CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz says Medicaid fraud has become a “feature” blue states use to exploit the system.

President Donald Trump’s chief at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in an interview with Fox News Digital urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrat governors to join the administration’s anti-fraud push.

“Why would you steal money from Medicaid?” Oz questioned, before explaining how he believes some states are using Medicaid-funded care programs as an economic engine for their state and will distribute federal reimbursements to pay unemployed people.

“I began to realize that stealing money from Medicaid is not a flaw for a lot of states, it’s a feature of the program.” he continued. “They call it ‘Medicaid-ing it.’”

I’M OHIO’S STATE AUDITOR — MEDICAID FRAUD IS NOT JUST A WASHINGTON PROBLEM

He continued, “You’re taking money from the federal government creating a Medicaid benefit, paying a lot of money for it. Now all these people who would have been unemployed, costing the state money, are instead of getting money from the federal government. You’re taxing that, which makes the state richer.”

Oz also argued the arrangement creates political incentives because those workers can unionize, which he claims benefits Democrats by allowing the unions to help fund the party’s political action committees (PACs).

“The service industry’s unionizing these workers,” Oz said. “That gets union dues into their coffers, those union dues can now pay for political action committees, funding. Of course, one party — always.”

“That party now has a lot of money coming in for local and state elections, and we are paying for it!,” he lamented. 

Newsom was the main blue-state leader that Oz accused of failing to adequately address fraud in his state despite internal warnings.

“I think Governor Newsom’s embarrassed,” the one-time television doctor told Fox News Digital. “He’s embarrassed that four years ago, he was told by his own auditors that there was such widespread fraud in California that they had to take action and they sort of dabbled.”

“They did some performative things, but they didn’t actually do the important steps required to stop fraud in the state.”

FTC CHIEF ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘TRYING TO PROTECT THE FRAUDSTERS’ BY WITHHOLDING DATA FROM TRUMP ADMIN

In response to California’s failure to follow the federal government’s lead in combatting widespread fraud, the Trump administration cut over $1.3 billion in the state’s Medicaid reimbursements.

“We can’t understand where the money’s going,” Oz said.

“We have the responsibility to the federal taxpayer to make sure this is true. Until we are comfortable with the money spent wisely, we’re not paying for illegal immigrants, we’re not paying for people who really don’t have these coverage Medicaid, we’re paying for services to people that don’t exist or to folks doing these services that have not actually been authenticated as eligible to do that.”

Oz encouraged all governors to follow suit in the Trump administration’s efforts to put an end to fraud nationwide — state by state.

DR. OZ WARNS MEDICARE SCAMMERS ARE STEALING BILLIONS — AND YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION COULD BE NEXT

Vice President JD Vance even recently began spearheading the administration’s new anti-fraud task force, which was formed to enact federal oversight against exploitation of federal benefit programs.

“The greatest obstacle is when the governors don’t realize that if they’re not aligned with the president, if they’re not on the same page, then they’re pulling the oars in the opposite direction and we’re going in a circle down the drain,” Oz said.

“Fraud happens because the people who have the power to stop it don’t work together.”

Iran’s latest attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices sharply higher in recent days — a reminder that Tehran can still rattle global energy markets.

But the latest spike also highlights a bigger question facing the Trump administration: Has Iran begun losing its ability to use the strategic waterway as economic leverage over Washington?

Growing oil production, alternative export routes and new shipping patterns suggest Iran’s ability to weaponize the Strait of Hormuz may be steadily weakening — even if it can still trigger short-term price shocks.

VANCE REJECTS CLAIMS TRUMP-IRAN DEAL ECHOES OBAMA-ERA LOGIC AS HAWKS RAISE ALARM

Vice President JD Vance in late June linked global oil supplies directly to negotiations with Iran. 

“I think what the president has told us to do is use this MoU (memorandum of understanding) to sort of refill the world’s oil economy, to refill some stocks, and then to see where the hand is,” Vance said during an interview with “The Michael Knowles Show” podcast June 30.

That outlook faced its first major test in recent days after Iran renewed attacks on commercial shipping. President Donald Trump declared the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding and ceasefire “over” and warned his administration could again impose a naval blockade on Iran if attacks on commercial shipping continue.

