Gov Sanders reveals ‘major breakthrough’ on education as red state positions itself as ‘blueprint’ for nation

2026-06-19T06:00:02-04:00 / Fox News

Mathematics proficiency rose from 36.4% to 44.2% and science from 35.6% to 44.0% since the 2023 LEARNS Act took effect

By Kiera McDonald , Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published June 19, 2026 6:00am EDT | Updated June 19, 2026 6:35am EDT

Sarah Sanders outlines how major education shakeup has led to results in her state

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders tells Fox News Digital test scores are on the rise in Arkansas and that she hopes her state can serve as a national blueprint.

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EXCLUSIVE:As Democrats across the country criticize education programs in red states, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is touting a major achievement in her state she hopes will serve as an education blueprint for all states, regardless of politics, nationwide.

“The thing we’re most excited about is the fact that so many Arkansas students are doing better now than they would have been doing pre-LEARNS legislation,” Sanders told Fox News Digital on the day her office announced a “major breakthrough” on education following implementation of a 2023 Republican backed statewide education overhaul, known as the LEARNS Act.

The law also raised the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, created performance-based teacher bonuses, boosted literacy support, funded school safety initiatives, and banned critical race theory and classroom teachings related to critical race theory, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexually explicit materials.

Arkansas public school students are seeing sharp gains on a new statewide exam, with proficiency rates rising more than 7% across all grades and subjects in just three years under the state’s conservative education reforms. Since 2024, student proficiency has increased by more than 7% and by more than 5% since 2025, according to the governor’s office.

MISSISSIPPI’S SCHOOL MIRACLE SHAMES FAILING CHICAGO LEADERS ON EDUCATION

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, during a Bloomberg Television interview at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.(Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We want our kids to do well,” Sanders said. “We love the fact that kids in Arkansas are learning, that they’re moving up. The growth and achievement that we’re seeing from our kids is exactly what we want to happen.”

In 2026, 42.2% of students met proficiency standards, up from 36.9% in 2025. Mathematics proficiency increased from 36.4% in 2024 to 44.2% in 2026, science proficiency rose from 35.6% to 44.0%, and English language arts proficiency climbed from 33.8% to 39.5%.

Students performing at the lowest levels also fell across all subjects, dropping from an average of 27.3% in 2025 to 23.1% in 2026. Reading performance among third-graders improved as well, with proficiency rising from 36% in 2024 to 43% in 2026.

Students in kindergarten through second grade, the first to learn under the state’s education reforms, exceeded 50% proficiency in nearly every subject and grade level, while maintaining upward momentum.

Sanders said transformational reform is driven by better teaching and a unified focus on student needs, saying “a comprehensive aligned approach” makes a difference.

“Not any one thing, but it’s the collective process of really transforming the way that we approach education,” Sanders said. “Realizing that every single kid can learn when given the right environment, when given the right tools, and letting failure not be an option.”

TEXAS’ LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT SEES TEST SCORES SOAR AFTER STATE TAKEOVER DESPITE RACISM CLAIMS

Arkansas public school students are seeing sharp gains on a new statewide exam, with proficiency rates rising more than 7% across all grades and subjects.(Getty)

Democrats in recent years, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and prominent teachers’ union officials, have targeted red-state education policies, but Sanders told Fox News Digital she hopes the education program sends a message across the country.

“I’m hopeful absolutely that red states will use what we’re doing here as a blueprint, but I also hope that blue states will look at the success that you’re seeing in places like Arkansas, Mississippi and others and try to follow suit because we want all kids to do well,” Sanders said.

“Seeing kids achieve and do better and be successful, that’s not a red state or blue state issue. That’s something everybody should care about.”

WHY AMERICA’S ONLY SCHOOL CHOICE SUPER PAC IS PUTTING SOME REPUBLICANS IN THE HOT SEAT

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attends a natural disaster preparedness event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2025.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sanders said the results are “showing what works,” adding there is no need to “reinvent the wheel.”

