to budge on their position that healthcare would be dealt with after the government reopened. But it wasn’t the guarantee of a vote on the expiring subsidies that got him to splinter, it was promises that there would be protections for federal employees. SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT “If you wait another week, they’re going to get hurt more, another month or even more,” Kaine said. “So what got me over the line was the pledge that they were able to give the federal employees.” On the House side, it appears GOP leaders are eager to move quickly on ending the prolonged shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., earlier Monday told Fox News Digital that he would bring the House back into session “immediately” upon Senate passage of the legislation. He later told House Republicans on a lawmaker-only call that he anticipated a vote in their chamber midweek at the earliest, Fox News Digital was told. “We’re going to plan on voting, on being here, at least by Wednesday,” Johnson said. “It is possible that things could shift a little bit later in the week, but right now we think we’re on track for a vote on Wednesday. So we need you here.” Johnson signaled the House would not move to fast-track the legislation via suspension of the rules however, which would bypass procedural hurdles in exchange for raising the passage threshold to two-thirds of the chamber. It’s not a surprising move given House Democratic leaders’ opposition to the bill. He said, however, that the House Rules Committee should be ready to move by Tuesday at the earliest.
Conservative student exposes Midwestern college for preventing Turning Point USA chapter
A conservative student from Beloit College in Wisconsin says her school is blocking students from establishing a new Turning Point USA (TPUSA) club on campus and has failed to adequately protect its members from harassment and threats they have faced for trying to do so. On Oct. 1, Jocelyn Jordan and some of her classmates began applying to start a new Turning Point USA chapter at Beloit College, requiring them to find a faculty advisor, among a list of other requirements needed to start a club on campus. Every faculty member the students have asked thus far, including the dean of students, refused to help them, according to Jordan, who said she was advised to establish a group that does not have the Turning Point name attached to it. Jordan also claimed a member of the student government said that even if they were to find a faculty advisor, they still would not be able to establish a Turning Point chapter on campus. Meanwhile, Jordan and her classmates began promoting their club on social media around mid-October, leading to a harassment campaign targeting the students for their efforts to create a chapter of the Republican group, first founded by assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, on their campus. The harassment initially included disturbing imagery posted on the group’s new Instagram page, referring to Jordan and her co-founders as Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and White supremacists, but eventually devolved into threats. TEXAS LAUNCHES EFFORT TO INSTALL TPUSA IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE However, Jordan said the university dismissed the students’ initial harassment concerns, telling them there was nothing faculty could do because they could not identify who was making the harassing posts. When the harassment devolved into threats, Jordan filed a subsequent police report, a move that appeared to spur greater action from the college, which eventually banned one of the main harassers from campus, who Jordan said was an alumnus working in food service on campus at the time. “As a student, I should feel comfortable coming to campus no matter what beliefs I have, no matter what I identify as, no matter who I want to be. And, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. “I mean, it took three and a half weeks for [Beloit College] to even address the situation, and that doesn’t give me much hope for how this is going to turn out for Turning Point.” LOUISIANA GOP THROWS WIGHT BEHIND TURNING POINT USA CHAPTER REJECTED BY NEW ORLEANS UNIVERSITY: ‘INJUSTICE’ In addition to banning the alumnus from campus, the college also sent out an email, which Jordan described as “vague” and pointed out that it came after weeks of their complaints that fell on deaf ears, warning students about hateful rhetoric towards other students. The email did mention an incident of late that included “the depiction of other Beloit students as dangerous radicals, Nazis, or monsters seeking to cause harm.” “I want to remind everyone that our Student Handbook states that social media harassment … is prohibited behavior,” the email added. “Engaging thoughtfully around difference is hard, but that’s why you’ve come to Beloit: to learn to do hard things well and with compassion. So let’s try this. Be kind to one another. Give the benefit of the doubt to other students.” The harassment campaign targeting Jordan and her classmates was led in part by a now-deleted Instagram page titled “bc_friendly_fan_edits,” which posted a photo of the potential Turning Point board members at Beloit photoshopped around Charlie Kirk in a casket and Donald Trump on a cross. The same group also posted a sexualized depiction of a female Nazi with Jordan’s face juxtaposed on it. The photo was captioned “#bullythebigots.” Another harasser sent the group’s new Instagram page direct messages calling them “cowards” and laughing about the fact they have been unable to find a faculty advisor to support them. “Careful yall. The Klan members (tpusa_beloit) are calling in their gang (local police) to invoke fear in brown people within the community because they couldn’t handle the consequences of