As I walk across Mississippi in my “Walk Across America” campaign to help reverse the fortunes of my South Side Chicago neighborhood, I see something powerful unfolding. This state, often dismissed by other parts of America as backward, has turned its schools into engines of progress. Children are no longer trapped in failing schools but are moving toward promising futures. Meanwhile, back in Chicago’s South Side, schools in my own neighborhood continue to let kids down. The contrast couldn’t be starker, and it forces a hard question: If Mississippi can make such dramatic gains, why does a city like Chicago, with far greater resources, continue to fail its children?

The stereotype that the South is ignorant while the North is enlightened is crumbling before my eyes.

Mississippi’s transformation, often called the “Mississippi Miracle,” is not an accident. In 2013, the state ranked 49th in fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. By 2024, fourth graders ranked ninth in the nation in reading and 16th in math. Adjusted for demographics and poverty, Mississippi fourth graders ranked first nationally in reading and math, according to the Urban Institute. The state achieved its highest-ever rates of students scoring proficient or advanced across tested grades and subjects. Fourth-grade reading proficiency reached levels where Mississippi students outperformed the national average for the first time. Black fourth graders rose to third in the nation in both reading and math, while low-income and Hispanic students ranked among the top performers nationally in key categories.

HERE’S THE SECRET BEHIND MISSISSIPPI’S EDUCATION MIRACLE — AND WHY IT’S NO ACCIDENT

The foundation? The 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which mandated evidence-based phonics instruction, early identification of struggling readers, literacy coaches and retention in third grade for students not reading at grade level.

We can’t wait for broken systems to fix themselves. At Project H.O.O.D. in Chicago we will be working to create a model that equips kids with skills, faith and opportunity — something Mississippi proves is possible when priorities align.

Former State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright emphasized the deliberate work behind it: “Educators do not call these achievements a ‘miracle’ because we know Mississippi’s progress in education is the result of strong policies, the effective implementation of a comprehensive statewide strategy, and years of hard work from the state to the classroom level.”

CHICAGO KIDS ARE DYING WHILE MAYOR JOHNSON FIGHTS TRUMP, ICE AND REALITY

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has celebrated the sustained gains, noting how conservative reforms and a focus on phonics have made Mississippi a national model. Even with a slight dip in 2024-25 state accountability grades — 80.1% of schools and 87.2% of districts earning a C or higher, down from the previous year — the long-term trajectory shows what evidence-based reform can achieve, even in a state with high poverty.

By contrast, Dulles Elementary School in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood —right in the heart of the community I serve — presents the opposite picture. The school, serving mostly Black and low-income students in grades pre-K through 8, ranks in the bottom 50% of Illinois elementary schools. In recent data, only about 1% to 5% of students scored proficient in math, and 3% in reading, on state assessments. In the 2024-25 school year, just 3.9% were proficient or better in mathematics and 13.8% in English language arts — far below Chicago Public Schools district averages (27.3% in math, 42.8% in ELA) and state averages (38.5% in math, 53.1% in ELA). Chronic absenteeism remains high, often between 25% and 40%, and the school struggles across student subgroups. It is labeled “Commendable” in Illinois’ system, but those numbers don’t lie. Far too many children are leaving without the foundational skills they need to thrive.

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That’s why Project H.O.O.D. is building the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center down the block from this elementary school. The $45 million center will include a private Christian school for boys from single-parent households, and I am working to learn as much as possible from Mississippi’s success so that our school can follow a similar model. I am driven by the urgent need to reverse these fortunes. We can’t wait for broken systems to fix themselves. We will be working to create a model that equips kids with skills, faith and opportunity — something Mississippi proves is possible when priorities align.

The contrast between Mississippi and Chicago is so stark that I am tempted to call what’s happening in Chicago criminal. It borders on educational malpractice. Mississippi succeeded with clear standards, teacher retraining in the science of reading, accountability through letter grades and the courage to hold students back until they master the basics — policies rooted in what works, not ideology. Chicago, despite vast funding and talent, remains mired in bureaucracy, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandates, resistance to proven methods and excuses about poverty. It doesn’t help that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson focuses on blaming phantoms of White supremacy instead of doing the real work and confronting academic failure head-on.

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That’s the true backwardness — not the South, which has shown wisdom in embracing evidence over excuses. From these Mississippi roads, the message is clear: The chains of low expectations can be broken anywhere — with bold policy, hard work and faith in children’s potential. 

Mississippi is proof. Chicago can follow. Project H.O.O.D. will help lead the way.

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FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of election integrity groups is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling that found federal law requires mail ballots to be received by Election Day.

The conservative-leaning groups, including the Honest Elections Project and the Center for Election Confidence, filed an amicus brief on Tuesday supporting the Republican National Committee’s challenge to Mississippi’s postmark deadline. They argue that federal law establishing a single Election Day requires ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The case could determine whether similar postmark-based deadlines in 14 states remain valid ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Supporters of the RNC’s position say a ruling affirming the lower court would establish a clear standard for when ballots must be received, though curtailing acceptance of late-arriving ballots would not guarantee that election officials won’t still be tabulating ballots in close races beyond Election Day.