“We know that raising the bar, providing those resources and support for our students, for our teachers, for our superintendents makes a difference,” Sanders said. “We’ve got a recipe here that’s working and absolutely hope it not only changes the conversation but frankly changes the system, changes the culture and education.”

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“The LEARNS Act was a bold, innovative, and comprehensive approach to improve education,” Jacob Oliva, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education, said in a press release. “It was built on research, urgency, and the desperate need for change. These scores prove that listening to teachers, administrators, and parents wasn’t just valuable but also essential. The plan is working. Arkansas students are reading, learning, and benefitting.”

Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

中国驻美大使谢锋当地时间星期三（6月17日）应邀出席美中贸易全国委员会2026年度庆典晚宴，并发表演讲。 （取自中国驻美国大使馆官网）

中国驻美国大使谢锋在美中贸委会庆典晚宴上说，中美正商谈300亿美元（388亿新元）对等降税安排，也希望美方能尽快解决中国企业的合理关切。

据中国驻美大使馆官网消息，谢锋当地时间星期三（6月17日）应邀出席美中贸易全国委员会2026年度庆典晚宴，并发表演讲。

谢锋指出，中国国家主席习近平同美国总统特朗普5月在北京举行了历史性、标志性会晤，不仅再次为中美关系发展指明方向，也为中美经贸合作带来多重利好。

谢锋介绍，一是确立中美关系新定位，为两国经贸合作提供了稳定预期；二是开启中美交往新进程，为两国经贸合作注入了积极动力；三是打造中美对话新平台，为两国经贸合作增强了机制保障。

他强调，历史反复证明，关税战、贸易战、科技战没有赢家，脱钩断链、小院高墙此路不通，封别人的门只会堵自己的路。中美作为世界前两大经济体，你中有我、我中有你是客观事实，合则两利、斗则俱伤是历史定论，相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢才是光明大道。

对于中美关系发展的期待，谢锋提出，中美建设性战略稳定关系不是一句口号，不能光停留在文字上，而应变成两国各界相向而行的行动，不断拉长合作清单，持续压缩问题清单，坚决排除干扰和障碍。台湾问题、民主人权、道路制度、发展权利是中方四条红线，不容挑战，不能越界。

他相信，当中国的拉布布不必戴上所谓“强迫劳动”的帽子，当美国企业能够自由选择中国合作伙伴而不必担心泛国家安全化，中美关系新定位就具象化了。

谢锋提到，中美贸易理事会、投资理事会是新鲜事物，欢迎中美工商界建言献策，同两国政府形成合力，确保开好头、起好步，为中美经贸合作保驾护航、排忧解难。

他称，中美正商谈300亿美元对等降税安排。从中美贸易的体量看，完全可以把豁免单子拉得更长、规模范围做得更大，300亿翻倍或者加个零都不为过。

谢锋也希望美方尽快解决中国企业的合理关切，出口管制、双向投资限制、反垄断调查、涉军企业清单等“黑名单”不应被用作打压工具。

他认为，人工智能等新兴技术必须确保向善普惠、有序发展，不能放任自流、野蛮生长，不能“跑马圈地”、再设“铁幕”，更不能爆发“AI版星球大战”。中美作为全球领先的人工智能大国，完全可以优势互补、合作共赢。

澳大利亚南极局于6月18日发布的照片显示，一个野生动物小组正在评估赫德岛上南部象海豹大规模死亡的地点。 （法新社）

澳大利亚宣布，在西南部偏远地区发现首个疑似H5N1禽流感病例。

路透社报道，西澳大利亚州农业部长贾维斯星期五（6月19日）说，在勒格兰角国家公园（Cape Le Grand National Park）发现的候鸟褐贼鸥（brown skua）禽流感病毒检测呈阳性，目前正在进行检测以确认病毒株。

贾维斯说：“我们非常重视这个疑似H5禽流感病例。如果确定为H5禽流感入侵，我们将迅速采取协调一致的全国应对措施。”

