After nearly seven hours of heated debate and public comment beginning Tuesday night, another Southern California school district implemented a parental notification policy that requires schools to disclose to parents if their child identifies as transgender.

Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD), one of the most prestigious academic districts in Southern California’s Inland Empire, voted Wednesday around 1 a.m. in a 3-2 vote to notify parents if their child identifies as a different gender than what they were born with or uses different preferred pronouns on school grounds. 

Proponents and opponents of the policy packed the boardroom, with both sides addressing the board during public comments. Rainbow Pride flags and American flags sprinkled the room. The meeting was not without frequent interruptions of cheers and heckling. 

TVUSD joins Murrieta Unified School District and the Chino Valley Unified School District, which also adopted parental notification policies recently. 

The policy, resembling the framework of state Assembly Bill 1314, also mandates notifying parents when their children use specific school facilities that don’t align with the gender indicated on their birth certificate. This includes spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms, as well as participation in school sports programs.

‘The Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education strives to foster trust between the District and parent(s)/guardian(s) of its students,’ the policy states. ‘To that end, the Board supports the fundamental rights of parent(s)/guardian(s) to direct the care and upbringing of their children, including the right to be informed of and involved in all aspects of their child’s education to promote the best outcomes.’

Opponents of the policy, introduced by board President Joseph Komrosky and Jen Wiersma, said during the meeting it will only cause harm to students who do not have supportive families of their preferred gender identity. 

Meanwhile, parents and some former teachers argued it is the parents’ right to know sensitive information about their child. 

‘It is absolutely unacceptable that we have to be here tonight to propose a policy that requires an adult to notify me as a parent regarding my child’s behavior,’ one speaker in favor of the policy said to the board. ‘Why are teachers behaving like they’re a student’s best friend?’

One speaker, who identified as a transgender student and opposed the policy, said to the board: ‘If I didn’t have a way to express myself, I probably would have succumbed to depression and unalive myself, and that is exactly what’s happening to most kids who have abusive parents who kick them out for their lifestyle choices.’

The move comes as the district has found itself at the center of a culture war in the Golden State as Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a $1.5 million fine last month to the district for rejecting a state-approved social studies curriculum involving a biography on gay rights activist Harvey Milk. 

Concerned parents and the board rejected the curriculum due in part to allegations of Milk having a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old boy when he was in his early 30s. 

Following Chino Valley’s adoption of the policy, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would be investigating the district for ‘potential legal violations’ this month.

‘Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,’ Bonta said in a news release. ‘Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse from peers and family members unaccepting of their gender identity.’

This week, parents protested at the state’s Capitol against several controversial bills which they say remove their right to protect their children. And in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, parents rallied in support of such notification policies in their school districts. 

The Orange Unified School District will also be considering a similar notification policy this week that would require a written notification to parents within three days after their child identifies as a different gender other than what they were born with. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered a public address Thursday calling on the White House to take executive action to combat the ongoing illegal migrant crisis.

In her address, Hochul emphasized the need to integrate migrants into New York City through work and housing initiatives, requesting President Biden’s administration to invest heavily in settling the communities of asylum seekers.

‘I’m fully aware that New Yorkers are concerned that over the past year, more than 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in our state, requiring a historic humanitarian response,’ Hochul said. ‘Moments ago, I issued a letter to the Biden administration formally requesting that it take executive action to address New York’s migrant crisis.’

Hochul elaborated, ‘What we’ve said all along is just let them work and help us out financially. That’s why today I have sent a letter to President Biden formally requesting immediate executive action in four key areas. First, expedited work authorization, so we can get these people out of shelters and into the jobs. Financial support, federal housing vouchers, schools, health care, legal services, case and shelter for us to provide to these asylum seekers.’

The governor saud that the migrant crisis ‘originated with the federal government’ and ‘must be resolved through the federal government,’ but claimed that the state’s ‘countless unfilled jobs’ provided a prime opportunity to integrate border crossers. 

‘We are ready to act as soon as these migrants receive work. But right now, because we’ve been waiting a very long time, the State Department of Labor, we are launching a new program this September to place asylum seekers in jobs just as soon as they’re legally able to work,’ Hochul announced. ‘And we’re going to go a step further. And I’m ordering the Department of Labor to proactively connect asylum seekers with potential employers in anticipation of them receiving the work authorization before they are already authorized.’

Hochul blamed the influx of illegal immigrants to the city on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has made a point of transporting migrants to Democrat-run cities across the country to ease the crisis at the southern border.