their own actions,” said a post sent to the hopeful TPUSA chapter’s new Instagram page via its direct messages. Other posts sought to satirize Turning Point USA’s logo, using it to create a “Meet The Campus Nazis” graphic that called out all the potential chapter members. “Our first post received over 75 comments in just one day, with more than 90% of them being hateful. We heard every name from klan members to Nazis to white supremacists. Some people even began attacking our appearances, specifically my blonde hair (which isn’t even my natural color lol) and blue eyes,” Jordan wrote in a post on Facebook and X calling out her college for the lack of response to the situation. CHARLIE KIRK WARNED ‘ASSASSINATION CULTURE IS SPREADING ON THE LEFT’ IN EERIE ONLINE POST MONTHS BEFORE MURDER But then the threats started coming in, and things got a little more serious. “The lack of accountability is showing, but the lack of consequences won’t be,” a comment on one of the hopeful TPUSA chapter’s new Instagram posts said. Several posts also began chastising Jordan and her classmates for getting the police involved. “The day a white supremacist Nazi tries me is the day I’ll get to prove why burying authoritarians is a family legacy that I will carry on,” the same harasser who threatened there would be “consequences” posted on their Instagram story. “Come after me I dare you. If I run out of ammo I won’t run out of options. Second Amendment works better when its against Nazis.” “Imagine hiding your klan behind the police because you couldn’t handle the consequences of your own actions. How very klan-like of you,” said another comment on one of the group’s posts. In response to this article, Beloit College sent Fox News Digital a lengthy statement saying the school is “committed to fostering respectful open inquiry and encouraging a
Are American workers being replaced? Inside the H-1B visa controversy
Following months of controversy, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in September decrying the systemic abuse of the H-1B visa program, which he said is fueling the “large-scale replacement of American workers” that “has undermined both our economic and national security.” To address this, Trump instituted a $100,000 fee for companies seeking to obtain an H-1B visa, a move that has been widely criticized by business leaders, especially in the tech industry. Debate over the program has split both the American public and the GOP, with one side saying the visa holders are poaching American jobs and the other saying it is vital to U.S. competitiveness. So, what are H-1B visas, and why have they become a political flashpoint? TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS OVER 100 INVESTIGATIONS INTO H-1B ABUSES AS IT PLEDGES ‘EVERY RESOURCE’ TO PROTECT US JOBS An H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows companies in the U.S. to hire highly-skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations for an initial period of three years, which can be extended to six years. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website states that the visas are meant for individuals of “exceptional merit and ability.” Individuals must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. By far the industry most heavily utilizing H-1B visas is the tech industry, which accounts for roughly 60% to 70% of all the new applications in recent years. Other top industries include consulting and professional services, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and medical research and higher education. DESANTIS SAYS HE WON’T TOLERATE H-1B VISA ‘ABUSE’ IN FLORIDA UNIVERSITIES There is no official figure for the number of people currently holding H-1B visas. There is a yearly cap of 65,000 people who can obtain H-1B visas. The program allows for an additional 20,000 individuals holding master’s degrees or above. Notably, most universities and non-profit research organizations are cap-exempt, further increasing the number of people being approved each year. The Pew Research Center estimated that about 400,000 H-1B visa applications were approved last year under the Biden administration. Nearly 3 out of every 4, 73%, of H-1B visa holders come from India, according to Pew. The country with the second-highest number of visa holders is China, with 12%. The remaining 15% comes from a mix of other countries, with no single country reaching the 2% threshold. The H-1B visa program has been criticized on both sides of the political aisle, including from Trump to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. TRUMP’S $100K H-1B VISA OVERHAUL COULD HIT TECH GIANTS LIKE AMAZON AND MICROSOFT HARDEST Critics say the current program has veered away from its original intent to attract top talent to work in the U.S. and instead is being used by employers to import cheap foreign labor, depress wages, and cut out American workers. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reintroduced bipartisan legislation in September to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B program to protect American workers and stop the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries. On the state level, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued guidance in October to combat the university loophole. DeSantis directed the Florida Board of Governors to end the practice of higher education institutions “importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans” by requiring universities to “put American graduates first and ensure taxpayer-funded schools serve the American workforce.” On the other side of the debate, prominent figures such as Elon Musk have advocated for H-1B visas because the program is essential for the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge. Shortly before Trump returned to the Oval Office, Musk