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A Republican mocked a child over ‘propaganda.’ Ironic. | Opinion

Published

3 weeks ago

May 20, 2026

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A Republican mocked a child over ‘propaganda.’ Ironic. | Opinion

Instead of being supportive of the child’s educational endeavors or simply not responding, Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx chose this moment to respond with vitriol.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, taught a child a very important lesson. You’re never too young to learn that politicians will fail you.

Foxx made headlines in May when she responded to a 10-year-old Greensboro student named Christian Mango, who wrote to the congresswoman proposing a $5,000 tax credit for people buying electric vehicles. Christian sent the letter as part of a school project where the kids were challenged to write persuasive essays on topics of their choosing.

Instead of being supportive of the child’s educational endeavors or simply not responding, Foxx chose this moment to respond with vitriol, according to a letter dated May 1 that Christian’s mother, Emily, shared on social media.

“Please ask your teacher to explain propaganda to you,” Foxx wrote. “While I will never be able to know, my guess is that your teachers will not give you a good educational experience and help you learn to think, as they are too interested in indoctrinating you. How sad.”

This would be a wild response to receive as any constituent – let alone one who’s still in elementary school. Foxx – a former educator and the former chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce – should know that the best answer to someone you disagree with is no response. Especially if the person you disagree with is a 10-year-old.

But beyond the embarrassing decision to respond in such a hateful way, there’s irony in Foxx’s response. She is clearly unable to see that the real “propaganda” in this country is coming from the mouth of President Donald Trump and members of the Republican Party. If there is anybody who knows what propaganda looks like, it’s the Republicans.

What is propaganda anyway? Here’s what Republicans have been up to.

In the interest of educating all of us, I decided to look up the term “propaganda” in the dictionary. According to Merriam-Webster, “propaganda” is “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.”

What does that look like? Well, it looks like everything we’ve seen out of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party for the last decade.

“Propaganda” is Trump’s insistence that he is always right. It’s him putting his name and face on everything. It’s him lying about an election being stolen for years. It’s harming media institutions that call lies into question, calling them the “enemy of the American people.”

It is disparaging immigrants as the source of the country’s problems. It’s using extremist rhetoric in White House communications. It’s posting an AI image depicting yourself as Jesus.

It’s lying to Americans about an economy that is clearly flatlining, that you claim is the best it’s ever been. It’s making promises you can’t deliver on. It’s claiming that tariffs will save the country while costs are simultaneously pushed onto consumers. It’s claiming huge trade deals with China without elaborating on the details. It’s saying gas prices are down when they’re not. This is all propaganda, and it’s affecting the day-to-day lives of Americans who take him at his word.

The GOP has mastered propaganda. They have convinced their supporters that they are the sole saviors of the nation, that they are the only ones who can make America great again, while they’re aggressively making it worse. Meanwhile, educators in this country have to deal with attacks on their profession while making a dismal salary and teaching children that their voices can make a difference.

North Carolina deserves better than Virginia Foxx

Christian’s mother was rightfully angry about the letter in her Instagram post.

“This is a totally inappropriate response to one of her youngest constituents,” Mango wrote. “Clearly she is out of touch. I’m embarrassed that she represents NC.”

Unfortunately, the congresswoman has a history of embarrassing remarks and controversies. She once said that Matthew Shepard’s death was a “hoax,” for which she later apologized. She used a racial epithet on the House floor in 2009. In the aftermath of the Capitol storming on January 6, 2021, Foxx was fined $5,000 for failing to go through metal detectors to get to the House floor. She’s been a loose cannon, and this incident is not out of character.

I’ve long wondered what it would take for Foxx to lose re-election in North Carolina’s fifth district. It seems that, like Trump, no reprehensible comment or behavior is enough to warrant her ouster from Congress. But the people here deserve better than a politician who talks down to anyone she disagrees with. Lord knows they deserve better than someone who chooses to have beef with a fourth grader instead of doing literally anything else that would improve the quality of life in the state.

I hope this incident peels back the curtain and shows Foxx’s constituents who she really is. I just doubt it’ll make much of a difference.

In the meantime, I’m sure Christian and his mother will find comfort in the fact that Republicans are making sure kids everywhere learn exactly what propaganda is.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social

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Virginia

Virginia Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Night results for June 8, 2026

Published

10 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Press Room

Virginia Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Night results for June 8, 2026

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 8, 2026, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m.

03-24-34-43-49, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 8-9-0, FB: 7

Day: 8-3-0, FB: 9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-9-6-5, FB: 7

Day: 7-8-5-8, FB: 6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 9-4-9-7-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-6-2-4-0, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 11

After Hours: 08

Prime Time: 12

Rush Hour: 10

Lunch Break: 08

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

03-05-07-24-31

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Millionaire for Life

Drawing everyday at 11:15 p.m.

20-25-40-50-55, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Virginia

Video: Wrong-way bicyclist in the middle of I-264 in Virginia Beach

Published

20 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Press Room

Video: Wrong-way bicyclist in the middle of I-264 in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (WAVY) – Drivers along eastbound I-264 experienced a frightening scene Friday. They say a man was riding a bike in between traffic going the opposite direction and swerving into the paths of cars and trucks.

Eyewitness Kelly Nogueira told 10 On Your Side she was driving home to Virginia Beach from the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD). She said traffic was moving along at around 60 miles an hour when she noticed cars in front of her slamming on their brakes. Then she spotted the man heading towards her on a mountain bike. She said he was wearing a backpack. She added that this was before the Town Center exits on I-264 eastbound around 11 a.m.

Nogueira added that the man appeared to be riding in the path of oncoming cars and trucks, causing them to swerve to miss him. She said, “It was like he was on a suicide mission or something.”

Nogueira described the scene as “frightening” and said she was still shaken up about it.

Virginia State Police confirmed to 10 On Your Side a male subject was seen setting brush on fire along eastbound I-264 at Laskin Road and then took off on a bike.

When troopers tried talking to him, they say he ran off, but was later caught in the 100 block of North Burwick Crescent.

No injuries were reported.

Nogueira shared this short video clip showing the wrong-way bicyclist.