‘It started at our nation’s southern border when Governor of Texas Greg Abbott made the despicable decision to load migrants onto buses and shipped them out to score cheap political points, treating these individuals as pawns,’ Hochul said. ‘Since that time, the state has deployed enormous resources toward New York City’s valiant efforts to shelter and support these nearly 100,000 migrants who have already arrived here.’

The governor compared the migrants to her own Irish grandfather, an immigrant who came to the U.S. and worked on a farm as a laborer to establish himself — saying that New York has always been among the premier destinations for immigrants seeking to set up a new life in the country. 

Hochul also acknowledged New York City’s unique legal outline, struck in 1981, that mandates the city must provide shelter for anyone who seeks it. She assured the public this special status would not be imposed on or affect other counties in the state.

Earlier this month, Hochul slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ response to the migrant crisis in a 12-page letter sent to the mayor’s office.

Hochul’s lawyer, Faith E. Gay, accused the city of being slow to make timely requests for regulatory changes or inform the state of crucial decisions. 

A group of climate activists disrupted and shut down a Nantucket, Massachusetts, fundraising event benefiting Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey after they demanded she ban new fossil fuel projects.

The activists, who are members of the group Climate Defiance, interrupted Healey during the event earlier this week on the ritzy Nantucket island located off the coast of Massachusetts and which appeared to be taking place in the backyard of a house. They then chanted slogans before being forcibly escorted off the home’s premises.

‘Excuse me, Gov. Healey, I’m sorry to interrupt. We are in the midst of a climate emergency,’ one of the protesters interjected. ‘My name is Matt. I’m 20 years old and you’re throwing away my future. The state of Massachusetts is building 10 new fossil fuel infrastructure projects right now. We need you to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure right now. Will you commit to doing that?’

‘Let’s talk about that,’ Healey responded. ‘There’s a huge transition that we’re undergoing and there’s a lot of work to do. But let me tell you—’

The protester then interrupted Healey, adding that banning fossil fuels was key to ensuring any green energy transition.

When event attendees began pushing back against the activists, the group started repeatedly chanting, ‘End fossil fuels, Maura. End fossil fuels.’

‘The fossil fuel industry bought you out,’ another protester screamed. ‘The fossil fuel industry gave you $50,000.’

Attendees then started arguing with the activists, with one saying he had been a climate activist for ‘longer than you have been alive’ to the first protester that interrupted Healey’s remarks. That attendee said the group had hurt their cause by being disruptive.

Another attendee said he primarily used solar panels to power his home and a third attendee yelled ‘get out’ to the activists.

Healey, who is serving her first term as Massachusetts’ governor after serving for years as the state’s attorney general, has pursued an aggressive climate agenda. In early January, on her first day in office, Healey appointed the state’s first-ever climate chief and established the new Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience.

‘The climate crisis is Massachusetts’ greatest challenge, but there is enormous opportunity in our response,’ Healey said at the time. 

‘I’m filing this Executive Order today, on the first full day of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, because we have no time to delay,’ she continued. ‘It’s essential that we begin coordinating our climate policy across all state agencies and all communities in Massachusetts so that we can make the progress we so urgently need and drive our clean energy economy.’

The Nantucket event was one of many that Climate Defiance has interrupted and shut down as part of its goal to force lawmakers to do more on climate issues. They have also targeted events featuring federal officials like Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and senior White House climate adviser John Podesta.

Voters are telling Fox News that their top issue (38%) heading into the 2024 election is the economy. And while pocketbook politics has always topped the polls, now majorities are saying groceries (87%), gas (85%), and utilities (81%) are a problem for their families. 

‘The biggest concern I’m hearing from my clients is that they feel like they’re making good money, but they don’t have anything to show for it,’ financial coach Keina Newell shared; Her company Wealth Over Now works with middle class Americans focusing on practical budgeting solutions.  

Fox News spoke to small town voters like Florida pastor and outlet store manager Steve Redman who says, ‘The economy is in my estimation; It’s in a shambles.’ He’s worried about the financial future for his adult children, ‘Them trying to make ends meet. You know, that would be the struggle,’ and he’s not alone. ‘What scares me is to think of my daughter and my grandchild… If I wasn’t here to help give my son a place right now. He would not be able to, he would be homeless,’ Alabama grandma Jessica McCabe shared.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy. Redman is among those who blame the president’s energy policies for the crushing prices at the pump, he says that even church attendance has been impacted as members choose between filling the pews and filling their tank. 

