48 Laws of Power | Hidden Psychological Tactics for Success

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration cannot speed the deportations of migrants accused of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua using an 18th-century wartime law.In a 2-1 ruling, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with immigrant rights lawyers and lower court judges who argued the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was not created to be used against gangs like Tren de Aragua."The Trump administrations use of a wartime statute during peacetime to regulate immigration was rightly shut down by the court," Lee Gelernt, who argued the case for the American Civil Liberties Union, said. "This is a critically important decision reining in the administrations view that it can simply declare an emergency without any oversight by the courts."The Alien Enemies Act was previously used only three times in U.S. history, and all came during declared wars in the War of 1812 and the two World Wars.BOASBERG CLEARED TO RULE ON CECOT MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS AFTER APPEALS COURT DECISIONThe Trump administration claimed that courts cannot second-guess the president's determination that Tren de Aragua was connected to Venezuelas government and represented a danger to the U.S., which it argued warranted using the law.The administration deported alleged Tren de Aragua members to a mega-prison in El Salvador where, officials argued, U.S. courts could not order their release.More than 250 of the deported migrants returned to Venezuela under a deal announced in July.In a 2-1 ruling, the court granted the preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiffs because they "found no invasion or predatory incursion" in this case.VIDEO SHOWS US MILITARY BLASTING DRUG BOAT, KILLING 11 SUSPECTED VENEZUELAN TREN DE ARAGUA NARCO-TERRORISTSThe court's ruling blocks deportations from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.The majority opinion said Trumps allegations about Tren de Aragua do not meet the historical levels of national conflict that Congress intended for when the law was approved."A country encouraging its residents and citizens to enter this country illegally is not the modern-day equivalent of sending an armed, organized force to occupy, to disrupt, or to otherwise harm the United States," U.S. Circuit Judges Leslie Southwick and Irma Carrillo Ramirez wrote.In a dissent, U.S. Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham argued that the majority was second-guessing Trumps conduct in foreign affairs and national security, which are areas where courts often give the president great deference.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"The majoritys approach to this case is not only unprecedentedit is contrary to more than 200 years of precedent," Oldham wrote.The Trump administration secured one legal victory in Tuesday's ruling, with the judges finding the procedures officials use to advise detainees under the Alien Enemies Act about their legal rights are appropriate.The ruling can be appealed to the full Fifth Circuit or directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to make the ultimate decision in this case.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un met on Wednesday after attending a Chinese military parade celebrating the anniversary of the end of World War II.Putin and Kim were meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing after spending time with other world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the parade.The two men traveled to the bilateral talks in the same car after departing a formal reception, according to the Kremlin on social media, per The Associated Press.PUTIN, XI CHAMPION 'UNPRECEDENTEDLY HIGH' TIES AS IRAN AND NORTH KOREA LEADERS ARRIVE IN BEIJINGPutin kicked off the meeting by praising the North Korean soldiers for their "bravery and heroism" in fighting alongside Russian troops in Moscow's war against Ukraine, according to the AP, which said the North Koreans were specifically helping to keep Ukraine from attacking Russia's Kursk border region.South Korea estimates that 15,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia since last year.Along with manpower, North Korea has also supplied Moscow with ballistic missiles and artillery, among other military equipment.TRUMP CLAIMS PUTIN, XI, KIM ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US AFTER MILITARY PARADE IN CHINAKim said his country's cooperation with Russia has "significantly strengthened" since last June when both leaders signed a strategic partnership.Kim did not bring up the Russia-Ukraine war, per the AP, but told Putin that he would do "everything possible to help" the people of Russia in whatever way is needed."If theres anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help," Kim said, according to the AP.