自2021年以来，高致病性的H5禽流感病毒株已在野生鸟类和哺乳动物中传播，造成数百万只动物死亡，并感染家禽和奶牛场内的动物，甚至一些农场工人。

澳大利亚是目前唯一尚未出现确诊病例的大陆，当局一直在为疫情的到来做准备，包括加强农场的生物安全措施、对滨鸟进行疾病检测、为易感物种接种疫苗以及制定应对方案。

延伸阅读

美加州北象海豹首现H5N1禽流感
泰国清迈72只老虎染疫死亡 致疫来源不明

环境部长瓦特发布的声明中说：“如果疫情得到证实，这无疑将是一个非常令人担忧的进展，但澳大利亚过去几年一直在为此做好准备。”

贾维斯说，预计将于星期六（20日）公布确认已死亡的褐贼鸥是否感染禽流感的检测结果。她补充说，在同一地区还发现一只患病的巨鹱（giant petrel），目前正在进行禽流感检测。

翻新不到两周 美国林肯纪念堂倒影池开始脱漆

2026年6月19日 17:32 / 联合早报

美国林肯纪念堂倒影池池底藻类大量繁殖，导致池水变绿。图为6月18日，国家公园管理局的员工和承包商使用吸尘器清除池底的绿藻。 （法新社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国林肯纪念堂倒影池翻新后，于6月6日正式重新开放。然而，仅12天后，池底油漆已开始剥落。

美国政府星期二（16日）往池里倒入大量过氧化氢（hydrogen peroxide），但水体仍大面积爆发水藻，池水变回浑浊的暗绿色。

通过长满藻类的绿色池水可见，林肯纪念堂倒影池底新铺设的密封防水层多处出现裂口。（法新社）

美国总统特朗普此前公开批评这种水色“肮脏不堪、令人作呕”，于是耗资约1400万美元（约1810万新元）开展大规模翻新，以“先进纳米气泡水”等方式杀灭藻类，并主推铺设一款“国旗蓝”防渗衬层。但竣工不到两周，新铺设的密封防水层多处就出现裂口。

负责管理国家广场，倒影池所在地的国家公园管理局尚未回复路透社的置评请求。负责翻新工程的弗吉尼亚州大西洋工业涂料公司也未作回应。

有游客看到倒影池中的“脏水”后告诉路透社：“我觉得我们的资源应用在更有意义的地方。”

这项修复工程一开始便引发巨大争议。批评者抨击工程未公开招标，并称修复成本不断上升，他们也质疑特朗普与承包商之间的关系。

非营利组织美国文化景观基金会还提起诉讼，指林肯纪念堂倒影池涂上蓝漆是亵渎这个地标。

White House delays release of US voting machine study as midterms near

2026-06-19T10:04:07.221Z / https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-delays-release-us-voting-machine-study-midterms-near-2026-06-19/

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) – White House officials have for months delayed the release of a U.S. government report that outlines what it describes as significant vulnerabilities in the ​nation’s voting machines ahead of the November midterms, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The report, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, concludes that voting ‌machines could be further safeguarded by, for example, updating their software, the sources said. It does not say the vulnerabilities have led to votes flipping, but examines security gaps in how the machines are used during U.S. elections.

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Some White House officials have argued the report could undermine voter confidence, particularly among Republicans. Others have said they do not believe the report goes far enough in supporting President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, the three sources said. Some Democrats said privately they ​worried Gabbard’s probe into voting machines would be used by the administration to push states to use paper ballots.

Several court cases filed by Trump’s lawyers failed to prove voter fraud in the 2020 ​presidential race.

The sources were granted anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who launched an investigation into the voting machines and searched for evidence ⁠to support Trump’s false election fraud claims, steps down on Friday. Stepping in as interim director is federal housing regulator Bill Pulte. Trump has said he wants Pulte to investigate “rigged elections” during his time at ODNI.

It ​is unclear what Pulte plans to do with the report. He has been briefed on efforts by the agency to investigate flaws in voting machines, including the unreleased report, according to two of the sources.

Democrats and some analysts ​warn of possible interference by the Trump administration in the midterm elections, which analysts expect to deliver losses for Republicans.