US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The U.S. Energy Information Administration in recent days forecast worldwide crude production and trade flows will rebound to near pre-conflict levels by the end of the year, with most previously shut-in production returning during the first quarter of 2027. The agency expects increased global production to lower crude oil and gasoline prices in the months ahead despite continued instability in the Gulf.

The forecast comes as OPEC+ continues increasing production, Gulf producers restore output and exporters rely more heavily on infrastructure that allows crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz altogether.

Those developments don’t eliminate Iran’s ability to move markets. But they could make it harder for Iran to use oil prices as a way to pressure the United States into negotiating on its terms.

The oil market isn’t the only thing that has changed.

The conflict has accelerated a shift that already was underway. 

Gulf producers increasingly rely on infrastructure built over the past decade to move crude without depending entirely on the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia can divert exports through its East-West Pipeline to the Red Sea, while the United Arab Emirates has expanded export capacity through Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, allowing millions of barrels of crude to bypass the narrow waterway altogether.

Commercial shipping has adapted as well. More vessels have shifted toward a southern corridor hugging Oman’s coastline, putting additional distance between commercial traffic and Iran’s coastline while allowing exports to continue despite repeated attacks.

Retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery said those changes strike at the heart of Iran’s strategy.

“The southern route creates a route they can’t toll or control.”

Iran’s objective, however, has never necessarily been to shut down the strait altogether.

“The IRGC has been trying to make it commercially unworkable,” former Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan told Fox News Digital, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “These attacks on shipping to me aren’t random. They’re strategy.”

Donegan said Iran’s goal is to raise the cost and risk of commercial shipping, making insurers and shipping companies think twice before returning to normal operations.

Even Iran appears unwilling to completely disrupt the flow of oil. Maritime tracking firm TankerTrackers.com reported Wednesday that three Iranian crude tankers were loaded at Kharg Island. The move underscored Iran’s own dependence on selling oil, even as it continues trying to disrupt commercial shipping elsewhere in the Gulf. 

Markets reflected both realities. Oil prices climbed after Iran’s latest attacks renewed fears of broader conflict, but the EIA’s outlook suggests traders also expect additional supply to continue reaching global markets unless the fighting escalates into a sustained disruption.

Iran has proved it can still rattle global oil markets.

The bigger question now is whether rising production, alternative shipping routes and sustained U.S. military pressure have shortened the life of those price spikes — denying Iran one of its most effective tools for influencing negotiations with Washington.

Grammy-winning country star Trace Adkins and rock mainstay Chicago spoke to Fox News Digital about Adkins’ new single, “American Made,” and why celebrating America’s 250th birthday means so much to them.

Adkins premiered his new single “American Made” on PBS’s “A Capitol Fourth,” an annual live concert on Capitol Hill, while Chicago also performed during the event.

Adkins said he and some friends came together to write “American Made” and submit it to a record label.

AMERICA’S 250TH CELEBRATION IN NATION’S CAPITAL BOOSTED BY ICONIC AUTOMAKER’S 2-WEEK TRIBUTE TO INNOVATION

“[We] thought this year was the best timing that we could ever have to celebrate the 250th. So we put this song out. I like it. I do,” he said.

When asked what message he hopes the public will take from the song, he spoke about how his wife just recently became a naturalized American citizen.

“She is so proud to be an American,” he said. “My family’s been here for over eight generations on both sides. I’m proud to be an American too and you know I think we’re equally as proud so there you go.”

SOFÍA VERGARA, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AND MORE CELEBRITIES WHO BECAME US CITIZENS

In separate interviews, Adkins and Chicago’s founding member Lee Loughnane pointed to the reactions of global tourists in the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup.

“World Cup folks are coming over and finding out that it’s really easy to walk around. They get surprised when someone comes to refill a drink for them. They don’t have to pay another $12,” Loughnane said. “The freedoms that we have and that we take for granted, they’re just seen now.”

Many videos and accounts from foreigners visiting the U.S. for the FIFA Club World Cup have gone viral, including Japanese fans visiting Texas and praising American barbecue.

WORLD CUP SOCCER FANS ARE DISCOVERING AMERICA’S GREATNESS. IT’S TIME AMERICANS DID, TOO

One Australian comic in the U.S. with his son posted a video about a bus driver in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., giving them a gesture of good faith after they were unable to make change for a fare, and separately extolled the taste and value of Popeye’s chicken meals.