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe bilateral meeting between the two marks the first time Kim has been to Beijing since 2019 as he seeks to strengthen ties with China and Russia.Kim had his senior party and government officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, with him during the trip, KCNA added.The visit comes a couple of weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., where he emphasized trilateral cooperation to counter North Koreas advancing nuclear and missile programs.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, its my duty to say that he responded to a user on Truth Social by saying: "NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE."Thats in response to some ugly and reckless online rumors that I wont dignify here, although CNN made time to discuss it, adding that vicious online chatter is not true.What is true is that the president has been on an online rampage, that denouncing his opponents gives him immense satisfaction and portrays him as a fighter. Fighting has been his default setting, ever since he was battling the likes of Leona Helmsley as a New York developer.And it goes beyond politics. Trump has demanded that Roger Clemens, credibly accused of taking illegal drugs, be admitted to the Hall of Fame now, rather than waiting till his death as in the case of Pete Rose. He says this is part of a "deal" he made with the baseball commissioner.PRESIDENT TRUMP ADDRESSES WILD RUMORS ABOUT HIS HEALTH: 'IT'S FAKE NEWS'And then there are other parts of the culture war, such as declaring parts of the Smithsonian museums too "woke," and personally announcing the Kennedy Center Awards choices after ousting Democrats from the theaters board.The president is also escalating his rhetoric against the media, demanding that ABC and NBC both of which settled his lawsuits by $16 million or more lose their licenses because of their negative coverageof him.Joe Biden used to be out of sight in Rehoboth for three days and no one noticed. Trump does that though there have been reporter "sightings" and the media go crazy. Thats because were so accustomed to seeing him every day. He may have minor ailments bruised hand, swollen ankles but hes, well, old,, and it would be helpful if he released more medical information. But the guy held a 3-hour, 15-minute presser just a few days ago!And if youve crossed Donald in the past fughedaboudit!He is a counterpuncher.In reading jabs with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Trump said he got praise as "the greatest president of my lifetime." But video from a Fox documentary shows the governor gave him a warm welcome and said he looked forward to working with him on rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge."Well help you out," Trump said.But the president later posted: "I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge.I will now have to rethink that decision???"Now who would be hurt by such a move? Millions of people tied to that region economically, and in the country served by that port. I dont think he would actually do it, and he covers himself with the three question marks. (The funding was actually approved at the end of Biden administration.)VAN JONES ADMITS WOKE ACTIVISM AT WORK GOT 'RIDICULOUS' AND 'WE NEED TO MOVE ON'When Chris Christie ripped his one-time ally on ABC, Trump brought up the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal. New Jersey never charged the governor, and his two top indicted aides later had their convictions overturned."Chris refused to take responsibility for these criminal acts," Trump posted.. For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again?"Trump also called for Democratic donor and activist George Soros, and the son whos taken over his organization, to face racketeering charges:"George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America."TRUMP: Margaret Brennan. What do you think of her?KAROLINE LEAVITT: Shes stupid. You can put that on the record.TRUMP: Shes nasty.LEAVITT: Yes.For the record, Brennan is far from stupid. Whats more, she was off for the holiday weekend, and it was CBSs Ed OKeefe asking Kristi Noem hard but fair questions. So there was no reason to be beating up on Brennan.The Homeland Security secretary ripped CBS for "shamefully" editing this part out of the "Face the Nation" interview. In part:"This individual was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who wasa wife beater, and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors. And even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children."Meanwhile, MSNBCs Joe Scarborough broke with the anti-Trump line and said this about Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker--after asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson five times if he wanted more money for police and not getting a straight answer.GEORGIA JUDGE ORDERS FANI WILLIS TO REDO SEARCH FOR RECORDS IN TRUMP ELECTION CASE"I actually think that J.B. Pritzker should do something radical. I think he should pick up the phone, call the president, and say, You know and I know you dont have the Constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard here, and to police my [city]. You can do that in D.C., you cant do that in Chicago. But lets partner up. These are the most dangerous parts of my state, we would love to figure out how to have a partnership thats Constitutional that respects the sort of balance of federalism between the federal government and the state government. And lets work together to save lives."As for Johnson talking about the "dignity" of his constituents: "The mayor talking about were gonna protect peoples dignity in our city,' Scarborough said. "Well, protect their lives! Thats protecting their dignity!"After the segment aired, Trump ripped Donna Brazile for her comments on ABC: "Wasnt she totally discredited when she gave Crooked Hillary Clinton the questions to a Debate?"And later: "CRIME IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL IN CHICAGO. 