State education chief ‘on GOP radar’ launches gameplan for nixing cabinet department
EXCLUSIVE: As President-elect Donald Trump privately storyboards his cabinet choices, one top state official who is rumored to be on the shortlist for Secretary of Education is releasing his game plan for shifting the department’s duties to states and parents, Fox News Digital has learned. In a memo to Oklahoma parents and school administrators, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters will state that the federal agency has “hijacked our education system using taxpayer dollars to impose harmful policies and control what’s taught in our schools.” Some issues Walters said he is bringing to the fore both in the memo and what he is calling a Trump Education Advisory Team to be announced Monday. The Department of Education is a relatively new stand-alone cabinet agency created under former President Jimmy Carter, which his successor, Ronald Reagan, called to shutter during his 1982 State of the Union. OKLAHOMA SCHOOLS CHIEF BILLS KAMALA HARRIS $474M FOR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Tenets include ending “social indoctrination” in the classroom and promoting patriotism through curriculum. In a Friday interview, Walters said the team will organize priorities for schools to be in line with Trump administration education policies, based on what the president-elect has signaled that he will do in that regard. With the prospect of a shuttered Department of Education, Walters said that he will plan out how to fill any holes left by federal programs and develop legislative recommendations. At an October rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Trump said he is “going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states.” “And we’re going to do it fast. We’ll get somebody great [as secretary].” He namedropped former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. who had accompanied him, as well as Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Walters also remains “on Republicans’ radar” in that regard, according to Education Week. He said on Friday that Democrats failed to challenge Trump on education policy likely because his positions already resonated with the American public, alluding to the recent scholastic controversies in Virginia and elsewhere. “We’re going to be the tip of the spear in instituting President Trump’s agenda. This is to ensure that we are in complete alignment with the most aggressive, comprehensive and conservative education agenda the country has ever seen,” he said. Walters said he is confident that Trump will follow through and shutter the agency, and that it will result in increased aptitude among students less burdened by red tape, redundancies to state agencies, and social policy edicts. STATE SCHOOLS CHIEF DIRECTS MILLIONS TO FUND A BIBLE IN EVERY SCHOOL “I mean, President Biden came out in the middle of the summer and told us we had to put boys in girl’s bathrooms,” he said. Whether Trump ultimately chooses him, Walters said he will remain focused on bringing Oklahoma in-line with Trumpian policies, and creating a roadmap for other states. Improving education, he added, goes far beyond curriculum and will have lasting impacts on the economy, jobs and more. “Parents wanted to hear that . . . our schools are not here to tell our kids this is an evil, racist country and building this indoctrination,” he said. “We want to support families and school choice.” The transition plan he crafted also depicts how the education system can continue to run without the influence of teachers’ unions that comes with the present top-down system. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He said that American Federation of Teachers boss Randi Weingarten put his picture on a screen after Trump’s during a recent union convention, and that his response was Tuesday’s “definitive win” by pro-school-choice candidates. “It’s just it’s so exciting to see this agenda come to fruition,” he said. In the current Congress, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., also authored a bill abolishing the Department of Education. It was referred to and remains in committee. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for information on the cabinet shortlist, as well as to the Department of Education for a response to Walters’ plans. A representative for the latter referred Fox News Digital to the Trump campaign.
‘Saints have in every age, helped humanity…’: PM Modi at 200th anniversary of Shree Swaminarayan Mandir
The Prime Minister also asserted that this event is not just a praise of history. It is a great opportunity for every person like him, who has grown up with unflinching faith in Vadtal Dham.