said, “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B” and pledged to “go to war” in support of the program. However, Musk also noted his belief that “the program is broken and needs major reform.” DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES He proposed “raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically.” Business leaders have said the H-1B program is important in competing with countries such as China, which just recently launched a similar program, called the K-visa, to attract top talent to the country. The program went into effect on Oct. 1. The H-1B program also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On Sept. 19, Trump issued a presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” in which he said the H-1B visa program was being “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.” Trump said this abuse has been used by companies to “artificially suppress wages, resulting in a disadvantageous labor market for American citizens, while at the same time making it more difficult to attract and retain the highest skilled subset of temporary workers, with the largest impact seen in critical science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.” The president wrote that “the large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security.” TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS OVER 100 INVESTIGATIONS INTO H-1B ABUSES AS IT PLEDGES ‘EVERY RESOURCE’ TO PROTECT US JOBS As such, Trump imposed a $100,000 fee, effective Sept. 21, 2025. The restriction will expire one year from the effective date. Trump also directed his administration to “initiate a rulemaking to prioritize the admission as nonimmigrants of high-skilled and high-paid aliens.” Meanwhile, another DHS rule will narrow the definition of “specialty occupation” that will allow the department officials to increase worksite compliance inspections before and after an H-1B petition, and require the petitioner’s employer to make the application directly — a move to stop companies from bringing in H-1B immigrants and then contracting them to other companies. The debate over H-1B visas promises to continue in the coming months and
Erika Kirk speaks at Oval Office event to swear in Sergio Gor as new US ambassador to India
Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, attended the swearing-in of family friend Sergio Gor as President Donald Trump’s new ambassador to India. Gor was sworn in during a packed ceremony in the Oval Office on Monday, where Trump invited Erika Kirk to speak. “Charlie loved you,” she told Gor, highlighting her late husband’s friendship with Gor. “He would have been the first phone call when he found out if you were going to be taking this position.” Gor was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to India in October. CHARLIE KIRK URGED YOUTH TO REJECT ‘SEXUAL ANARCHY’ AND HOOKUP CULTURE, PASTOR RECALLS “The way that I was able to witness the two of you work together for years and to champion and support the president was absolutely humbling to witness, and I am so proud of you and Charlie is going to be with you every single day in spirit,” Erika Kirk added. “I will be praying for you every day because I know that this is just the beginning of an incredible opportunity for you.” Erika Kirk’s husband, conservative icon Charlie Kirk, was assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in September. Gor is the co-founder of Winning Team Publishing alongside Donald Trump Jr. The company has notably published several of Trump’s best-selling books, as well as several books written by Charlie Kirk. ‘I MARRIED THE LOVE OF MY LIFE’: ERIKA KIRK WEEPS WHILE WATCHING VIDEO OF LATE HUSBAND Gor was sworn in by Vice President JD Vance. “This is an honor of a lifetime,” Gor told Trump after being sworn in. “What you have achieved in 10 months has been historic, has surpassed any other presidency.” “I fully believe what you will achieve in the next three years will never be beaten,” he added.
Trump, states back in court over SNAP as benefits remain in legal limbo
Lawyers for roughly two dozen states will head to court Monday to block the Trump administration’s attempt to penalize them for making full payments to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. The filing is the latest in a chaotic, fast-moving legal saga centered on the status of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, which supports 42 million low-income Americans and remains stalled as a result of the ongoing government shutdown. “Food assistance is not a political issue,” New York Attorney General Letitia James told reporters Monday. “It is a moral imperative, and no one should go hungry because their own government is refusing to feed them.“ The request for emergency intervention comes after the Trump administration on Saturday threatened to slap states who paid out the full SNAP benefits with steep economic penalties, despite an order from U.S. District Judge John McConnell, who ordered the administration to make the full SNAP payments fully available compared to just 65%, as had been previously outlined. TWO JUDGES RULE TRUMP ADMIN MUST KEEP SNAP BENEFITS IN PLACE AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON Trump officials further urged the Supreme Court in a supplemental brief Monday afternoon to keep in place an emergency stay handed down by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson last week. They cited the progress Congress has made towards resolving the ongoing shutdown, and added that, in their view, “the answer to this crisis is not for federal courts to reallocate resources without lawful authority.” “The only way to end this crisis — which the Executive is adamant to end — is for Congress to reopen the government,” they added. States have until tomorrow morning to file their response