FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security will withhold billions in preparedness grant funding from states that refuse to adopt new election-security measures, including voter citizenship verification, post-election audits and expanded use of paper ballots.

The push comes as President Donald Trump and many Republicans slam states that do not want to let the federal government audit their voter rolls, while also criticizing the snail’s-pace, widely criticized vote tabulations in places like California.

FEMA, a sub-agency of DHS, is making more than $1 billion in taxpayer funding available to states that want to participate in its Homeland Security Grant Program, but with a catch.

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To qualify for grants, states must submit plans to transition away from «unsecure electronic voting systems» that employ QR codes or barcodes instead of hand-marked paper ballots.

By doing so, the agency said, it provides a paper trail to quickly assess any alleged irregularities.

After each federal election, states seeking preparedness grants must conduct a manual audit of at least 5% of all ballots cast – with the agency arguing a manual, random review will confirm voting-machine tabulations’ synthesis with paper ballots and identify any «manipulation.»

States must also match the number of voters who participated in the election with the number of ballots cast and, within 120 days of any grant award, use the SAVE database — brought to the fore amid numerous illegal immigrant truckers getting in fatal crashes — to verify the citizenship of every listed voter in the state.

SAVE, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system, has been criticized by some Democratic governors for being insufficiently upkept – an assertion DHS has denied.

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DHS told Fox News Digital that threats to election systems continue to evolve and that Secretary Markwayne Mullin has made critical infrastructure protection a top priority, with a spokesperson suggesting elections fall within that critical infrastructure and remain susceptible to foreign attacks.

«Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking decisive action to protect election systems from threats like foreign interference, insider threats, and cyberattacks,» the DHS spokesperson said. «These new requirements for homeland security grant recipients will preserve election integrity and ensure that Americans can trust the results.»

The new rules come as the Trump administration suffered a major loss in court while seeking to force the issue of election security.

An Obama-appointed federal judge in Pittsburgh sided with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after the Justice Department sued more than 25 states seeking voter records that included Social Security numbers.

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Voting booths are seen at Glass Elementary School’s polling station in Eagle Pass, Texas, on November 8, 2022 (MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)

Judge Cathy Bissoon ruled the feds lack authority to demand «highly sensitive» state information – after Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican appointed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, balked at a demand to turn over data last fall.

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Schmidt reportedly offered a redacted version of the state voter file without the sensitive data, telling the DOJ in his response that such «broad data» collection is a «concerning attempt to expand the federal government’s role in our country’s election process,» according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

DHS’ new tact may or may not be tested in a similar fashion.

Una semana después del doble terremoto que devastó la región central de Venezuela, el número de víctimas fatales continúa en aumento. El balance oficial actualizado este jueves elevó a 3.899 los fallecidos por los sismos del 24 de junio, mientras la cifra de heridos se mantiene en 16.740. Al mismo tiempo, cientos de familias permanecen frente a edificios derrumbados, removiendo escombros con herramientas propias en un último intento por recuperar los cuerpos de sus seres queridos.

Los nuevos datos difundidos por la cúpula chavista reflejan que la emergencia continúa abierta. Además de los muertos y heridos, el reporte contabiliza 17.907 personas sin vivienda, 86.794 familias atendidas, 89 campamentos transitorios y 16.891 personas alojadas en esos refugios temporales.

Las tareas de respuesta movilizan a 30.076 efectivos, 29.344 voluntarios y 3.931 rescatistas internacionales, mientras el país intenta recuperarse de uno de los peores desastres naturales de su historia reciente. El informe también señala que 856 edificios resultaron afectados, de los cuales 190 colapsaron por completo. Desde el día del terremoto se han registrado 1.142 réplicas, un factor que mantiene el riesgo en las zonas más golpeadas y dificulta las labores de recuperación.

Aunque las operaciones oficiales avanzan hacia una nueva etapa centrada en la evaluación estructural y la reconstrucción, en sectores como Playa Grande, en el estado La Guaira, decenas de familias se resisten a abandonar los lugares donde desaparecieron sus parientes.

Entre ellas está la de Ciro Ocando, quien desde hace dos semanas excava junto con sus hermanos entre las ruinas de un edificio donde cree que permanecen atrapados sus dos hijos adolescentes y una tía.

Durante una de las jornadas de búsqueda, un hombre que salía de un estrecho túnel abierto entre los restos del inmueble le entregó un álbum con fotografías de sus hijos.

“Estoy en el lugar correcto, pero hay muchos obstáculos”, dijo Ocando antes de volver a trabajar entre los escombros.

La familia llegó poco después de los terremotos con la esperanza de encontrar sobrevivientes. Con el paso de los días, ese objetivo cambió. Ahora buscan recuperar los cuerpos para poder despedirse de ellos.

Frente al edificio levantaron un campamento improvisado desde donde coordinan la búsqueda. Allí permanecen día y noche, mientras las altas temperaturas, el polvo y la acumulación de basura forman parte de una rutina marcada por la incertidumbre.

La situación se repite en otros sectores afectados. Numerosos familiares continúan excavando aun después de que finalizaran las principales tareas de rescate, convencidos de que sus seres queridos siguen bajo toneladas de concreto.