Philly stakes: Trump appears to overperform in surprising Pennsylvania places
No Republican presidential candidate has won Philadelphia County since Herbert Hoover’s ill-fated 1932 contest, and Donald Trump was no different. Pennsylvania’s largest city and several other blue bastions saw marked movement in the mogul’s direction last week, according to post-mortem figures. Of the top 10 counties where Trump overperformed his 2020 numbers the most, six are or were majority Democrat. Trump increased his margin the most – by 7.5 points – in the Poconos’ Monroe County, a rapidly suburbanizing area that has been trending blue with ex-pats from New York City suburbs moving in. Philadelphia fell to sixth out of 67 counties, according to New York Times data. TRUMP TRAIN CHUGS PAST 2020 MARGINS PARTICULARLY AMONG HISPANICS, NORTHEASTERNERS Vice President Harris still won Philadelphia by 59 points, but Trump increased his margin by five points, which, accounting for the exponentially larger population, is many more voters than other counties with similar margins. The turnout for Trump in the city may also have positive implications beyond the presidency. Republicans are also on the rare verge of picking up a state Senate seat in the city, as local outlets reported Thursday. The challenger, Joe Picozzi, is primed to pick up Democrat Jimmy Dillon’s seat in the working-class neighborhood of Mayfair. All three of Pennsylvania’s row offices – attorney general, auditor and treasurer – will be Republican, no doubt buoyed by raw-vote tranches from dense counties where Trump overperformed. After Republicans upset Democrats’ voter-registration advantage in Luzerne County – home to Wilkes-Barre – two months before the election, Trump also made his second-biggest gain there over 2020, by 5.7 points. President Biden was born in Wilkes-Barre’s twin city, Scranton, where reliably Democrat Lackawanna County saw Trump’s third-best improvement. Harris narrowly won Lehigh County, where the state’s third-largest city sits. Both candidates visited Allentown in the closing days. Statistics yet to come will show whether Trump’s reported boost from Hispanics helped the trend in Lehigh, Philadelphia and Berks, home to Latino-majority Reading. TRUMP RALLIES IN PA CITY WITH HIGHEST PROPORTIONAL HISPANIC POPULATION Trump’s fourth-best improvement came from Lehigh, where the growing Latino population in bluer areas lives alongside historically redder Pennsylvania German communities. Trump also won back Lehigh’s sister county, Northampton, from Biden after pulling off a shocking upset there in 2016. Together, Lehigh and Northampton form the postindustrial Lehigh Valley. On Election Day, local outlets reported hourslong lines at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, where energized Democrat-supporting students at Lehigh University queued to cast their ballot. In the end, it was Trump who overperformed in the bellwether region, which colloquially includes New Jersey’s Warren County. Trump handily won there, too, along with Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J.; another closely watched contest in a blue area. Trump’s coattails also ran long in the Lehigh Valley as its Democrat congresswoman, Susan Wild, tweeted her concession to state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Macungie. Wild survived three nail-biters since taking the seat upon the retirement of anti-Trump Republican Charlie Dent in 2018. Trump also overperformed in rural Pike County, the state’s northeast corner, which is anchored by reliably Democrat Milford. He also squeaked out a 0.1% win in Bucks County, the most “swing” of Philadelphia’s suburbs. None of Philadelphia’s other collar counties have gone for a Republican since George W. Bush won Chester County in 2004. Republicans historically saw their widest declines in those Philadelphia collar counties in the time since the Bush-Kerry contest, until Tuesday. The prospect of a Republican Senate leader being elected from the region seems impossible at present. But now-Judge Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County did just that 20 years ago, and the Democrat supermajority city of Chester even elected Republican Wendell Butler Jr. for one term at the time. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP But Trump made progress in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia this year. One place that Republican activists had worked hard to flip red this year was otherwise-rural Centre County, home to Penn State University. While Harris ultimately took Centre by two points, Republicans made gains there with Trump performing three points better than in 2020. Pennsylvania wasn’t all GOP gains, however, as Harris gave Democrats marginal hope in several mid-state counties, particularly those within the hard-fought contest between Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Democratic news anchor Janelle Stelson. Trump won suburban Cumberland County, bordering Harrisburg, by 10 points, but Democrats performed one point better there than in past years, according to Times data. The same could be said for neighboring deep-red Perry County, where Trump won by 50. Adams County, home to Gettysburg; Jefferson County, home to Punxsutawney; Snyder County, home to Susquehanna University; and Juniata County all saw Democrats gain a fraction of a point over 2020. Trump gained in Harrisburg’s otherwise-rural Dauphin County itself, but Harris won it by six.
Trump to appoint former ICE Director Tom Homan as next ‘border czar’: ‘nobody better at policing our borders’
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to appoint Thomas Homan as the next ‘border czar.’ Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.” HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY ‘BORDER CZAR’ LABEL, PAST RADICAL IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN Trump added that the “border czar” position isn’t just for monitoring the U.S. southern border with Mexico, but also “the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security. I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders.” This comes less than a week after Trump secured his second presidency, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, who was dubbed the “border czar” in the Biden administration. Border security was a strong point of Trump’s first presidency, and it was a stalwart during both his 2020 and 2024 campaigns. ‘STATUS QUO’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER ‘ENDS’ WHEN TRUMP’S IN OFFICE, SAYS NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL PRESIDENT Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in fiscal year 2024, according to Homeland Security’s website. There have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021. Trump vowed during his campaign he would once again take a hard-line approach to securing the border. “It’s going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it,” Homan said during a Fox News interview on Sunday, adding that deportations would be a “humane operation.” Trump during his campaign referenced illegal migrants as people fleeing countries that didn’t want them. He often said at his rallies that illegal immigrants flooded the U.S. with drugs and gangs, and that they became a hub for smuggling and human trafficking, saying they are “poisoning the blood of our country.” “They’re rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums,” Trump said. “You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff.” This is only the beginning of thousands of positions that need to be filled by his presidency. Trump has already announced that Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager, will be the White House chief of staff.
