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Tennessee to call special session fast-tracking Trump agenda on immigration, school choice and disaster relief

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Tennessee to call special session fast-tracking Trump agenda on immigration, school choice and disaster relief

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is calling a special legislative session to address his school choice bill, as well as other prioritizes of President-elect Trump’s incoming administration, such as immigration law and disaster relief in the Volunteer State. 

Lee announced that he would call for the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a special session on Monday, Jan. 27, to pass the Education Freedom Act. The governor said he will introduce a disaster relief legislative package addressing recovery needs for Hurricane Helene, as well as future natural disasters, and that the session will also tackle public safety measures regarding immigration, “as the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.”

The announcement from Tennessee came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday that he was calling a special session of his own to help coordinate Trump’s planned illegal immigration crackdown in the Sunshine State.

Lee issued a joint statement with Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and state House Majority Leader William Lamberth. 

TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS TRUMP PLAN TO NIX DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, SEES BELLWETHER ON NEW SCHOOL CHOICE BILL

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks on stage at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“We believe the state has a responsibility to act quickly on issues that matter most to Tennesseans, and there is widespread support in the General Assembly and across Tennessee for a special session on the most pressing legislative priorities: the unified Education Freedom Act and a comprehensive relief package for Hurricane Helene and other disaster recovery efforts,” they said. “The majority of Tennesseans, regardless of political affiliation, have made it clear that they support empowering parents with school choice, and the best thing we can do for Tennessee students is deliver choices and public school resources without delay.”

The statement added: “Hurricane Helene was an unprecedented disaster across rural, at-risk, and distressed communities that cannot shoulder the local cost share of federal relief funds on their own. The state has an opportunity and obligation to partner with these impacted counties and develop innovative solutions for natural disasters going forward.” 

“Finally, the American people elected President Trump with a mandate to enforce immigration laws and protect our communities, and Tennessee must have the resources ready to support the Administration on Day One,” they said. 

“Last year, Gov. Lee directed key state agencies to begin preparing for federal immigration policy implementation,” Lee’s press secretary, Elizabeth Lane Johnson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In this special session, we will ensure the state is best positioned to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration’s plan to enforce the federal immigration laws on the books.”

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“President Trump has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his Administration to make our communities safer. Tennessee is heeding the call,” she added. 

Lee, whose initial school choice proposal failed in the state legislature earlier last year, spoke to Fox News Digital in November upon introducing a second package aimed at increasing parental rights. 

After Trump’s decisive election win, the governor argued that the political environment on the ground in Tennessee is not what it was months before when the first school choice proposal failed. 

The election saw a wave of pro-school choice candidates win at the state level, and Trump succeeded in his bid for the White House. Lee told Fox News Digital that he agreed with Trump’s promise to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, echoing the president-elect’s concern over the federal bureaucracy becoming entrenched with gender and race ideology rather than learning.

Lee visits the border

Gov. Bill Lee joins fellow governors for a press conference along the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border to discuss border concerns on Feb. 4, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS

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“In this case, states certainly know best. We know best in Tennessee what our children need and how best to educate our kids. The parents of this state should be given a greater influence on how their kids are educated, and that will happen if the federal Department of Education is dismantled and those funds are delivered to states to be used in a more efficient and more effective way,” Lee said at the time. “President Trump has long believed that school choice is important for the people of this country and that education freedom is something that all Americans could have. He’s talked about it. He campaigned on it.” 

Hurricane Helene muddy damage

Cars and debris near the Swannanoa River after catastrophic rains from Hurricane Helene flooded areas, Oct. 5, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Steve Exum/Getty Images)

Lee’s new school choice bill, titled the Education Freedom Act of 2025, would draw from funding already approved by the state legislature to allow the state Department of Education to award up to 20,000 scholarships – valued at about $7,000 each – for the next school year to be spent on tuition, tutoring, technology and examination expenses. The first 10,000 scholarships would be set aside for low-income students whose parents might not otherwise afford to send their children to institutions other than the public schools in their districts. 

In addition to establishing Education Freedom Scholarships, Lee’s office said the bill “further invests in public schools and teachers by delivering teacher bonuses to recognize their unwavering commitment to student success, increasing K-12 facilities funding, and ensuring state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment.” The governor and the General Assembly “will maintain their commitment to public schools by further investing hundreds of millions of state dollars in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula, and raising starting teacher pay,” Lee’s office said. 

The governor is also planning to invest more than $450 million in direct disaster relief.