Ocando explicó que gran parte del operativo depende exclusivamente del esfuerzo de la familia.

“Ese aparato de iluminación, la planta eléctrica, las herramientas, todo es por mi cuenta, todo lo compré yo”, relató mientras otros voluntarios retiraban bloques de cemento del reducido pasadizo abierto entre las ruinas.

Después de varios días de trabajo lograron acceder al apartamento donde vivían los adolescentes. El hallazgo del álbum familiar confirmó que habían alcanzado la vivienda, aunque la búsqueda continúa.

Las condiciones también obligan a quienes participan en esas tareas a asumir riesgos constantes. Los túneles abiertos bajo estructuras inestables pueden colapsar en cualquier momento.

Damián Molero, hermano de Ocando, reconoció el peligro, pero aseguró que la prioridad es encontrar a los desaparecidos.

“Para nosotros los familiares vale la pena arriesgarse; ellos lo que quieren es demoler”, afirmó.

Otra de las personas que continúa buscando a un familiar es Lázaro Cardozo, de 67 años, quien intenta localizar a Fabiana, hija de una de sus primas. Con fotografías en las manos, permanece cerca del edificio donde desapareció la joven.

“Estoy en shock, paralizado”, expresó.

Pese al paso de las semanas, aseguró que no abandonará el lugar.

“No la vamos a dejar aquí”, afirmó.

Mientras continúan esas búsquedas, las autoridades informaron que durante la emergencia también se distribuyeron 9.603 toneladas de alimentos, 12.126.298 litros de agua y que 28.836 pacientes recibieron atención médica en las zonas afectadas.

Con miles de personas todavía desplazadas, edificios inhabitables y familias que siguen esperando respuestas entre los escombros, la emergencia provocada por los terremotos del 24 de junio continúa marcando la vida cotidiana en las regiones más golpeadas de Venezuela.

A Maryland school district is being sued after parents accused school officials of hiding their daughter’s social gender transition and then citing district policy to justify keeping them in the dark.

America First Legal (AFL) is leading the lawsuit on behalf of anonymous parents identified as John and Jane Doe. The plaintiffs argue Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ policies violate their First and 14th Amendment rights, as well as similar provisions of the Maryland Constitution. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

The lawsuit is part of a growing wave of legal challenges targeting school districts with policies allowing staff to withhold information about a student’s gender identity from parents. It also comes months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which America First Legal says reinforced parents’ constitutional rights over decisions involving their children.

Ian Prior, senior advisor at America First Legal and counsel for the plaintiffs, said the district ignored that precedent.

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«The school system was referring to our client’s daughter by a male name and assuming a male identity for their daughter, and they didn’t approve that. And they weren’t told of that. And when they did find out about it, and they questioned the school, they were quite frankly lied to about it,» Prior told Fox News Digital.

«They said this is not going to happen anymore. We deny consent. And the school said, ‘Well, too bad, that’s the law.’ Unfortunately, for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, that is not the law.»

Prior said the Supreme Court made clear in Mirabelli that «parents have a fundamental right to raise their children» and argued schools cannot facilitate a child’s social transition without parental notice and consent.

According to the complaint, the dispute began in December 2025 after a teacher accidentally emailed the parents using a male name for their daughter before attempting to recall the message and later claiming it had been sent to the wrong recipient. The lawsuit alleges the teacher later admitted the explanation was false and acknowledged the student had requested to be called by a male name. The parents then instructed school officials to use only their daughter’s legal name and requested records related to the school’s actions.

The complaint alleges school administrators refused those requests, citing the district’s policies and telling the parents that school staff were required to honor the student’s preferred name while at school.

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Months later, another teacher allegedly used the same male name in an email about an upcoming field trip. When the parents questioned it, the lawsuit says, the teacher initially gave a false explanation before admitting the name referred to their daughter.

According to the lawsuit, the district’s policies require staff to use students’ preferred names and pronouns and keep information about their gender identity confidential without notifying or getting permission from parents.

«It’s really unfortunate that this even has to result in litigation, because, again, the Supreme Court has been very clear about what schools can and cannot do. But what we’ve really seen throughout the country is that, in order to get schools to adhere to the Constitution and the law of the land, you have to bring them to court and get a court order demanding that they follow the law,» Prior told Fox News Digital.

The Maryland case is the latest in a series of lawsuits AFL has filed challenging school policies governing student gender identity.

Just weeks earlier, on June 22, 2025, America First Legal filed a separate federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Fairfax County Public Schools. That lawsuit alleges the district’s policy violates parents’ constitutional rights by allowing school staff to socially transition students, including using different names and pronouns at school without notifying parents in certain circumstances. The Fairfax litigation remains in its early stages.

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Prior said AFL is also pursuing similar parental rights cases in Pennsylvania and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California.

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The litigation also comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to challenge school policies concerning parental notification and gender identity. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education concluded that the California Department of Education remains in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), finding that state policies pressure school officials to conceal information about students’ gender identity from parents. California has pushed back against the federal government’s conclusions and related legal challenges remain ongoing.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools declined to comment on the litigation.