Officials inside ODNI and experts who advised the agency advocated in meetings with White House officials that the administration begin fixing the flaws late last year in time to complete the process, which requires extensive coordination with states, before the midterms.

Asked about the delay in releasing the report, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that the administration “continues to offer assistance to state and local ​election officials, including through the FBI and CISA, to ensure the security and integrity of all machines used in American elections.” CISA is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman said Gabbard has taken “actions within ​her authorities” to “support the President’s directive to secure our elections — which includes identifying vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure.”

Pulte did not respond to a request for comment.

REPORT PART OF ADMINISTRATION ELECTIONS EFFORT

Some of the vulnerabilities detailed in the ODNI report have ‌long been known ⁠to prior administrations, said one former senior Biden administration official and two of the other sources. The vulnerabilities include machines running outdated software and having the ability to connect to the internet, which hackers could exploit.

All of the sources said they were unaware of any evidence of vote manipulation in U.S. elections.

The report is part of the administration’s broader effort to investigate potential fraud in U.S. elections following Trump’s signing of an executive order in February 2025 that aims to give the federal government greater control over U.S. elections.

Under the U.S. Constitution, states have authority over how elections are conducted.

Senior officials at the FBI and the Justice Department have spoken publicly about their probes ​into potential voter fraud across the country. The report, ​which draws on data from open-source and classified intelligence, ⁠would be the first to detail the administration’s work on voting machines.

It is one of two reports ODNI commissioned on voting machine flaws. The other report, which is also unpublished, was written last year by a government contractor, Mojave Research, which studied voting machines seized from Puerto Rico.

Both reports have been referenced in White House meetings ​in which officials debated whether there was enough evidence to prove Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

The Mojave report found no evidence ​the machines had been hacked, ⁠said two other sources.

NO AUTHORIZATION FROM WHITE HOUSE TO RELEASE REPORT

ODNI has briefed the White House on its findings over the last six months, but never received authorization to publish them, two of the sources familiar with the matter said.

The report says many states are using outdated systems, the three sources familiar with the matter said.

The intelligence agency used information from previously issued reports by CISA, the government cybersystems watchdog, that referenced hacking conferences in which the agency found some ⁠voting machines could ​be attacked through insecure hardware.

CISA has said it found no evidence that a foreign adversary interfered in the 2020 vote, and the ​agency joined other federal, state and local officials in declaring the election “the most secure in American history.”

ODNI and the White House have also not published the Mojave report. Mojave’s contract was terminated in October.

The software and coding vulnerabilities identified in that report led to the company’s ​recommendation that the administration implement an emergency remediation plan that would force states to immediately update their software systems. Two sources said that plan has not been implemented.

Why Republicans think they can save their House majority at the US-Mexico border

2026-06-19T10:00:25.535Z / CNN

• Republicans face an uphill battle to retain their House majority this November. But they see hope in flipping three border districts and defending two more in competitive races.
• The GOP is betting on strong challengers and record-low border crossings despite Trump’s declining Latino support.
• Democrats believe they will defend their seats and are targeting up to three Republican-held seats in response.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

Republicans are in an uphill battle to save their narrow House majority, weighed down by an unpopular president and concerns about the cost of living amid the US war with Iran.

But they see glimmers of hope along the US-Mexico border.

The House Republicans’ campaign arm is working to flip three border districts in November while defending at least two more. They believe they have recruited a strong lineup of challengers and can lean on illegal border crossings hitting record lows under President Donald Trump, even as his administration’s deportation efforts have coincided with a sharp drop in Latino support.

In a midterm cycle with fewer likely competitive districts due to redistricting, what happens in as many as six competitive border districts could help determine who controls the House for Trump’s final two years in office. Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map in part to target two longtime border Democrats, banking on GOP gains with Latino voters since Trump’s first run for office.

“Hispanics make up one of our most important voting blocs, and I think majority-Hispanic districts are some of our best pickup opportunities because we have made strong inroads with that community,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, in an interview with CNN.