6 DEAD, 24 BADLY WOUNDED, LAST WEEK ALONE!!!"Heres another example: Ashley Parker, formerly of the New York Times and Washington Post and now with the Atlantic, and her colleague Nancy Youssef, did intensive reporting in talking to National Guard members, city residents and others and wrote that no one knows what themission is:"The occupation has chilled life in the city, especially in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations: quiet playgrounds, empty restaurants, fewer street vendors, fewer food-delivery scooters. Nannies have stayed home, and house cleaners have canceled. Some mixed-status families are keeping their children home from school or skipping work until the federal focus moves on, or theyre leaving home only when absolutely necessary. As D.C. Public Schools reopened this week, some local parent-teacher groups organized impromptu walking busesvolunteers willing to help walk to and from school kids whose parents dont feel safe doing so"Their sudden appearance brings with it an absurdist sheen their tasks quotidian (beautification), their backdrops farcical (a Dupont Circle Krispy Kreme), their very presence sitcom-esque (as if lifted from an episode of Veep)."Ok, its an opinionated piece for a liberal magazine. So what became the news?That in June she had complained: "After another bike was stolen last night, my husband and I realized our life as DC homeowners by the numbers includes: 1 stolen car; 2 stolen scooters/Vespas; 3 stolen bikes; a partridge in a pear tree; etc."If anything, she put aside her personal experience with crime and slammed the "occupation."But lets scrutinize the role of the media, much of which has resumed the role of the Resistance. Even if you despise every one of Trumps policies, he is the most significant president of the 21st century, from bombing Irans nuclear sites to cracking down on D.C. crime and shutting down the border.And yet the coverage has been overwhelmingly negative, though sometimes the press is fairly reporting an array of facts.For instance, that Trump wants to cut NOAAs budget by 27 percent, eliminating its research arm, and has cut research for next-generation satellites.But it seems that most of the negative coverage is aimed personally at the president, no matter what he says or does, with the knee-jerk reaction that he can never be given credit for anything.

Division rivals came to blows in Denver on Tuesday night after San Francisco Giants infielder Rafael Devers apparently admiring a two-run home run a little too long.After Devers belted his first-inning homer, he and Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland exchanged heated words before Devers could even reach first base, and players from both dugouts came toward the mound.Matt Chapman shoved Freeland from the side, while Willy Adames came close to throwing a punch.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMOrder was eventually restored after the brouhaha approached both second base and home plate.It's easy to see why the Rockies are upset, as they entered the game 39-99 and on pace for 45 wins on the season. That would be just a hair better than last year's Chicago White Sox.MARK TEIXEIRA DISCUSSES POLITICAL DIVIDE, SAYS HE CANT TALK TO PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE MEN CAN GET PREGNANT'The Giants, meanwhile, somehow remain alive in the wild card hunt despite trading almost anyone they possibly could at the deadline.Coming into Tuesday, they were 69-69 and five games out of the final postseason spot, so it will definitely be a long shot to get in.But it's impossible for the Rockies, as they are 35 games back with 34 to go.Freeland entered the game with a 5.28 ERA. Devers was traded to the Giants following an ugly ending with the Boston Red Sox earlier this season. He hit a home run against the Rockies on Monday, as well.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on Xand subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