When asked what he is looking for on Wednesday’s GOP debate stage, Redman said he’s looking for a businessman not a politician ‘it needs to be somebody that knows how to fix the economy, …somebody that can walk in and say, hey, you know what? You know, let’s work on this thing together.’ 

Meanwhile McCabe says all of Washington is out of touch, ‘This isn’t a Republican problem or Democratic problem. This is a problem with our government that’s lost touch with the American people. And they need to actually sit down and talk to us and see what are our problems.’ 

Newell advises her clients to ignore political ebbs and ‘put your oxygen mask on first’ by knowing your own financial situation, ‘because knowing your numbers is going to help you make the decisions that I think are going to help you feel safe.’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams clapped back at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to get federal funding to help combat the ongoing illegal migrant crisis, claiming his administration has largely managed the national crisis.

On Thursday, Hochul delivered a public address and emphasized the need to integrate migrants into New York City through work and housing initiatives, even requesting the Biden administration invest heavily in settling the communities of asylum seekers.

‘We appreciate Governor Hochul’s acknowledgment of the incredible work that New York City has done to manage the influx of tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the last year, and we are gratified to hear that she is calling for immediate federal action,’ Adams said. ‘Since the spring of 2022, our city has borne the brunt of a national crisis — providing shelter and care for a population greater than the entire city of Albany. Confronted with the unsolicited arrival of more than 104,000 men, women, and children, many of whom went through hell to arrive in this country and are now seeking asylum, the city has already opened 206 emergency shelters — twice as many as we had open four short months ago — and, if things do not change, we’re on track to spend more than $12 billion over three fiscal years.’

Adams continued, saying the status quo cannot continue, as ‘New York City has largely managed this national crisis…alone’

The national crisis is one Adams said the State has an important role in helping to solve.

Adams noted that he and his administration are ‘disappointed’ that Hochul minimized the role they can play in its response to the immigration crisis, especially since more than 8 million of the state’s residents call NYC home.

‘Whatever differences we all may have about how to handle this crisis, we believe what is crystal clear is that whatever obligations apply under state law to the City of New York apply with equal force to every county across New York State,’ the mayor said. ‘Leaving New York City alone to manage this crisis — and abdicating the state’s responsibility to coordinate a statewide response — is unfair to New York City residents who also didn’t ask to be left almost entirely on their own in the middle of a national crisis.’

Adams also said he and his team have been saying for the past year, they need the federal government to allow asylum seekers to work, so they can provide for themselves and their families.

Along with the ability to work, the mayor has also been looking for decompression strategies at the state and federal level, and for the federal government to declare a state of emergency, so the city can get access to additional resources.

‘And, we are asking the governor to use her powers to prevent counties from issuing exclusionary emergency orders and give us the resources needed to get people out of shelter, so they can move on to the next steps in their journeys,’ Adams said.

During Hochul’s address, she acknowledged the migrant crisis started with the federal government and needs to be resolved by the federal government, but added the state’s ‘countless unfulfilled jobs’ are a great opportunity for border crossers to integrate.

Earlier this month, Hochul slammed Adams’ response to the migrant crisis in a 12-page letter sent to the mayor’s office.

Hochul’s lawyer, Faith E. Gay, accused the city of being slow to make timely requests for regulatory changes or inform the state of crucial decisions.

A poll taken after the first GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday showed that the majority of Republican voters felt that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the night.

According to a Washington Post poll, conducted alongside FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos, 29% of Republican voters polled said that DeSantis performed the best out of the eight candidates on the stage in Milwaukee. 

The poll was conducted from Aug. 23-24 and polled 775 potential Republican primary voters who watched the debate.

The second-best performance, according to the poll’s respondents, was from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who had support from 26% of GOP voters in the poll.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was the only other candidate to poll in double digits, with 15% of GOP voters saying she had the best night.

Former Vice President Mike Pence came in fourth with 7% support, and was followed by South Carolina Gov. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who both tied with 4%.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson both polled at 1% in the debate.

‘Last night, Ron DeSantis was the clear winner and proved that he is ready to beat Joe Biden and serve as America’s 47th president,’ Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, told Fox News Digital. ‘The debate highlighted that DeSantis is the only candidate with the vision to reverse our nation’s decline and revive the American Dream.’

The showdown in Milwaukee, hosted by Fox News, was the first of monthly debates organized by the Republican National Committee.

The next debate — a FOX Business-hosted showdown — will be held Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.