Southeast
'Mississippi Musk': State auditor's MOGE report finds $400M in government waste
EXCLUSIVE: On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,” White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration.
“We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,” White said.
While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers.
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Elon Musk, left, and Shad White, right (Reuters/IMAGN)
“We’ve been working on this project really for the last couple of years. And what’s encouraging right now is that President Trump and Elon Musk are doing DOGE, which has raised public awareness about the amount of fraud, waste and abuse in government,” White said in his exclusive interview.
“So, people are starting to look closely at what we’ve uncovered. In our time in the state auditor’s office, my team and I have uncovered about $400 million worth of waste.”
That figure will be broken down in an 800-page report, which White will make public later Monday.
He said that Medicaid is a major issue, in that tens of millions of dollars in subsidies are going to income-ineligible Mississippians.
One state agency was spending nearly $6,000 each on televisions, which the similarly bloated feds pay about $2,000 for similar tech, he said.
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“So, if you think the federal government is inefficient, I promise you, your state governments around the country are likely even less efficient,” he said.
Asked about slashing wasteful spending in DEI and elsewhere, White said that even in a red state like the Magnolia State, there is a lot to be discovered and trimmed down.
“[W]hen you dig into what they’re doing with all of this staff time and all of these resources, they were doing things like holding microaggression training sessions for engineers — I don’t know why we need to do that. They were handing out grants for social justice yoga for preschoolers. Just crazy stuff,” he said, as $11 million in taxpayer funding has gone to DEI at colleges alone.
In the Magnolia State, 20% of people live below the poverty line, so efficient spending of federal and other public funds is paramount, White said.
Millions of misspent dollars came from welfare appropriations, including approved community gardens that were never built, or nonprofits who pledged to use funding to help the poor but instead padded executive salaries.
“We found dollars supposed to be going to poor folks going to pay for sponsorship of beauty pageants,” he added.
“Really, I think the big-picture point here is, this kind of waste happens at every level of government. And now that DOJ is taking the lead and showing the country how much fraud, waste and abuse there is, it’s really incumbent on every single state government to take a look at their own house and make sure that that fraud, waste, and abuse isn’t happening in state government, too.”
State auditor roles vary statutorily from state-to-state.
When asked whether White has worked with neighboring officials or if other Deep South states have collaborated on regional DOGE-type initiatives, White said that some states like Alabama have auditor roles with more limited statutory powers than his in Jackson.
But he said that Oklahoma auditor Cindy Byrd is working on a similar endeavor to uncover government waste in the Sooner State.
“We [state auditors] are in conversation with one another — and whether it’s your state auditor or a key state legislator or the governor, really, every state needs to be starting a DOGE.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Reeves for comment on White’s past work in identifying waste, fraud and abuse.
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Southeast
Manhunt underway for 3 ‘dangerous’ inmates who broke out of Georgia jail
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Authorities announced Monday that three inmates, possibly armed and considered dangerous, have escaped from a jail in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
Officials said the fugitives escaped early Monday morning from the DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, a northeastern suburb of Atlanta. The inmates were reportedly facing felony charges, including murder, arson and armed robbery.
“Authorities say these fugitives may be armed and are considered dangerous,” the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on social media. “The public is urged to exercise extreme caution and should not approach them.”
The inmates were first discovered missing during a routine security check, officials said. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, along with uniformed patrol units, is actively working to locate and apprehend the individuals.
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The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said three inmates have escaped from DeKalb County Jail. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office)
“We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said in a statement.
The fugitives have been identified as 24-year-old Stevenson Charles, 31-year-old Yusuf Minor and 25-year-old Naod Yohannes.
According to the U.S. Marshals, Charles is considered “extremely dangerous” and was serving a life sentence at the time of his escape, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
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A manhunt is underway after three inmates escaped from DeKalb County Jail early Monday. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office)
Local authorities said Charles had been charged with murder and armed robbery. He has also been accused of child rape, specifically sodomy on a person less than 10 years old, kidnapping, carjacking, aggravated assault, weapons violations and probation violations, Fox 5 reported, citing U.S. Marshals.
He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. According to U.S. Marshals, he has close ties to both Atlanta and Miami, the local station said.
Authorities urge residents to avoid approaching the possibly armed fugitives. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office)
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The Sheriff’s Office added that Minor was charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Yohannes was reportedly charged with simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Tip Line at 404-298-8200.
Fox News Digital reached out to U.S. Marshals for more information.
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Southeast
Pope Leo appoints pro-immigration bishop to diocese home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
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Pope Leo XIV has announced a pro-immigration pastor as bishop of Palm Beach, Florida, which is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.
On Friday, Pope Leo named Rev. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Queens, New York, as the new bishop of Palm Beach, Florida.
Rodríguez, born in the Dominican Republic and ordained a priest in 2004, has been described as a supporter of immigrant rights.