American workers are front and center in the race to stay ahead of China. There just arent enough of them. Jobs are going unfilled from advanced semiconductor foundries to the drydocks where the U.S. Navys combat ships are built. Ships and chips are both in crisis.And no, AI by itself isnt the answer."Weve spent the last 10 years teaching people how to code. We need to spend the next 10 years teaching people how to use their hands," Navy Secretary John Phelan said July 16 in Detroit.TARIFF UNCERTAINTY THREATENS $490B IN US MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT, REPORT WARNSIt's shipfitters, blasters, superconducting process integration managers and semiconductor equipment technicians who will ensure the USA beats China. Both ships and chips rely on touch labor albeit in very sophisticated factories and foundries.President Donald Trump gets it. "Every policy of the Trump administration is designed to lift up the American worker, promote great-paying, blue-collar jobs and to rebuild the industrial bedrock of our nation," he said Aug. 26.Not that youll see just blue collars anymore: look for black T-shirts, plaid flannel, white clean room "bunny suits" and engineers in polos. But the essentials are the same. This critical workforce is made up of men and women whove built their technical expertise and thrive on getting the job done, whether with a crane or a lithography machine.NEW STUDY REVEALS THREATS TO THE CLASS OF 2025. FIXING THEM SHOULD BE JOB NO. 1 FOR AMERICAHeres the stunning problem. Although both ships and chips sectors are booming with urgent programs and new opportunities, America as a nation has devalued the trades and is paying the price. The manufacturing sector's workforce decline due to decades of globalism has been so sharp that U.S. national security and economic dominance are at risk.Just 3% of the American population today work in manufacturing, versus 9% during the Cold War. COVID-19 hit hard. Texas, Florida and Georgia have added enough manufacturing jobs to surge ahead of their pre-pandemic employment levels, but almost half of U.S. states still have lower manufacturing totals than 2019.Unless reversed, the decline in manufacturing labor could hurt Americas position.NAVY RECRUITMENT 'SKYROCKETS' UNDER TRUMP'S LEADERSHIP, OFFICIAL SAYSYou already know Americas Navy is smaller than Chinas. The Navys own shipyards need to hire 250,000 new workers over the next decade for maintenance, construction and repair. Add in the shipbuilders who are trying to accelerate new submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers, and workforce shortages threaten maritime dominance over China.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONPriority No. 1 is pay. Trump said that wages for blue-collar workers are rising at the fastest rate in 60 years. Wages for welders on nuclear submarines need to be much higher than fast food and delivery trucks. Its not just entry-level jobs. Shipyards must retain experienced shipfitters ready to step up as foremen and boost the talent pool for hundreds of major suppliers. The wider plan is "the nation as a shipyard" with a combination of investment and tapping new labor pools to make ship modules in locations where labor abounds.The U.S. share of global semiconductor manufacturing fell from 40% in 1990 to 12% in 2020. With a projected 33% growth in semiconductor jobs by 2030, the gap between job openings and qualified candidates will leave 146,000 positions unfilled. More workers are being sought for both commercial semiconductors, and for the advanced composite chips used in defense electronics.These arent your day-to-day, mass-produced silicon chips; think multi-layered chips powering information systems for satellites, F-16 fighters, radars, Apache helicopters and more. And many are smaller than a grain of sand. Production at one advanced Linthicum, Maryland, foundry alone will quadruple by 2030 if they can hire.The good news is that manufacturing is starting a resurgence, according to the St. Louis Fed. Investment in new facilities has doubled since 2022. Private capital targeted at near-term modernization in shipyards can deliver efficiency and sustained profits. The One Big Beautiful Bill expands access to Pell Grants, which can cover on-the-job training programs. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer sees job creators across America as "back at the center of our economic agenda" at locations from an aerospace composites manufacturer in Utah to a microelectronics fab in Idaho.Trump likes to call out "the incredible hardworking men and women of our country." Dont forget, they are on the front lines of the race with China. American prosperity and security depend on Americas workers.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT

America First Legal announced Tuesday it has launched a Parent and Student Action Center to help defend parental rights and protect students in schools."Parents have a fundamental obligation to raise the next generation and to instill values that will not just preserve and sustain our values, but that will facilitate unprecedented greatness for generations to come," Gene Hamilton, president of America First Legal, said in a statement. "No failing school bureaucracy should ever stand in the way of greatness, and these resources that the team at America First Legal have put together have the potential to change outcomes in demonstrably beneficial ways."The Parent and Student Action Center is described as "a one-stop hub designed to give parents and students practical resources to push back against woke curricula, union-driven