Hurricane Helene “was an unprecedented disaster that primarily impacted at-risk and distressed counties, with eligible damage-related costs estimated at $1.2 billion,” Lee’s office said. 

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The Disaster Relief Grants (DRG) Fund allocates $240 million “to bolster Tennessee’s existing disaster relief fund, as well as reduce the local cost-share burden from 12.5% to 5% and fund the state match requirement in order to access federal funds and cover administrative costs.” Lee’s package also establishes the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund, which allocates $110 million to “help local governments manage loan interest for recovery costs by covering interest costs at 5% per year for three years on loans for recovery expenses.”

Finally, the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund allocates $100 million “to create a new program inspired by the HEAL Program that will provide flexible financial resources for future emergencies, including agricultural recovery, unemployment assistance, and business recovery efforts.” The package also sets aside $20 million for the rebuilding of Hampton High School in Carter County, which was destroyed in Hurricane Helene.

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‘Sinking the Democratic Party’: Biden’s Cuba move spurs rare bipartisan condemnation in key electoral state

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‘Sinking the Democratic Party’: Biden’s Cuba move spurs rare bipartisan condemnation in key electoral state

President Biden’s proclamation removing Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terror caused an uproar in Florida, notably among the president’s fellow Democrats.

The rare political unity in the Sunshine State was pronounced after Biden certified on Tuesday that Havana’s Miguel Diaz-Canel regime has “not provided any support for international terrorism” during the preceding six-month period.

Biden’s declaration also claimed Havana provided Washington with assurances it will not support terrorism in the future, and that the U.S. maintains its “core objective” of “more freedom and democracy” for the Cuban people.

However, Democratic Floridians were up in arms at the development.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, in heavily-blue Broward County, told Axios on Tuesday that the outgoing president is doing lasting political damage.

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“This is Joe Biden literally sinking the Democratic Party in the state of Florida,” he said. “Big time.”

CUBA’S REPORTED RETURN TO MEDDLING IN US ELECTIONS A ‘BADGE OF HONOR’ FOR TARGETED CRITICS

Once the most notable “swing state” — rife with ballot “hanging chads” and the “Brooks Brothers Riot” of the 2000 election — Florida has seen a major rightward lurch in recent years.

State Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated an electoral blowout of Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022, and President-elect Trump shocked the state by flipping Miami-Dade County red in 2024.

Trump lost Miami-Dade by 30 points in 2020, but won by 11 points in November. The county has a sizable Latino and specifically Cuban-American population — highlighted by its famed “Little Havana” neighborhood along U.S. Highway 41.

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“Just as we try to patch the hole in the boat, Biden punches another hole in it,” Moskowitz told the outlet. 

“Florida is a red state, and Biden just waved the white flag of surrender.”

Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said she is “disappointed” at the decision.

“We condemn in the strongest terms Cuba’s removal from this list, as well as any possible lifting of economic sanctions, and call on the Biden Administration to reverse course immediately.”

Fried said in a statement that generations of Floridian Cuban-Americans have shared stories of the Castro regime’s oppression, and that Diaz-Canel is Raul Castro’s “hand-picked successor” as the first non-Castro to lead Cuba since Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by the Castro brothers in 1959.

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Following the terror-sponsored designation change, Havana officials reportedly pledged to release more than 500 political prisoners — for which the Catholic Church had been negotiating for some time.

As the news fell just ahead of Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing to be Trump’s secretary of state, a spokesperson for Biden told Axios the timing is strictly coincidental.

Rubio is one of several lawmakers — and residents — of South Florida whose parents or grandparents fled the Communist nation.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. — the only Cuban-born member of Congress — called Biden a “pathetic coward” for his decision to drop Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation.

‘BLOODIED’ LITTLE HAVANA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: ‘CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM’

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Gimenez added that Rubio will “pulverize the [Castro/Diaz-Canel] regime once and for all.”

He told Fox News Digital that Biden’s decision is “morally bankrupt” and geopolitically “treacherous,” for a malign regime that sits less than 90 miles from the edge of his own congressional district’s Monroe County boundary.

Gimenez went on to warn that the decision ignores Cuba’s coziness with the Chinese Communist Party, and intelligence sharing with Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega.  

“The [Cuban] dictatorship must be confronted and isolated — never appeased.”

He praised Florida leaders from Biden’s side of the aisle for being willing to speak out at such an important time.

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Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican whose Miami-Dade district abuts Gimenez’, said he is “disgusted but not surprised” by what he called Biden’s “final acts of betrayal to the security interests of the United States.”