German and Scottish fans also posted emotional tributes to their time in the U.S., including after the latter purportedly enjoyed their environs so much they drank Boston dry.

Both Adkins and the Chicago members said they’ve seen the contrast in their decades of traveling the world for concerts.

“I’ve been to those other places. This is the best place, man. And when I’m away from here, I feel uneasy until I get back home,” Adkins said.

“A lot of those people, when they say [they aren’t proud to be Americans] they’ve never been anywhere.”

Chicago’s Rudy Cardenas, who is originally from Venezuela, said he is “blessed” to be living in the U.S.

“You have to remember that when we travel around we get to see so many different cultures and the way that other people live and to come back to this country and to just be like, we got it pretty good,” he said.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

“So it’s an honor and we’re so blessed and to be able to celebrate 250 with this band in this venue is just crazy amazing so it’s going to be one of a kind.”

Asked about polling showing a decline in patriotism, Loughnane said many people take America for granted and that there are “misunderstandings” and times when people are told things about current events or history that are not particularly true.

“So, I enjoy being an American and I’m very proud of it and I won’t stop,” he said.

FIRST ON FOX: A new report is shining a spotlight on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s influence in American colleges, revealing its educational materials are being used to train future K-12 teachers in 38 states as Congress and federal investigators intensify their focus on the organization.

According to a report from Defending Education, an education watchdog group that the SPLC once labeled an “extremist” group, researchers examined 100 colleges of education and uncovered SPLC’s Learning for Justice, formerly Teaching Tolerance, and the group’s Social Justice Standards embedded into teacher preparation programs nationwide.

The report said the organization’s Social Justice Standards are incorporated into teacher preparation programs that include “Equity, Access, and Anti-bias Education,” “Teaching for Social Justice,” “Critical Consciousness,” and “Socially Just Teachers.”

Researchers found the materials in required education courses, teacher candidate handbooks, student teacher evaluations, lesson planning assignments, departmental frameworks and professional development for educators.

LIBERAL FACULTY STILL HUGELY OUTNUMBER CONSERVATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPORT

“It is quite clear that the SPLC’s programming has more than a trivial impact on education,” Defending Education Director of Research Rhyen Staley said.

“Pre-service teachers should not be forced to adhere to or promote politically charged ideologies to obtain a degree. Furthermore, students and their families deserve an educational experience that is free of political bias and promotes balanced viewpoints.”

The report argues colleges help shape what future teachers bring into classrooms and that many universities keep their use of Learning for Justice materials out of public view, saying “few COEs outwardly acknowledge their use of SPLC materials; instead, many COEs hide their usage and promotion behind faculty login pages.”

“Because COEs are the primary institutions responsible for preparing future K-12 classroom teachers, as well as the continuing education of present teachers and administrators, they play a major role in what content, materials, ‘best practices,’ and perspectives shape educators,” the report said.

FEDS OPEN PROBE INTO NEW YORK CITY’S ANTI-ISRAEL TEACHERS

Pointing to multiple universities, the report highlights how the standards have worked “their way into courses, pre-service programming, and K-12 classrooms indirectly.”

California State University, Sacramento’s College of Education, and William & Mary’s School of Education require pre-service teachers to incorporate Social Justice Standards into coursework, lesson planning, classroom instruction and professional evaluations, according to the report.

William & Mary’s handbook states that the standards “reflect the School of Education’s philosophical approach to teaching and learning,” the report said.

The report also said Western Washington University evaluates student teachers on integrating the standards into lesson planning, requiring “clear links to identity and diversity anchor standards found in Learning for Justice/Teaching Tolerance Standards,” while Brandeis University says the standards guide its “Teaching for Social Justice” teacher education program.

CRUZ PUSHES BILL TO HOLD TAX-EXEMPT SPONSORS ACCOUNTABLE AS DOJ PROBES SINGHAM NETWORK

The standards have also reached graduate programs, grant-funded initiatives and state policy, according to the report.

The University of Maryland College of Education incorporates them into one of its teacher leadership master’s degree programs, and the Maryland State Department of Education includes them in new teacher induction regulations, the report said.