agendas and unlawful discrimination in schools," according to an email from the organization obtained byFox News Digital.The announcement comes as parental rights continue to take center stage in education debates. The initiative highlights ongoing battles over classroom content and the role of parents in school decision-making.FOUNDING FATHERS UNDERSTOOD PARENTAL RIGHTS ARE NATURAL RIGHTS. TRUMP KNOWS IT, TOOAmerica First Legal said the hub includes toolkits to help parents and students understand Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits schools receiving federal funding from discriminating based on race, color or national origin and Title IX, which bars discrimination based on sex or gender. The toolkits also explain how families can use these laws to fight discrimination.For example, the Title VI toolkit page instructs users on how to file a signed, written complaint within 180 days of the alleged incident. It specifies that complaints should include the name, address and telephone number of the person filing; the name and address of the institution accused of discrimination; background information about the incident, including those allegedly involved; and the names of any witnesses.KEY SCOTUS PARENTAL RIGHTS CASES DRAW MCMAHON, MOMS FOR LIBERTY TO RALLY ON COURT STEPS"There is nothing more cherished than the watchful eyes of parents,"Julie Alexa Strauss, America First Legal senior counsel, said in a statement. "AFL stands with families as they push back against woke ideology and unlawful actions in schools."The Action Center also includes resources on the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which governs parental rights over federally funded surveys or instructional materials; the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects student education records; and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and related state open records laws, which allow the public to request documents from government agencies.Each toolkit comes with template letters for parents and students."In June, the United States Supreme Court explicitly and forcefully reaffirmed theconstitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children," Ian Prior, America First Legal senior counselor, said. "America First Legal is committed to empowering parents to exercise that fundamental right and fighting back against the special interests that are controlling our local public schools and using children as the subjects of a backwards and harmful social and political experiment."

Nearly 100,000 people died last year in violence-related deaths. It wasnt in Gaza or Ukraine. It was here in the United States. Deaths from opioids like fentanyl and murders totaled just under 100,000 down from the year before. The war is right here in America.These numbers are families ripped apart; children lost; communities unsafe. And these overall statistics sugarcoat the areas with the highest numbers lost, which are five and 10 times the national average. This is not about politics, but about American lives.The denial of this reality is one of the great scandals of our time and why so little was done to stop it until now. Every life is precious, and it's big news when a deranged individual shoots up a church, but the equivalent of that is happening multiple times a day in many places, and it seems to be hidden from the public consciousness.EXPERT FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEMS PUSHING 'CHERRY-PICKED' CRIME STATS TO RESIST TRUMP'S DC CRACKDOWNThe governor of Illinois said that they had crime under control and didnt need any federal help. Nearly 800 people were murdered last year in Cook County. Another 1,000 died of drug overdoses. Thats about five people every day. Nothing to see here. Cook County may not have the highest crime rate (thats reserved for St. Louis, which has the highest murder rate of any major city), but it has the highest number of deaths per year.President Donald Trump has taken some strong measures on closing the border, threatening China and other countries over fentanyl and taking over policing Washington D.C. He has gone right at trying to end the hidden war killing so many, right here.And the early signs are that his methods are shaking things up and are working to attack problems that under the Biden administration had largely been allowed to fester. The focus on policy was to ignore the border and make everything about racial equality and climate change. Numbers may have come down since the post-pandemic surge, but they are still way too high.