“Counting ballots that are received after Election Day unnecessarily damages public trust in election outcomes, delays results, and violates the law,” Jason Snead, Honest Elections Project executive director, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Others who signed onto the amicus brief included the American Legislative Exchange Council and Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections.

SUPREME COURT SAYS ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN CAN SUE OVER STATE MAIL-IN VOTING LAWS

Oral arguments in the case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, are set for March 23, and a decision is expected by the summer.

The case arose from a lawsuit brought by the RNC challenging Mississippi’s practice of counting mail ballots received up to five business days after Election Day if postmarked by that day.

The RNC chose to bring the case in the Republican-friendly U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which ruled in the RNC’s favor and found that federal law trumps the state’s deadline and requires ballots to be received by Election Day.

At issue is whether statutes establishing a single Election Day mean that all ballots must be received by that day to be valid. The election integrity groups argued that under the Supreme Court’s decision from three decades ago in Foster v. Love, the “final act of selection” must occur on Election Day and that receipt of a mail-in ballot constitutes casting a ballot, which cannot happen after Election Day by that standard.

Snead said a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court would “protect the rights of voters and the integrity of the democratic process, and ensure that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat in future elections.”

The election integrity coalition argued that allowing ballots to arrive after Election Day can lead to delayed results and can chip away at voters’ confidence in elections.

The groups also pointed to recent U.S. Postal Service guidance that warned that postmarks might not reliably reflect when a ballot entered the mail.

HOUSE GOP MOVES TO REQUIRE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, PHOTO ID TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTION

Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., currently count ballots received after Election Day if postmarked on time.

Since the 2024 midterm election, four Republican-controlled states, Kansas, Ohio, Utah and North Dakota, have moved to require receipt by Election Day.

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A ruling upholding the 5th Circuit could invalidate the laws in the 14 states and require ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The decision is expected to affect the 2026 midterms.

Military and overseas ballots, which are governed by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, would likely remain unaffected.

Jorge Masvidal remains one of the most polarizing and entertaining figures in UFC history. 

Rising out of the Miami street fighting scene, he’s famous for his larger-than-life personality and holds the record for the fastest KO in UFC history.

Finishing his career with a 35-17 record, he’s known for his signature flying knee move, and his boxing chops. He cultivated the “Gamebred” persona: someone ready to fight anytime, anywhere.

However, he’s not merely a fighter in the realm of mixed martial arts, but an outspoken voice on the Latino right-wing, and a vociferous defender of President Donald Trump, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

He’s also been in the headlines lately because of rumors of a Trump-backed UFC event to take place at the White House on the south lawn, possibly featuring a bout between Masvidal and legend Conor McGregor.

He recently spoke with Fox News Digital at the Hispanic Prosperity Gala at Mar-a-Lago, an event at which he was a co-host.

Masvidal attributes his involvement in politics to seeing the effects of communism first-hand through his family history:

“Me personally, my dad being Cuban, escaping that f—— horrible, tyrannical government, seeing what they’ve done with Venezuela … let’s not let what happened over there happen over here, which is getting crazier than ever, so I just want to thank my Latin people for making the right decision, knowing what communism, socialism looks like, even though they try to f—— disguise it in bulls—, we know because we’ve already seen that horror movie. I’ve lived that horror movie numerous times in my life because of my family. So I just want to say f— communism!”

Masvidal believes that Trump should take out the Communist regime in Cuba, like he did in Venezuela during the Jan. 3 operation in which President Nicolas Maduro was captured and extracted to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.

“One-hundred percent in Cuba … I can tell you, it should have been done 60 years ago. The people need it. They’ve needed it. They’re dying, literally, over there. We need this. We need this for Cuba.”

Masvidal expressed a nuanced position on Trump’s hardliner immigration policies.

“Violent criminals, yes, offenders, people that are bad, scam artists, get rid of them. I just wish for the good hard-working Latin people that maybe they committed a crime when they first got here, they did their time, and then 20, 30 years later they’re being a good citizen,” he told Fox News Digital.

UFC’S JORGE MASVIDAL SHEDS LIGHT ON CUBA, CALLS THE COUNTRY A ‘KILLING MACHINE’

“I wish a lot of those people wouldn’t get deported. I’m Latin myself, the majority of my family still doesn’t have papers, so it’s a tough situation, you know. I want all my Latin people that are actually doing good here, paying their taxes, to be able to remain or find a program that can bring them back fast. That’s what I would like to see, but all the violent people you got to get them out.”

Masvidal can pinpoint the moment at which he became politically active.

“It’ll be my dad escaping from Cuba at a young age and sitting me down and family telling me the stories. My aunt from Guantanamo Bay … the nearest town. It’s rigged with landmines…My aunt risked her life to cross over. A mine blew up and exploded her teeth.”

“And these are the people that mentored me throughout life, so it wasn’t one particular incident, but it was just a life upbringing [seeing] what communism looks like … it’s a cancer, the parasite in any society where it touches down. Be ready to fight it if it ever comes to America. And that’s basically it.”

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