Trump won 46% of Latino voters in 2024, according to CNN exit polling, up from 32% in 2020, a critical shift that helped him return to the White House. But Latinos nationally have soured on him since he returned to office. In an April survey from the Pew Research Center, Trump’s approval rating among Latino voters who supported him was down 27 percentage points from the start of his second term.

Republicans believe they can buck national headwinds at the border due to the strength of their recruited candidates, Trump’s inroads with Hispanic voters in the 2024 election, and voter concerns about returning to the border policies of former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Republicans’ ability to turn out Hispanic voters when Trump is not on the ballot is critical to the long-term health of the party. Hudson said it is a “challenge we’ve got to overcome” and that the NRCC’s “entire apparatus this time is built to solve that problem.”

“The GOP thinks that they can erase the damage they’ve caused just by propping up candidates with a Hispanic last name. They are dead wrong,” Bridget Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, responded in a statement, adding, “Latino voters are energized and showing up, and they will be the ones who deliver the House for Democrats.”

One of the Democratic incumbents the NRCC is targeting, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, acknowledged in an interview that border districts can be unique from the national political environment. Cuellar was an early and sharp critic of Biden’s handling of the border as unauthorized crossings hit record highs.

But Cuellar argued Republicans continue to operate off the “false premise” that Trump’s past success with Hispanic voters translates to midterm victories, especially given widespread pessimism about high costs.

“They have not gone down, and now you have another issue with immigration,” Cuellar said. “It’s not open borders, but it’s the overreach of ICE. And I told some of my Republican friends, ‘If Trump would’ve just said … I closed the border. I’m deporting the worst of the worst,’ and stop there, I think people in South Texas would’ve said, ‘Yeah, that’s the way.’ But he didn’t stop there.”

Cuellar will face Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, the chief administrative official of the county that includes Laredo, the congressman’s longtime political base. Tijerina switched parties in late 2024, citing “the radicalization of the national Democrats.”

In a reflection of the leeway House Republicans are giving candidates on the economy, Tijerina praised Trump for launching strikes against Iran but acknowledged the war was “unpopular” and expressed confidence in the president’s ability to wrap it up soon.

“Sometimes we got to take a step back to take two steps forward,” Tijerina said, “and I think that’s what he’s trying to do, and I think that’s what people are seeing, and they understand that.”

Border districts that REPUBLICANS SEE AS PICKUP OPPORTUNITIES

• New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District: Greg Cunningham is challenging Rep. Gabe Vasquez
• Texas’ 28th Congressional District: Tano Tijerina is challenging Rep. Henry Cuellar
• Texas’ 34th Congressional District: Eric Flores is challenging Rep. Vicente Gonzalez

BORDER DISTRICTS THAT DEMOCRATS SEE AS PICKUP OPPORTUNITIES

• Texas’ 15th Congressional District: Bobby Pulido is challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz
• Arizona’s 6th Congressional District: JoAnna Mendoza is challenging Rep. Juan Ciscomani
• Texas’ 23rd Congressional District: Democrat Katy Padilla Stout and Republican Brandon Herrera will face off for Rep. Tony Gonzales’ seat

Republicans are betting on candidates such as Eric Flores, a former federal prosecutor running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in Texas’ 34th Congressional District.

Hudson credited Trump with backing Flores early in his primary and helping him sail past former Rep. Mayra Flores, who is not related. National Republicans soured on Mayra Flores after she ran against Gonzalez in 2022 and 2024 and lost both times.

The NRCC doubled down on its commitment to the district earlier this month when it opened an office in Harlingen.

“This election is simple,” Eric Flores said at the office opening. “I proudly wear the Republican jersey, and he proudly claims to be ‘the right kind of Democrat’ — voting for the left woke agenda.”

Republicans are hoping to dent Gonzalez’s moderate profile with messaging about the border under Biden. One anti-Gonzalez ad cites a 2021 interview on CNN in which he was asked about then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ meetings in Central America to study the “root causes of migration” — work that caused critics to label her Biden’s “border czar.”

“I feel fully confident that the vice president is on the right track,” Gonzalez said then.

Gonzalez has responded by taunting Flores as a “Trump lapdog” who will not stand up to the administration.