“MSDE does not generally develop curriculum; we establish statewide standards,” a Maryland State Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We’re not aware of any local school systems incorporating SPLC materials into training for teachers or board members, so questions about local implementation would need to be directed to individual LEAs.”

Researchers reviewed taxpayer-funded initiatives, including a $275,000 National Science Foundation grant supporting Northern Arizona University’s project and a $3.3 million U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to Claremont Graduate University, whose grant proposal said it would “introduce Fellows to the following core social justice teaching ideas and practices,” including the “Social Justice Standards from Teaching Tolerance,” according to the report.

The NSF declined to comment.

The report comes after the Justice Department filed an 11-count indictment against the organization in April, alleging it defrauded donors by concealing millions of dollars in payments to confidential informants operating within extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, United Klans of America and Aryan Nations.

SPLC Interim President and CEO Bryan Fair denied any wrongdoing during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June, calling the charges politically motivated as Republicans continue investigating the nonprofit’s ties to the Biden administration.

Fox News Digital reached out to the SPLC, William & Mary’s School of Education, California State University, Sacramento, Western Washington University, Brandeis University, and the Department of Education for comment.

The Department of Education told Fox News Digital it does not mandate curriculum and said reports like this are the reason the Trump administration has made an effort to empower parents, families, and communities to be more involved in childhood education. 

As many of its candidates notch electoral wins nationwide, the pre-eminent socialist political group in the U.S., the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), plans to roll out an updated platform that includes eliminating the Senate and replacing the president and the Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by Congress.

According to a source familiar with the DSA’s planning, the organization plans to roll out an update next week to its long-term vision for a U.S. policy platform. The update includes eliminating the U.S. Senate and replacing the president and the Supreme Court with an executive branch and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.

Additionally, the updated platform would include amnesty for all immigrants and defunding the Department of War.

This would be in addition to the DSA’s current policy platform, which calls for an “immediate end to all deportations,” free migration between countries without restrictive immigration controls, and “extending full voting rights to people with criminal convictions and noncitizens.”

EXPERT WHO FLED CUBA WARNS OF ‘VICIOUS CYCLE’ THAT WILL LEAD TO ‘COMMUNISTS IN DOUBLE DIGITS’ IN CONGRESS

Once considered a fringe movement on the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, the DSA has been gaining relevance with several of its members toppling longtime establishment party figures. This has prompted many to speculate that the DSA represents the Democratic Party’s future.

While the DSA has endorsed the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., perhaps the most prominent member of the group is New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda, burst onto the national consciousness this year after he defeated former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2025.

Since Mamdani’s victory, the DSA has continued to gain momentum, with four of its endorsed candidates — Melat Kiros of Colorado, Darializa Avila-Chevalier of New York, Adam Hamawy of New York and Donavan McKinney of Michigan — each defeating sitting Democratic members of Congress in recent months.

SOCIALIST MAYOR KATIE WILSON SILENT AMID PROTESTS OVER ‘HUMAN DUMPING GROUND’ AHEAD OF US WORLD CUP MATCH

These and other victories have emboldened the DSA, which touts itself as a “working-class alternative to the Democratic Party.” After a recent round of primary victories, the DSA proclaimed that “only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US.”

The group added that “our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class — not for crumbs.”

WATCH: DEM GOV MOCKED FOR CRITICIZING ‘TRIBAL’ POLITICS AMID REDISTRICTING PUSH: ‘HYPOCRISY KNOWS NO BOUNDS’

In addition to radically altering the country’s three-branch form of government, the DSA’s existing platform also advocates establishing a 32-hour work week “with no reduction in pay or benefits,” the passage of Medicare for all, canceling all student loan debt, the elimination of cash bail and universal rent control.

In its program for 2025-2026, the DSA calls for a “new democratic constitution” that it says would establish civil, political, and democratic rights for all based on proportional representation in a “single federal legislature.”

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for comment.

Fox News’ Matthew Donnell contributed to this report.

Israel recently shared intelligence with the United States indicating Iran had developed a fresh plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday citing people familiar with the matter.

The reported intelligence would mark an escalation in the longstanding threats against Trump, who Iran has repeatedly vowed to retaliate against over the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani. 

The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s remarks Wednesday when asked about the report.

