ATLANTA, Ga. — President Donald Trump's endorsement wasn't enough to boost Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to victory Tuesday night in the ballot-box showdown for the southeastern battleground state's Republican gubernatorial nomination. Jones was defeated by billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in the GOP runoff election for Georgia governor, the Associated Press reports, in the race to succeed term-limited conservative Gov. Brian Kemp. Jackson, who shelled out over $100 million of his own money on his bid, will now face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in the Biden administration, in this autumn's general election. Bottoms avoided a runoff by winning a majority of the vote as she topped six other candidates in last month's Democratic gubernatorial primary. Jackson was boosted in the final stretch ahead of the runoff election by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Jackson, who launched his gubernatorial campaign in February and who broke records by dishing out his own money on behalf of his campaign, told Fox News Digital on Sunday that he'll "put in whatever is necessary" to win the general election. Throughout his campaign, Jackson has said that Trump inspired him to run. "I just thought, you know, if you had somebody doing business solutions for the state of Georgia, just like Trump is for the United States, I just felt like I would have a major impact on the state of Georgia, and so that was one of the reasons I wanted to get in. I was inspired by President Trump," Jackson told Fox News Digital last month. And he's repeatedly highlighted that, like Trump, he's an outsider and businessman. "I'm going to be Trump's favorite governor because we're just alike on the way that we handle business and handle problems, and I want to do exactly in Georgia what he's doing at the federal government," he reiterated in a Fox News Digital interview Sunday. Jackson was unknown to Georgia voters a few months ago, but thanks to an avalanche of ads, his story of building a business empire despite growing up in foster care and not being able to afford college became well known in the Peach State. And Jackson spotlighted his outsider credentials, saying that voters could "see somebody that's actually like Trump, not just endorsed. And from that standpoint, I think having an outsider is what our people want." Cruz joined Jackson on the campaign trail for a runoff eve rally. "Rick has an extraordinary record, an extraordinary life story. And I also think he's positioned to win. And the stakes are too high. This election is a battleground all across the country. We can't afford to lose Georgia," Cruz told Fox News Digital. When Cruz endorsed Jackson on Friday, he also supported South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is facing off in a week against Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Asked if he's trying to put some daylight between himself and the president on the campaign trail, Cruz quickly responded, "No. Not remotely....The president and I agree on the vast majority of races. What I try to do in every race is endorse the strongest conservative who can win. And typically I get in races late in the race at a time where my support might be able to make a difference and be helpful." Jones, on the eve of the Cruz visit, took aim at Jackson. "He keeps on bringing in these out-of-state senators, and I would much rather have the president's endorsement," he said. "He's having to go out of state to get his support. We're keeping all our stuff in state." And Jones repeatedly questioned his rival's support for the president, pointing to Jackson's past donations to Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans as evidence that he was out of step with the MAGA wing of the party. "He's been dishonest about who he is. He's been dishonest about who he's supported in the background," Jones charged. "He's actually, you know, portraying himself as something that he's not." Jackson pushed back, saying the attacks on him were "just lies." Jones and Jackson were the top two finishers in last month's crowded and competitive GOP gubernatorial primary, which also included state Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Because no candidate topped 50%, Jones and Jackson advanced to the runoff. Jones, a former captain of the University of Georgia football team, an oil executive and heir to the Jones Petroleum Company, served as a state senator before winning election in 2022 as lieutenant governor. A major Trump supporter, he was endorsed by the president last August. "He and I have a long standing relationship — friendship — and I've always been a big supporter of his, and he's a very big supporter of mine, as well," Jones said last month in a Fox News Digital interview as he pointed to Trump. And he repeatedly showcased the president's endorsement during the primary and runoff campaigns. GOP GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL BLASTED BY CRITICS FOR 'LYING' ON STAGE ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HIRES Kemp made a last-minute endorsement on Sunday, backing Jones. And at an event Monday morning, Kemp explained