“My district is struggling under the weight of disastrous Republican policies coming out of Washington, which are denying families health care and driving up prices on everyday necessities like gas, food and housing,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Eric Flores blindly rubber-stamps this Administration’s policies like a paid-for lapdog, all in exchange for a financed campaign to the detriment of South Texans’ quality of life.”

Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, who represents a district stretching from Albuquerque south to the border, won his last reelection by 4 points even as Trump carried his district by 2. At a recent event in Washington, Vasquez said the economy is the “unifying link” for voters who split their tickets.

“A lot of folks that thought President Trump was going to be this great businessman, that was going to improve the economy, that was going to change the status quo … are also those folks whose doors I knocked on,” Vasquez said at WelcomeFest, an annual gathering for centrist Democrats.

Greg Cunningham, a former undercover cop who investigated crime along the border, is the GOP nominee against Vasquez. Cunningham said it was important for Republicans to level with voters about the state of the economy, but like Tijerina, he backed Trump’s war as worthwhile for national security.

“I actually applaud the president for doing the right thing instead of the politically expedient thing,” Cunningham said,adding that he believes the war will end soon and that oil prices will come down.

Hudson, the chair of the House GOP campaign arm, said Republicans should “acknowledge that folks are struggling out there” but also remind voters what the economy was like under Biden.

Hudson said candidates can say that “This election is a choice: Do you want to go back to the way it was three years ago, or do you want to let us continue to work to make your lives better?”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is officially targeting two districts along the border — the seats held by Reps. Monica De La Cruz and Juan Ciscomani. But some Democrats also want to flip Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, which opened after Rep. Tony Gonzales announced he would not seek reelection after admitting he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

Republicans have nominated Brandon Herrera, a conservative activist and firearm reviewer on YouTube. The Democrats advanced attorney Katy Padilla Stout.

A top national Democratic recruit in Texas’ 15th District is Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star running against De La Cruz.

Pulido speaks openly about being more culturally conservative than most Democrats. He talks about owning 11 AR-15s — his oldest son is named Remington after the Remington 700 bolt-action gun — and has chastised his party for prioritizing “social justice” issues over a more “aspirational” economic message.

Pulido said at WelcomeFest that South Texans “have become disillusioned with parties” and that he often hears from people that “‘I just want you to fight for me and for us. I don’t want your loyalty to be with your party. And will you break with your party if it means defending us?’”

Pulido has had to answer questions about his relationship with Frankie Caballero, a former bandmate previously convicted of a child sex crime. Pulido’s campaign has said he was not aware of Caballero’s status as a sex offender and that his managers fired Caballero when they learned in 2021.

Leading Democrats have continued to tout Pulido’s story. Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chairwoman of the DCCC, told CNN on Friday that Pulido was part of a crop of candidates who are “authentic, independent voices for their communities.”

Amid Pulido’s challenge, De La Cruz has sought some daylight with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, floating new protections for migrant workers who have been targeted by deportation raids. And in March, she helped secure the release of Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a high school mariachi student who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with his family after a regular check-in with immigration officials.

De La Cruz said in a statement that South Texans want immigration enforcement that goes after criminals, “not families working through the system the right way.”

“I’ve been very direct with leadership about that,” she said, “and I’m going to keep fighting for folks who follow the law and contribute to our community.”

US acting spy chief seeks to fire hundreds of staff, CNN reports

2026-06-19T11:27:39.101Z / Reuters

U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

June 19 (Reuters) – Acting U.S. spy chief Bill Pulte is seeking to cut hundreds of jobs at the ​Office of the Director of National Intelligence, CNN reported on ‌Friday, as he prepares to take over the sprawling U.S. intelligence community.

Citing two sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported that Pulte showed up at his new ​job a day early on Thursday after asking for a ​list of every employee in the office so he could ⁠assess whether to fire them.

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President Donald Trump appointed federal housing regulator Bill ​Pulte as acting director of national intelligence earlier this month, elevating a political ​loyalist with no national security experience at a time of war and global tensions.