TRUMP FACES UNPRECEDENTED THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

“They want to take out the U.S. leader — me. I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists,” Trump said. “And, so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people. And we have to root out that cancer. That cancer. You know what you do? You’ve got to cut out cancer early. And that’s the way I feel.”

Fox News Digital has also reached out to Israel’s Embassy in Washington and Iran’s Mission to the United Nations for comment.

The Journal reported the intelligence surfaced as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have diverged in recent weeks over how to proceed after last month’s conflict with Iran. Netanyahu has advocated for continuing military pressure on Tehran, while Trump has sought to preserve a fragile ceasefire after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

NETANYAHU REJECTS REPORTS OF A RIFT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAYS THE TWO REMAIN ALIGNED ON IRAN

Trump and Netanyahu spoke Thursday and agreed to continue coordination between the two countries, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, which said Trump also updated the Israeli leader on recent U.S. activity in the Gulf.

Iranian mourners at the funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei chanted for Trump’s death and displayed a banner that said, “We Will Kill Trump,” according to the Journal.

Iran has publicly vowed for years to retaliate against Trump over the U.S. operation that killed Soleimani, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, in Baghdad in January 2020.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security will withhold billions in preparedness grant funding from states that refuse to adopt new election security measures, including voter citizenship verification, post-election audits and expanded use of paper ballots.

The push comes as President Donald Trump and many Republicans slam states that do not want to let the federal government audit their voter rolls, while also criticizing the snail’s-pace, widely criticized vote tabulations in states like California.

FEMA, a sub-agency of DHS, is making more than $1 billion in taxpayer funding available to states that want to participate in its Homeland Security Grant Program, but with a catch.

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S ELECTION ORDER AS SAVE AMERICA ACT FIGHT INTENSIFIES

To qualify for grants, states must submit plans to transition away from “unsecure electronic voting systems” that employ QR codes or barcodes instead of hand-marked paper ballots.

By doing so, the agency said, it provides a paper trail to quickly assess any alleged irregularities.

After each federal election, states seeking preparedness grants must conduct a manual audit of at least 5% of all ballots cast with the agency arguing a manual, random review will confirm voting-machine tabulations’ synthesis with paper ballots and identify any “manipulation.”

States must also match the number of voters who participated in the election with the number of ballots cast and, within 120 days of any grant award, use the SAVE database — brought to the fore amid numerous illegal immigrant truckers getting in fatal crashes — to verify the citizenship of every listed voter in the state.

SAVE, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system, has been criticized by some Democratic governors for being insufficiently maintained, an assertion DHS has denied.

LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATS

DHS told Fox News Digital that threats to election systems continue to evolve and that Secretary Markwayne Mullin has made critical infrastructure protection a top priority. A spokesperson suggested elections fall within that critical infrastructure and remain susceptible to foreign attacks.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking decisive action to protect election systems from threats like foreign interference, insider threats and cyberattacks,” the DHS spokesperson said. “These new requirements for homeland security grant recipients will preserve election integrity and ensure that Americans can trust the results.”

The new rules come as the Trump administration had a major loss in court while seeking to force the issue of election security.

An Obama-appointed federal judge in Pittsburgh sided with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after the Justice Department sued more than 25 states seeking voter records that included Social Security numbers.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Judge Cathy Bissoon ruled the feds lack authority to demand “highly sensitive” state information after Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican appointed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, balked at a demand to turn over data last fall.

Schmidt reportedly offered a redacted version of the state voter file without the sensitive data, telling the DOJ in his response that such “broad data” collection is a “concerning attempt to expand the federal government’s role in our country’s election process,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

DHS’ new tact may or may not be tested in a similar fashion.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, once proposed raising taxes to make room for a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.

A “DEI coordinator” was among eight new hires in the city’s 2023 proposed budget and would have set aside $25,500 for the position. In order to cover the costs of that opening and those of a police chief, a fire chief, a business administrator, a solicitor and a director of public works, the budget included a 3% property tax increase, estimated to generate $957,000 for the city.

The positions themselves were estimated to cost $380,500. That budget was ultimately not adopted.

Cognetti’s proposed plan highlights her beliefs about diversity in government and the directness with which government should pursue representation among certain demographics as she looks to flip one of the country’s most competitive districts and unseat incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.