Vistara to make last flight today before Air India merger, all you need to know
Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, will fully merge with Air India, also owned by Tata Group.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna takes oath as 51st Chief Justice of India
The outgoing CJI, Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud, retired on Sunday, making way for Justice Khanna, who will serve a six-month tenure as the Chief Justice.
Delhi continues to choke amid rising air pollution, AQI breaches 350…
At least a dozen stations recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 350, falling in the ‘very poor’ air category.
GOP Rep Schweikert projected to fend off Dem challenger in key Arizona House race
Republican Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., has withstood a strong Democratic challenge for a seat Democrats had hoped to flip in one of the most closely watched states in the country, the Associated Press projects. Arizona’s 1st Congressional District was expected to be a close race after Rep. David Schweikert narrowly won re-election in 2022 by less than 1%. He had secured the Republican nomination earlier this year after outraising his opponents. Schweikert has served in the House for nearly 15 years and has won re-election in a number of redrawn districts since being elected in 2010. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and has emphasized economic policy and fiscal responsibility, including tackling the increasing national debt. GOP REP WINS PRIMARY TO DEFEND CLOSELY WATCHED ARIZONA SEAT Shah, a doctor and former state rep, had emerged from a packed Democratic field to secure the nomination to attempt to beat Schweikert. Arizona Central reports that Shah had success with bills getting passed in the GOP-dominated state legislature, and has been compared to outgoing Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. He emphasized border security in the border state, as well as issues like tackling inflation and abortion rights. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION “Shah, who has already represented key parts of Arizona’s First Congressional District in Maricopa County as a State Representative, has a track record of being an independent voice working across party lines to put Arizona families first,” his website says. “In Congress, he’ll work to lower costs for hardworking Arizonans and protect abortion rights.” Arizona is a closely watched state this election cycle, with multiple races in the House and Senate as well as the presidential contest all potentially to be decided by thin margins. In the state legislature, Republicans hold a thin majority and Democrats are hoping to take both chambers. If so, it would be the first time they took the House since 1966.
The 2024 election cycle is drawing to a close – here’s what we know
There was some shock at the outcome of last week’s election. But when it comes to control of the House and Senate, things generally landed in the range anticipated by many learned observers. There was a high probability of a Republican Senate – with the GOP likely having a seat or two to cushion a majority. The House of Representatives was expected to be close. The forecast was that the House breakdown would probably reflect the split between the majority and minority today. The only question was which party would be in the majority. And there was a high likelihood that control of the House would mirror the outcome of the Presidential election. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE MEANING OF A REPUBLICAN SENATE – AND WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE HOUSE You know the rest. The House is close, likely in Republican hands. When everything is settled, Republicans will likely have between 221-223 seats. The Senate moved to the GOP – with a few pickups. So say what you will about the Presidential election. But very few predictions about the House and Senate were off. In the Senate, the map always favored Republicans. The GOP would probably score an immediate pickup with Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.V., claiming the seat of retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., who caucused with the Democrats. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Jon Tester, D-Mont., were the most-endangered Democrats up this cycle. Both represented states which heavily supported President-elect Trump. But Brown and Tester consistently proved they could win their races in challenging environments. Plus, there was something else going for them: Brown and Tester always appearing on the ballot in Democratic years: 2006, 2012 and 2018. Democrats won the House and Senate in 2006. That was the “six-year itch” election for President George W. Bush. The second midterm is often brutal for the party of the president in Congress. Voters returned former President Obama to the White House in 2012. Democrats won the House in 2018. 2024? Not a good year for Democrats. TOP REPUBLICAN PRIVATELY BACKING THUNE TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL IN GOP LEADER RACE In Ohio, it appears that Mr. Trump won the Buckeye State by a staggering 11 points. It was always believed that Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, would run behind Mr. Trump and that the President-elect needed to carry Ohio by about 10 points to unseat Brown. Moreno wound up toppling Brown by four points. Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, R-Penn., appears to have unseated Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn. The underperformance of Vice President Harris in the Keystone State really harmed Democrats like Casey. Harris lost Pennsylvania by about two points. Something else about Casey? Like Brown and Tester, he was on the same election cycle: 2006, 2012, 2018 and 2024. Democrats would have a fighting chance at flipping the House had they performed better in Pennsylvania. They failed to unseat former Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn. Meantime, GOP challengers defeated Reps. Susan Wild, D-Penn., and Matt Cartwright, D-Penn. Democrats needed to knock off Perry and hold those seats to claim the House. Despite being in the same boat as Brown, Tester and Casey, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., prevailed in a battleground state captured by Mr. Trump. Rep. and Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also won in a state carried by the incoming President. In the House, Democrats clung to several key seats they needed in order to flip the House. Rep.