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONTo his credit, Trump has gone right at the border, organized crime, the cartels and the street crime infecting many cities. The border is closed and even D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recognizes that the measures have brought crime down, taken guns off the street and curtailed carjackings. Virtually overnight, it has made the nations capital safer, proving we dont have to just sit here and let our inner cities be written off.FORMER CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF SAYS CRIME BY GANGS OF YOUTH IN DC HAS SPIKED, ESCAPED CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODSWe can go right to the core, repeat criminals who have been allowed to game the system over the last few years. One criminal in D.C., being hauled off last week, started yelling as he was being taken away about how he would be out in no time despite a rap sheet Al Capone would have been proud of. Maybe not this time.The Democratic response has been to wail about "authoritarianism." California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom is taking the gloves off. This is not what President Bill Clinton did when I worked with him he made stopping crime and creating the safest big cities in the world a key goal.Instead, Democrats should have reached out to find a way to work together on these issues they should have asked to go to the Oval Office and work out the issues they had so that civil rights would be protected without letting crime continue as usual. But then that might possibly give some recognition to Trump and the opposition party and that is a no-go in todays world. So, even on losing issues, they instead hold their base with shrill rhetoric.Lost in this political battle are the lives and families involved. Eight thousand people a month are being killed right here by drug overdoses and murders. Yet there will be no campus protests. No signs saying "save the lives." No posters of carjacking victims. But the president is going right at these problems and Democrats need to find a way to join the movement rather than resist at all.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM MARK PENN

President Donald Trump is driving clueless Democrats to embrace the losing side of many issues, like opposing his efforts to drive down crime, favoring open borders and encouraging biological men to compete in womens sports. There is another critical cause Trump should champion that will put Democrats even more on the defensiveour failing public schools. The time is right; parents are unhappy with their childrens schools and AI promises huge improvements, if we can get the teachers unions out of the way. In the coming days, Americas children will head back to the classroom. Many families will look forward with excitement to a new academic year of achievement and progress. For others, and especially those trapped in the failing schools of Democrat-run cities like New York and Chicago, the new year will bring defeat and disappointment. TRUMP DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ROLLS OUT LATEST STEP TO EXPAND SCHOOL CHOICE NATIONWIDEFar too many of our nations children disproportionately Black and brown kidswill again be left behind. Excuses will be made, standards will be lowered and parents will wonder whether their children have any shot at the American dream. Democratic politicians pretend to care about children, but every year that goes by confirms they care more about the tens of millions of dollars they harvest from the teachers' unions. In this years annual Mood of the Nation survey, Gallup found only 24% of Americans satisfied with public education, a record low and one of the least favorable readings posted on any issue. During the pandemic, when unions demanded that schools close and classes went online, parents saw firsthand the woke garbage being taught to their kids. Something broke.LINDA MCMAHON PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN ON TRUMP'S PLAN TO DISMANTLE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONWith AI rocketing into reality and infusing every industry with the possibility of enormous productivity gains, the time has come to combat the rigid authoritarianism of the teachers unions. Trump should lead that charge.In New York City, the nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission estimates that the Department of Education will spend more than $42,000 per child this year, more than any other big city in the country and one-third more than was spent just five years ago. And what do families in the Big Apple get for that outrageous sum, which accounts for nearly one third of the citys budget? As reported recently in the New York Post, just 33% of Big Apple fourth graders scored proficiency in math and 28% in readingon the National Assessment of Educational Progress last year.Older students results were worse 23% of city eighth graders met the national standards in math and 29% in reading." Imagine, taxpayers are spending private-school-level sums and getting results that should shame the country and the city. To repeat, only 23 of 100 kids in eighth grade can do math at grade level and 29 can read, and those results benefit from ever-shifting goal posts. What about the other kids? Does anybody care?LARGEST TEACHERS UNION SLAMS 'UNLAWFUL' CUTS TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AFTER SUPREME COURT RULINGIn Chicago, spending per student is nearly $20,000, which does not include some items thrown into the NYC totals, like debt service. Chicagos school outlays have nearly doubled over the past decade, while scores and standards have fallen, as in New