RED-STATE SENATOR DROPS HAMMER ON DEM MAYOR OVER NEW ‘WOKE’ DEI ORDINANCE WHILE VIOLENT CRIME SURGES

In the past, Cognetti has highlighted her purposeful pursuit of diversity in government.

“We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re doing this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm,” Cognetti said in a podcast appearance.

When asked about the DEI proposals and the 2023 budget, the Cognetti campaign pointed out that Bresnahan’s company has received government assistance for being “women-owned,” support it says is in line with DEI policies.

“Rob Bresnahan’s own company identifies itself as disadvantaged and women-owned in order to get a leg up on securing federal contracts,” a Cognetti spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to Kuharchik Construction Inc.

The company, which Bresnahan began leading as CEO in 2013, has received $162,000 in federal contracts since 2008, according to records.

MAMDANI COMPARISONS FOLLOW COLORADO DEMOCRAT INTO PIVOTAL HOUSE RACE AFTER PRIMARY WIN

It has not received federal payments since 2017.

The campaign also said that many of Cognetti’s other acts as mayor directly helped bring the city’s costs down.

“Mayor Cognetti ran as an independent against a corrupt Democratic machine and reformed city hall. She saved taxpayers’ money by balancing the budget after years of mismanagement, turned down a government car and gas card, refused a pay raise, and improved the city’s credit rating from junk bond status to an A- investment rating,” the Cognetti campaign continued. “Now Paige is running to take on corrupt politicians in Washington like Rob Bresnahan, who has stock traded off of his votes and his access to insider information in Congress.”

Bresnahan is not under investigation for insider trading, a violation of House rules.

Despite her emphasis on cutting government spending, Cognetti’s framing of the 2023 budget and its DEI role reflects her belief that diversity should be an area where the government places more of its resources.

She explained her thinking in a 2023 podcast.

“I will say that we’ve had some setbacks. Last year we put a DEI coordinator in our budget. My city council cut that position with zero fanfare. There was no public comment. And this is where I think that the positive advocacy is missing,” Cognetti said of her budget proposal.

“You know, you want to raise taxes 3%. ‘Well, it should be only 2%.’ Okay, well, let’s have that conversation,” she said.

In Cognetti’s view, her work on DEI has not clashed with Scranton’s interests, and she affirms that hiring the best candidates has naturally led to greater diversity in government roles.

MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP

“We’re not doing it by cherry-picking, but by merit, and lo and behold, City Hall looks different,” Cognetti said.

“When you walk into City Hall today, there are far more people of color and far more women working there, I think, than you would have seen four years ago. And again, it’s not because we have had some grand strategy beyond really just hiring the best people for the jobs and trying to make sure that our jobs are posted in places that people are looking, right?”

FIRST ON FOX: A Maryland school district is being sued after parents accused school officials of hiding their daughter’s social gender transition and then citing district policy to justify keeping them in the dark.

America First Legal (AFL) is leading the lawsuit on behalf of anonymous parents identified as John and Jane Doe. The plaintiffs argue Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ policies violate their First and 14th Amendment rights, as well as similar provisions of the Maryland Constitution. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

The lawsuit is part of a growing wave of legal challenges targeting school districts with policies allowing staff to withhold information about a student’s gender identity from parents. It also comes months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which America First Legal says reinforced parents’ constitutional rights over decisions involving their children.

Ian Prior, senior advisor at America First Legal and counsel for the plaintiffs, said the district ignored that precedent.

NBC ANCHOR FORCED TO EXPLAIN USE OF TERM ‘BIOLOGICAL MALE’ DURING COVERAGE OF SUPREME COURT RULING

“The school system was referring to our client’s daughter by a male name and assuming a male identity for their daughter, and they didn’t approve that. And they weren’t told of that. And when they did find out about it, and they questioned the school, they were quite frankly lied to about it,” Prior told Fox News Digital.

“They said this is not going to happen anymore. We deny consent. And the school said, ‘Well, too bad, that’s the law.’ Unfortunately, for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, that is not the law.”

Prior said the Supreme Court made clear in Mirabelli that “parents have a fundamental right to raise their children” and argued schools cannot facilitate a child’s social transition without parental notice and consent.