He would oversee the premier foreign spy service, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the ​National Security Agency, the massive agency that eavesdrops on foreign communications and ​helps defend the United States against cyberattacks.

Pulte met with lawyers and staffers during his ‌visit, ⁠the report added. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence didn’t immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Pulte replaces Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned from her job last month. Her last day in office is June ​19.

Pulte’s appearance at ​ODNI on Thursday ⁠caught staff off guard, including Gabbard, who was given a brief heads-up on the visit, the CNN report ​said.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that staff at the office ​of ⁠the top U.S. spy had been told by managers to expect extensive cuts in the coming months following comments by Trump that he wants the ⁠new ​interim director to shrink the agency’s ranks.

Gabbard ​has already cut the workforce of the agency by about 40% since taking up the position ​last year.

Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona Editing by Peter Graff, Aidan Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Walz approval rating craters to lowest level ever and trails Trump amid massive fraud scandal: ‘Tired of it’

2026-06-19 7:00am EDT / Fox News

The governor’s 39% approval marks his lowest since taking office six years ago

By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published June 19, 2026 7:00am EDT

Expect to see ‘real accountability’ in alleged Minnesota fraud investigation, Rep James Comer

Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, reveals that Minnesota state leaders, including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, ignored whistleblower warnings and allowed $300 million in federal nutrition fraud. Comer emphasizes that the decision was driven by political reasons to avoid accusations of racism, leading to unchecked fraud and retaliation against those who spoke up.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s approval rating in his state has plummeted to a level below President Donald Trump as the state’s top executive continues to face blowback from the massive fraud scandal that erupted under his watch.

Walz, who is leaving office in January after announcing he will not run for re-election, has an approval rating of 39% in the state and a disapproval rating of 53% with 8% not sure, according to a new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy Inc. for KARE 11, the Minnesota Star Tribune, and the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The poll surveyed 800 Minnesota registered voters likely to participate in the November general election via live telephone interviews from June 8-10, 2026 and the numbers represent Walz’s lowest approval rating since taking office six years ago.

On the fraud issue, 45% of voters say they trust Republicans to fix it compared to 38% who chose Democrats and 14% who said neither party.

FINAL WALZ FRAUD REPORT RIPS ‘CULTURE OF TOLERANCE’ AS MINNESOTA TAXPAYERS FACE BILLIONS IN ALLEGED LOSSES

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026. The hearing examined alleged misuse of federal funds for Minnesota social services and Medicaid programs.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The same polling unit registered Trump’s approval rating in the state at 41% this week, which conservatives on social media took notice of.

“Tim Walz has a lower approval rating than President Trump in deep blue Minnesota right now,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “That’s how toxic the fraud has become for Democrats.”

Over the past year, the Trump administration has taken a major interest in Minnesota and unleashed its fraud task force into the state resulting in raids, arrests, and further investigations into how the fraud was able to grow so quickly in the state.

Another contentious issue revealed by the poll is Minnesota’s new state flag, supported by Walz, that 50% of voters say they disapprove of.

The state’s new flag has become a cultural and political flashpoint in a state already reeling from one of the largest fraud scandals in U.S. history, heavily involving the Somali immigrant community. The flag was approved by a 13-member commission created by the Democratic-controlled legislature in 2023. Critics of the flag say it is overly simplistic and some have even knocked it as bearing a resemblance to Somalia’s national flag.

MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS UNLOAD ON WALZ’S ‘LEGACY’ AFTER HE TOUTS FRAUD RECORD IN FINAL ADDRESS: ‘RIDICULOUS’

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395331754112

“Two issues that unite a majority of Minnesotans are the rejection of Tim Walz and his failed policies and our hatred for the Minnesota Somali state flag,” Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital. “The flag is an embarrassment and good on the cities who are actively removing it from their city halls and communities.”

“President Trump is more popular than Tim Walz in his home state because Minnesotans are sick and tired of Walz siding with illegal aliens and Somali fraudsters over his hardworking, taxpaying constituents.” he continued. “The legacy of Tim Walz will be the fires that destroyed Minneapolis, the fraud that he allowed to be stolen under his watch, and his failures that have harmed our great state.”