President Biden, left, removed Cuba’s state sponsor of terror designation on Tuesday, saying that the regime of Miguel Diaz-Canel, right, has “not provided any support for international terrorism” in the past six months. 

As Moskowitz and other Democrats warn of the damage being done to the Democratic Party by moves such as the removal of Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation, several Florida Democrats have fled the party and praised Trump in recent weeks.

Maureen Porras, the vice-mayor of Doral, Florida — the tony Miami suburb where Trump owns a golf club and resort — told The Floridian her now-former party “prioritized minority opinions” and “neglected to… address the real issues affecting our community.” 

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Meanwhile, State Reps. Susan Valdes of Tampa and Hillary Cassel of Hallandale Beach, Florida, recently changed their affiliation from Democratic to Republican.

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Delta passengers evacuate flight on emergency slides during aborted takeoff

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Delta passengers evacuate flight on emergency slides during aborted takeoff

An aircraft aborted takeoff at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Friday morning, with passengers using emergency slides to deboard, according to a statement the airport posted online, which noted that four passengers reported minor injuries.

“Four passengers are reporting minor injuries; one was transported, the remaining three were treated on scene,” the airport stated.

The incident involved a Boeing 757-300 with 201 customers, two pilots and five flight attendants aboard, Delta Air Lines indicated in an email to Fox News Digital.

DELTA AIR LINES, UBER ANNOUNCE MAJOR PARTNERSHIP

In this photo illustration, the Delta Air Lines company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight 2668 from Atlanta (ATL) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) after an indication of an engine issue,” the company noted in an emailed statement. 

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible,” the statement added.

DELTA, UNITED, ALASKA TOPS IN NORTH AMERICA FOR ON-TIME PERFORMANCE

Delta Boeing 757-300 in 2015

2015/08/31: A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-300 parked at the stand at Los Angeles Int’l airport.  (Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The airport noted in its statement that operations had been delayed because of the episode and continuing severe weather.

“The aircraft and the runway are expected to be cleared shortly,” the airport noted.

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TSA REVEALS TOP UNUSUAL FINDS AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS IN 2024

“2024 was a great year for Delta with our results reflecting differentiation from the industry and increased durability,” CEO Ed Bastian noted, according to a Friday press release about the airline’s financial results for the December quarter as well as the year of 2024. 

“Sharing Delta’s success is core to our culture, and I’m excited to recognize our people’s outstanding efforts with $1.4 billion in profit sharing payments next month,” he said. 

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New Orleans terrorist attack bodycam shows Bourbon Street chaos as gunfire rings out

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New Orleans terrorist attack bodycam shows Bourbon Street chaos as gunfire rings out

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GRAPHIC: New Orleans Police Department body camera footage released Friday morning shows officers responding to the scene of a New Year’s terrorist attack on Bourbon Street that left 15 dead, including attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

The NOPD footage obtained by Fox News Digital through a public records request shows officers confronting Jabbar, still in his white Ford-150 that he rammed through Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1.

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BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

An NOPD officer responds to the New Year’s terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in bodycam footage. (NOPD)

The footage shows several officers approaching Jabbar’s truck, which was rented in Houston, at which point he begins firing at police from beneath a deployed airbag. Loud gunfire can be heard in the approximately 13 seconds of footage released by NOPD Friday.

“After the officers surrounded the pickup truck, the driver fired at them. Three officers – Sergeant Nigel Daggs and Officers Christian Beyer and Jacobie Jordan – returned fire. The driver was pronounced deceased on scene,” NOPD said in a Friday press release. “Officer Jordan, along with Officer Joseph Rodrigue — who did not discharge his firearm — each sustained a gunshot wound to their thigh during this incident.”

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

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Jabbar shoots from beneath a deployed airbag.

Jabbar shoots from beneath a deployed airbag. (NOPD)

Rodrigue sustained a fractured shoulder, and both officers were transported to a hospital for treatment. They have since been released. All involved officers were placed on administrative reassignment following the tragedy.

Officers Jordan and Beyer have been with NOPD for less than two years. Daggs is a 21-year member of the department and Rodrigue is a nine-year member.

BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

The video also shows several civilians running from the gunfire. NOPD has previously stated that two officers were injured in the shootout that ultimately killed Jabbar.

New Orleans police confront terrorist

New Orleans police confront terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar on Jan. 1, 2025. (NOPD)

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A total of 35 people were injured in the attack, on top of the 14 civilians who were killed.

The FBI continues to investigate the New Year’s terrorist attack, which they say was motivated by ISIS extremism. 

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