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Pope Leo XIV has named a pro-immigration pastor as bishop of Palm Beach, Florida, which is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
In an interview with the Associated Press, Rodríguez said, “I never, never, never expected anything even close to this,” and added, “I’m even a little bit scared. But I trust in God’s assistance. One thing I can tell you is that this diocese is a diocese of hard-working priests and hard-working people, and I’m here to help.”
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is located in the Diocese of Palm Beach, and Rodríguez said he wants to “help” Trump when it comes to immigration.
“The president is doing really good things, not only for the United States, but for the world. But when it comes to the migrant, the immigration policy, we want to help,” Rodriguez told the AP. “We want to assist the president as a church because we believe that we can do better… than the way we’re doing this right now.”
Rodríguez said he believes it isn’t appropriate to enforce immigration policy on minors.
“When it comes to enforcing immigration laws, we shouldn’t be enforcing them by focusing on deporting 5-year-olds, 12-year-olds, 9-year-old kids, people that have never committed any crime,” Rodriguez said. “So, we’re here to help. We’re willing to help, and God willing, we will.”
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. (Alex Brandon/AP)
In November, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a “special message” on immigration, which said in part: “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”
It added, “We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.”
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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for nations to respect the human dignity of immigrants while acknowledging nations must enforce their borders. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
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Southeast
Boca Raton mayor launches run for Congress, touting GOP as ‘party of the middle class’
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Boca Raton, Florida’s Republican Mayor Scott Singer announced a run for Congress last week and spoke to Fox News Digital about his case to voters that Washington needs more local, common-sense leadership and fewer policies that he says have fueled inflation, weakened border security and slowed economic growth.
Singer announced his run against Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District with a launch video referencing New York City’s onerous taxes and referencing Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s “radical left policies” while contrasting the economic and tax landscape with Florida, where many New Yorkers have fled to in recent years.
“I love public service,” Singer told Fox News Digital. “It’s been the honor of my life to serve as mayor. We have an opportunity to keep America going in the right direction and reverse some of the policies from the past four years that led to porous borders, high taxes, higher inflation and have hurt our economy.”
Singer, who joins a race where several other Republicans have also declared, praised recent Republican-led efforts in Washington, including what he described as historic tax relief and policies aimed at boosting wages and lowering costs for working families.
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Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer has announced a run for Congress in Florida. (Getty)
“The Republican Party has become the party of the middle class,” he said, pointing to proposals to eliminate taxes on overtime and tips, strengthen domestic manufacturing and bring jobs back to the U.S. “These are the things that are helping the middle class, higher wages, lower inflation and lower costs.”
The mayor drew a sharp contrast with today’s Democratic Party, arguing it has moved too far to the left to deliver practical solutions.
“Unfortunately, the Democratic Party of today is not our parents’ Democratic Party,” Singer said. “With an increasingly out-of-touch, far-left progressive party, it’s hard for common-sense solutions to come out of that.”
Singer said his experience in local government has shown him what effective governance looks like — and what Washington is missing.
“At the local level, we’ve excelled because we have to,” Singer said. “We have balanced budgets. We can’t shut down the government. We have to pick up the trash every day and deliver essential services. And we do that by finding common ground.”
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The United States Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16, 2025. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
That approach, Singer argued, is increasingly absent in Congress, where partisan gridlock often stalls progress.
He also voiced strong support for President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, particularly efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses, reduce the size of government and roll back federal regulations.
“Our campuses have been unsafe for years,” Singer said. “President Trump has stood up to antisemitism by holding universities accountable. We need to codify those gains, not just rely on executive orders.”
Singer pledged he would also push to restore more authority to states and local governments, particularly on education and environmental policy, and continue efforts to rein in federal spending.
“Harmful regulation has killed jobs and increased costs,” he said. “We need long-term solutions that put power back in the hands of states and communities, not Washington bureaucrats.”
Singer told Fox News Digital one of his day one priorities if elected to Congress will be legislation to “ban individual stock trading by members,” which he called an “important” issue.
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the race as “Lean Democrat” as House Republicans will try to buck historical trends and hold their razor-thin majority in the House next November.
“What Americans want is a strong economy, a strong national defense and common-sense solutions,” Singer said. “That’s what I’ve delivered as mayor, and that’s what I want to bring to Congress.”
Earlier this year, shortly before Mamdani’s victory, Singer told Fox News Digital that the socialist candidate’s rise in New York City is likely to spark an exodus of businesses to Florida, a move he said he has already started to see in his conversations with business owners.
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Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s hard to predict how bad the economic situation is going to be, but Mamdani doubled down at last week’s debate and said it’s about time we raised taxes, and he was grateful for it,” Singer said. “When he’s proposing a 17% marginal tax rate for New York City residents between state and local taxes, that’s 17% that they can simply give up by moving here and with jobs more mobile because of technology and with companies finding great office space here, there’s less and less reason for people to stay there.”
Singer continued, “I think one year out, you’re going to see a substantial exodus of companies that are able to move. Two years out, we’re going to see depressed values, more unemployment, higher crime. And four years out? We don’t know. I think at that point, they’ll be ready for a new mayor if what we expect to happen in November happens.”
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