to the Supreme Court. The judge had scolded the Trump administration for agreeing to fund just 65% of the SNAP benefits. “It’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here,” McConnell said Thursday shortly before issuing the new order, which gave the USDA less than 24 hours to comply. In appealing the case, Trump’s legal team had argued that the judge’s order “makes a mockery of the separation of powers,” and accused McConnell of overstepping his powers as a federal judge. “There is no lawful basis for an order that directs USDA to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions,” DOJ lawyers argued, describing his order as an “unprecedented injunction.” FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP MUST FULLY FUND SNAP PROGRAM BY FRIDAY The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in a directive on Saturday that states that failed to comply with the administration’s plans and pay only the reduced SNAP benefits could see a cancellation of federal cost-sharing benefits for SNAP, and would be otherwise fully financially “responsible for the consequences” of their actions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin spoke out about the actions before heading to court today to seek emergency intervention. “We’re asking the courts to block Saturday night’s guidance and immediately make full SNAP benefits available,” Bonta said of the lawsuit. The group accused the Trump administration of playing politics with SNAP benefits, or the food aid that provides benefits to roughly one in eight Americans. DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS’ IN SNAP APPEAL The New Jersey attorney general, Matt Platkin, described the effort by USDA to halt full SNAP payments and shift the costs to states as the “most heinous thing” he had seen while in office. “There are more children in New Jersey on SNAP than consists of the entire population of our state’s largest city,” he said, in an effort to contextualize the number of people in the Garden State alone who are served by the food aid program. “The new guidance from USDA “claimed that the steps we’ve taken to follow its earlier guidance and a court order were ‘unauthorized,’ and that we must immediately undo the actions, or we would face steep penalties,” Bonta said. Trump officials separately told the Supreme Court on Monday that they will continue to seek their emergency stay of another federal judge’s order requiring them to keep SNAP benefits fully funded during the ongoing government shutdown. The administration “still intends to pursue a stay” of that order, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court in a filing, barring any eleventh-hour action from Congress to reach consensus and reopen the government after the more than 40-day government shutdown.
White House taunts Ilhan Omar with McDonald’s photo, suggests she can go back to Somalia
The White House seems ready for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., to leave the U.S. and go back to Somalia, where she was born. On Monday, the White House shared on X an image of President Donald Trump waving goodbye through a McDonald’s drive-thru window in 2024 in response to a video of Omar saying she wasn’t concerned about being deported. “I have no worry, I don’t know how they’d take away my citizenship and like deport me,” Omar said in the clip the White House responded to, which originally was made on “The Dean Obeidallah Show” in October. “But I don’t even know like why that’s such a scary threat. Like I’m not the 8-year-old who escaped war anymore. I’m grown, my kids are grown. Like I could go live wherever I want.” Omar’s office and the White House did not immediately respond to request for comment from Fox News Digital. ‘SQUAD’ DEM DISHES OUT CAMPAIGN CASH TO ANTI-ISRAEL NONPROFIT TIED TO ‘TERRORIST UNIVERSITY’ The image of Trump the White House shared was from October 2024 during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania where he worked at a McDonald’s fry station. Omar’s family evacuated Somalia to head to a refugee camp in Kenya during the Somalian Civil War in 1991. The U.S. eventually granted her family asylum, and they came to Arlington, Virginia, in 1995 before heading to Minneapolis in 1997. Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Trump recently has suggested that Omar should return to Somalia, and said in a post on Truth Social Nov. 1 that “She should go back!” The post accompanied a video of Omar speaking Somali. OMAR SILENT ON ANTI-ICE POST DESPITE NBC BACKTRACKING ON VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA NARRATIVE Likewise, Trump also told reporters in September that Somalia wasn’t interested in Omar returning. “You know, I met the head of Somalia, did you know that?” Trump said. “And I suggested that maybe he’d like to take her back. He said, ‘I don’t want her.’” In response, Omar said that the story was fabricated and called the president’s credibility into question. AS ‘SQUAD’ TURNS ASSIMILATION INTO ‘DIRTY WORD,’ EXPERT URGES US LEADERS TO RENOUNCE FOREIGN LOYALTIES “From denying Somalia had a president to making up a story, President Trump is a lying buffoon,” Omar said. “No one should take this embarrassing fool seriously.” Trump has sparred with Omar dating back to his first administration. For example, he blasted Omar and a few other progressive lawmakers known as “The Squad,” and said that they should all return to their “broken and crime infested” countries. As a result, Omar said in a social media post in 2019 that Trump was “stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda.” Omar was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, after serving for two years in Minnesota’s House of Representatives. She became the first Somali–American woman and one of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.