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a press conference about the state’s new paid family leave policy at the Coliseum Building in Minneapolis on Jan. 6, 2026. The event occurred a day after Walz announced his withdrawal from the 2026 gubernatorial race.(Photo by Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Fraud appears to have played a significant role in Walz’s cratering approval, which is evidenced by a 10-point drop in his support since last year as the fraud scandal has dominated headlines.

Only 1% of Republicans in the state say they approve of the job Walz is doing to go along with 73% of Democrats and 32% of Independents.

“America rejected Tim Walz in 2024,” Republican Minnesota State Sen. Michael Holmstrom told Fox News Digital. “Now Minnesotans are following suit. The good news for Tim is that, now that his record is on full display, he could soon be the most popular guy in the jailhouse.”

Republican State Sen. Mark Koran told Fox News Digital that the polls “really tell you what Gov. Walz has done to himself.”

“He let his fraud crisis blow up and didn’t do anything to fix it while he was busy shoving all this radical stuff into state government,” Koran said. “After years of extreme far-left ideology and policies that don’t help normal people, Minnesotans have had enough. His legacy is going to be the fraud crisis and desecrating the state flag. Minnesota is just tired of it.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

翻新不到两周 美国林肯纪念堂倒影池开始脱漆

2026年6月19日 17:32 / 联合早报

美国林肯纪念堂倒影池池底藻类大量繁殖，导致池水变绿。图为6月18日，国家公园管理局的员工和承包商使用吸尘器清除池底的绿藻。 （法新社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国林肯纪念堂倒影池翻新后，于6月6日正式重新开放。然而，仅12天后，池底油漆已开始剥落。

美国政府星期二（16日）往池里倒入大量过氧化氢（hydrogen peroxide），但水体仍大面积爆发水藻，池水变回浑浊的暗绿色。

通过长满藻类的绿色池水可见，林肯纪念堂倒影池底新铺设的密封防水层多处出现裂口。（法新社）

美国总统特朗普此前公开批评这种水色“肮脏不堪、令人作呕”，于是耗资约1400万美元（约1810万新元）开展大规模翻新，以“先进纳米气泡水”等方式杀灭藻类，并主推铺设一款“国旗蓝”防渗衬层。但竣工不到两周，新铺设的密封防水层多处就出现裂口。

负责管理国家广场，倒影池所在地的国家公园管理局尚未回复路透社的置评请求。负责翻新工程的弗吉尼亚州大西洋工业涂料公司也未作回应。

有游客看到倒影池中的“脏水”后告诉路透社：“我觉得我们的资源应用在更有意义的地方。”

这项修复工程一开始便引发巨大争议。批评者抨击工程未公开招标，并称修复成本不断上升，他们也质疑特朗普与承包商之间的关系。

非营利组织美国文化景观基金会还提起诉讼，指林肯纪念堂倒影池涂上蓝漆是亵渎这个地标。

政府补贴压低能源成本 日本5月核心通胀维持稳定

2026年6月19日 19:01 / 联合早报

日本5月份核心通货膨胀指标持稳，部分原因是政府补贴压低了能源成本。日本央行仍有望在今年晚些时候再次加息。

日本总务省星期五（6月19日）公布，剔除生鲜食品的核心消费者价格同比上涨1.4%，符合经济学家预期。进一步剔除能源的消费者价格同比上涨1.8%，也符合经济学家的预估中值。

日本5月份核心消费者价格同比上涨1.4%。图为东京池袋区的烤肉店。 （彭博社）

彭博社引述最新的数据说，日本政府有效降低了中东能源危机对生活费的影响。高市早苗政府近期推出追加预算，将有助于在未来几个月继续缓冲中东冲突对家庭的影响。日本政府还采取措施降低育儿成本。

尽管美国和伊朗的临时和平协议已经生效，但油价仍处高位。能源交易员指出，经由霍尔木兹海峡运输的石油和液化天然气规模可能需要数月甚至更久才能恢复正常。