York. Last year, only some 29% of Chicago kids could read at grade level, and 18% less than one in fiveof kids were proficient at math. As in New York, the failure rate among minorities is especially worrisome. While 29% of all Chicago eighth-grade students passed algebra, for instance, fewer than 17% of Black kids succeeded in doing so. The poor performance of Chicagos schools is not surprising, considering that, according to the Illinois Report Card, the system suffered chronic absenteeism of 41% in 2024. Worse, the chronic absenteeism rate for the citys teachers was also about 41%.Who is speaking up for those Black kids who are falling behind? It certainly isnt the teachers unions. Recent contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union started out with union bosses making 700 demands, estimated to cost $10 billion. Some of the demands had nothing to do with educating students, but focused on adding a "restorative justice coordinator in every school," more holidays for teachers, establishing a "scratch kitchen, so students can eat culturally relevant, nourishing lunches," less accountability, gender-affirming care and "queer competent trained service providers." NEA TEACHERS UNION MEMBER WAS TOLD FIGHTING TRUMP MORE CRUCIAL THAN READING AND WRITING: REPORTThe union was feeling entitled after it and national teachers organizations funded about half of Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnsons campaign and delivered victory through a massive effort to turn out voters, prompting the Chicago Tribune to dub the CTU Chicagos new political "machine." CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONTeachers unions across the nation work to plump up their own salaries and benefits, which is their job, but they also spend millions electing politicians likeJohnson that do their bidding, which has little to do with making sure our kids can compete in the 21st century. Trump has taken a good first step in boosting our education system by dismantling much of the Department of Education and sending more authority over our schools back to the states. He also issued an executive order overturning the disastrous Obama-Biden guidance mandating that disciplining of students must consider race and equity, which reduced safety in schools. And, he has encouraged widespread instruction in the use of AI. But more can be done. For instance, the president must encourage the continued expansion of school choice. Since 2021, 11 GOP-led states controlled by Republican legislatures haveadopted policies giving parents a choice of schooling, including public, private, charter or home-based education options. Increased competition will raise standards; public schools will no longer get a free pass.The president can also defend parental rights, including the right to know what is going on in the classroom, which some unions are trying to prevent. Randi Weingarten, the powerful head of the American Federation of Teachers, was recently spotted wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Protect our Kids." Thats where shes wrong; they are not her kids, they are ours.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM LIZ PEEK

A.J. McCarron led the Alabama Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships in 2011 and 2012 and helped build the program back to its winning ways with head coach Nick Saban.McCarron was just as upset as every other Alabama fan who had to watch the Florida State Seminoles romp the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Particularly, the former quarterback was upset with how some of the teams star players competed.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"There was no passion, there was no fight, no dog, and especially from the guys that I thought were returning that would show that," he said on "The Dynasty" podcast. "Ryan Williams, Deontae Lawson I did not see that fire. I thought Deontae Lawson would be an absolute dog. He was nonexistent in this game. Im just being up front, and I love the kid."Hell, he graduated from the same school my kids go to. Ive watched him for a long time. I dont know if hes just slow coming back from the ACL, and Ive had that. And trust me, its not easy. But he played slow. He looked out of shape. He did not play with a reckless abandonment, like I thought he would."TRUMP REFERENCES ALABAMAS STUNNING DEFEAT IN SPACE COMMAND ANNOUNCEMENT AS TUBERVILLE GLOATS ABOUT AUBURNWilliams has been touted as the next great college football wide receiver after he made a name for himself when he was only 17. He had five catches for 30 yards against Florida State and was put into concussion protocol in the fourth quarter. He hasnt recorded at least 60 yards receiving since the teams 24-17 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2024.Lawson is the veteran on the Crimson Tide defense. He had four tackles in the loss against Florida State. Last season, he had 76 total tackles, two sacks and an interception.The entirety of the Crimson Tide program is feeling the pressure. They have a good chance to bounce back on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.