-elect Eugene Vindman, D-Va., defeated Republican Derrick Anderson in central Virginia. Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio is on track to hold her seat. And Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, won – despite Brown’s loss and the blowout of the President-elect. Freshman Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M, won re-election, vanquishing former Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., in what has been the swingiest district in the country. Vasquez’s district in southern New Mexico has toggled between the parties in each election since 2016. Democrat Janelle Bynum is leading Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer, R-Ore. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., topped Republican Joe Kent. Gluesenkamp Perez was the surprise winner of all House races in 2022. A ‘VERY DIFFERENT SCENARIO’ FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS IN 2024 During an interview with colleague Bret Baier, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., cited how moderates like Gluesenkamp Perez ran campaigns to fit their districts and scored reelection. “In Marie’s case, she was criticized by the Washington state Democratic party for some of her votes and some of the positions she has taken. They threatened her with a primary. And then she went out there and won in a Trump plus-six district,” said Smith. Smith added that fellow Democrats “should learn a lot from” the likes of Gluesenkamp Perez, Reps. Don Davis, D-N.C., Pat Ryan, D-N.Y. and Vasquez. In other words, Democrats seemed to do many of the things necessary to gain control of the House. But not enough. Take California. ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES It was thought that Vice President Harris atop of the ticket could help Democrats flip five or six seats in the Golden State alone. Harris is the state’s former Attorney General and U.S. senator. No dice. Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., prevailed in her race. Reps. David Valadao, R-Calif., Ken Calvert, R-Calif., Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and John Duarte, R-Calif., are all poised to hold their seats. Things remain close between Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., and Democratic challenger George Whitesides. The same with Democrat Dave Min and Republican Scott Baugh in the state’s 47th Congressional district. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., vacated that seat in her unsuccessful quest for the Senate. “These are areas that have been Democrat strongholds, and we’re within that fraction of a percentage of taking two more. So the voter shift was significant in a deep blue state. Let’s not kid ourselves. We are a deep blue state. But the shift is significant,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Fox Business. The current breakdown in the House is as follows: 432 members. 220 Republicans, 212 Democrats. There are three vacancies: Late Reps. Sheila
Biden appears to struggle while walking on beach with first lady
A video clip making the rounds online shows President Biden appearing to struggle while walking on the beach with first lady Jill Biden. The video shows the outgoing president and his wife padding across the sands of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he was spending the weekend, as Secret Service members stand by. Biden, 81, can be seen visibly struggling to trudge through the sand, looking as if he is on the verge of toppling over. At one point, the first lady grabs his arm to hold him steady. Off camera, people can be heard asking him what he will say to Donald Trump when the president-elect visits the White House on Wednesday for a traditional post-election meeting. FORMER HARRIS STAFFER CALLS ON BIDEN TO RESIGN, INSTALL HARRIS AS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT Such a meeting is customary between the outgoing president and the incoming president and is meant partly to mark the start of a peaceful transfer of power under America’s democracy. The video prompted a flurry of jokes and speculation about Biden’s physical fitness, recalling the barrage of criticism the president received after his June debate performance that ultimately led to him dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. On X, podcast host Benny Johnson quipped, “Joe Biden’s latest opponent: Sand.” Another commented the video was “Brutal to watch.” “Joe Biden can’t walk on sand,” League of American Workers founder Steve Cortes commented. “This man is the President for the next 71 days.” DEM PARTY BLAME GAME: ACCUSATIONS FLY AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HARRIS’ MASSIVE LOSS TO TRUMP After losing to Biden in 2020, Trump resoundingly beat Vice President Harris, the Democrat presidential nominee, on Tuesday. Trump is the first former president to return to power for a nonconsecutive term since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. The White House said Biden called Trump this past Wednesday to congratulate him and invite him to meet in the Oval Office. Their meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday. In a speech Thursday, Biden said he assured Trump “that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.” Asked about Trump as he left church on Saturday in Rehoboth Beach, Biden said, “I’m going to see him on Wednesday.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response. The Associated Press contributed to this report.