According to the complaint, the dispute began in December 2025 after a teacher accidentally emailed the parents using a male name for their daughter before attempting to recall the message and later claiming it had been sent to the wrong recipient. The lawsuit alleges the teacher later admitted the explanation was false and acknowledged the student had requested to be called by a male name. The parents then instructed school officials to use only their daughter’s legal name and requested records related to the school’s actions.

The complaint alleges school administrators refused those requests, citing the district’s policies and telling the parents that school staff were required to honor the student’s preferred name while at school.

ALASKA STATE FAIR BARS PARENTAL RIGHTS GROUP DUE TO ‘EXTREMIST’ GROUP DESIGNATION BY FAR-LEFT ORGANIZATION

Months later, another teacher allegedly used the same male name in an email about an upcoming field trip. When the parents questioned it, the lawsuit says, the teacher initially gave a false explanation before admitting the name referred to their daughter.

According to the lawsuit, the district’s policies require staff to use students’ preferred names and pronouns and keep information about their gender identity confidential without notifying or getting permission from parents.

“It’s really unfortunate that this even has to result in litigation, because, again, the Supreme Court has been very clear about what schools can and cannot do. But what we’ve really seen throughout the country is that, in order to get schools to adhere to the Constitution and the law of the land, you have to bring them to court and get a court order demanding that they follow the law,” Prior told Fox News Digital.

The Maryland case is the latest in a series of lawsuits AFL has filed challenging school policies governing student gender identity.

Just weeks earlier, on June 22, 2025, America First Legal filed a separate federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Fairfax County Public Schools. That lawsuit alleges the district’s policy violates parents’ constitutional rights by allowing school staff to socially transition students, including using different names and pronouns at school without notifying parents in certain circumstances. The Fairfax litigation remains in its early stages.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Prior said AFL is also pursuing similar parental rights cases in Pennsylvania and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California.

The litigation also comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to challenge school policies concerning parental notification and gender identity. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education concluded that the California Department of Education remains in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), finding that state policies pressure school officials to conceal information about students’ gender identity from parents. California has pushed back against the federal government’s conclusions and related legal challenges remain ongoing.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools declined to comment on the litigation.

EXCLUSIVE: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said the Trump administration is working to counteract the housing cost surges that he said resulted from Joe Biden’s open border policies.

Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital from the Great American State Fair on Thursday, Turner insisted President Donald Trump’s team is pursuing policies to improve affordability, a key midterm issue, and bring down home price and rent cost spikes that correlated with the influx of illegal immigration under the previous administration.

Republicans have argued their agenda will bring down home prices and rents by cutting regulations, increasing housing supply and cracking down on illegal immigration.

BIDEN’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SURGE CAUSED HIGHER RENT AND HOME PRICES, FED STUDY FINDS

“When we first came in with President Trump, we had open borders. We had tens of millions of illegals in our country,” Turner said, arguing that increased housing demand from unauthorized immigration drove up costs for American citizens.

A recent Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper reached a similar conclusion, estimating that every 1% increase in unauthorized immigrant workers was associated with a roughly 2.2% increase in home prices and a 1.4% increase in rents.

Turner said that beyond rolling back regulations, expanding mortgage credit and removing barriers to new construction, reducing illegal immigration is key to helping ease demand for housing.

THE SURPRISING HIDDEN COST QUIETLY ADDING NEARLY $132K TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALED

He also said the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is a key part of the president’s broader effort to reduce costs for American families amid an ongoing affordability crisis.

“Here in America, we prioritize American people and American people only. American houses are for American people,” Turner said.

Asked when Americans can expect to see lower housing costs, Turner argued the administration is already taking steps to make housing more affordable.

“I think there is a misperception that this is not a priority. It is of the utmost priority,” Turner said.

A PROBLEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IS KEEPING AMERICANS FROM BUYING HOMES

As evidence, Turner pointed to two executive orders Trump signed that together work to remove regulatory barriers to affordable housing construction, expand access to mortgage credit and increase housing supply.

The HUD secretary said the administration is also rolling back regulations and “bureaucratic red tape” put in place under the Biden administration to lower construction costs and spur more homebuilding.

“That’s what we’re doing now, we are easing the regulatory environment, bringing the cost down, raising the supply so builders can build and homeowners can buy,” he said, describing those efforts as key to making homeownership more affordable for American families.