that his mission is "to make sure that we have the best folks at the top of the ticket that can win in November and you know, that's why I'm supporting Burt Jones for governor." "When you think about the direction of the state, the great things that we've been able to do, I think he's best suited to move the state forward," Kemp said. And he warned of the "consequences of not winning, like we'll be going the way of Virginia, New York, California, we just cannot afford to do that." While he wasn't on the ballot, Trump's immense clout over the GOP was facing another key test in Georgia. The brute force of the president's endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past six weeks, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention. But Trump's endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped two weeks ago when his 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn't enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Trump rebounded last week, as the candidate he endorsed in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished first in a crowded field and clinched one of the two tickets in the race for the nomination. Meanwhile, longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham did win a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president. View the full article

A Delta Air Lines flight arriving at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday sparked a massive emergency response from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) after initial reports of landing gear trouble. Delta Flight 1966, an Airbus A321neo traveling from San Juan, was carrying 170 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants. At 4:45 p.m. local time, authorities received a call reporting an inbound aircraft with "two flat front tires," FDNY officials told Fox News Digital. WILD VIDEO CAPTURES TIRE FLYING OFF BRITISH AIRWAYS PLANE MOMENTS AFTER TAKEOFF IN LAS VEGAS The report prompted an immediate "normal stand by second alarm" from the department, which deployed a massive force of 46 units and 141 fire and EMS personnel to prepare for a potential emergency. Delta told Fox News Digital there was only "some damage" to one tire and clarified that the tire never blew, but rather suffered from tread wear. The airline noted the situation ended up being "far more precautionary than needed." After an assessment by the maintenance team, the aircraft was deemed suitable to continue, avoiding a taxiway tire replacement. The flight was given clearance to taxi normally to the gate under its own power. FDNY officials said the plane safely reached the gate with no injuries reported, and the scene was declared under control by 5:06 p.m. View the full article

Deep in Trump country, a Republican vying for a seat in the Senate is wondering why his possible future colleagues can’t pass a key voter ID and citizenship verification bill. Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., cruised to a primary victory Tuesday night in the Sooner State, where he told Fox News Digital in an interview that the one thing he hears from voters constantly is whether Congress will pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. "They're saying we need to work on, you know, the SAVE Act," Hern said ahead of primary Election Day. "I mean, this is time and time again." EXCLUSIVE: COLLINS PITS RECORD BUILT IN MAINE POTATO FIELDS AGAINST PLATNER'S 'ANGRY RHETORIC' But the legislation has been stuck in the Senate, where all Democrats have vowed to block it. A cohort of Republicans have voted against the bill in various forms, too. "This is something I'm not real sure why Republican senators are not supporting," Hern said. "I understand why Democrats don't support it. They don't support anything that protects America." Hern has served five terms in the House, where he's moved up the chain into the fourth-highest role in House GOP leadership as House Republican Policy chair. He also ran for Speaker of the House when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted. His decision to leave the House and seek a seat in the Senate came after President Donald Trump nominated fellow Oklahoman, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, to lead the DHS. HOUSE GOP LEADER LAUNCHES SENATE BID AS TRUMP TAPS MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS Since jumping into the race earlier this year, Hern has amassed a bevy of endorsements from senators and Trump, who lauded the lawmaker as being "strongly supported by the fiercest MAGA Warriors in Oklahoma, and the most Highly Respected Leaders in the United States Senate!" And Hern knows that Oklahoma is Trump country, noting that voters there "love the president. They love the fact that I support the president and I work with the president." Hern likely won’t face strong headwinds in November against one of a half dozen Democratic candidates seeking the nomination in the Sooner State, given that Trump has won the state — and all 77 of its counties — three times. MULLIN PROMISES TO EARN DEM VOTES AS GOP COLLEAGUES POUNCE ON HIS SEAT That doesn’t mean he intends to rest on his laurels until November. Hern, who grew up without indoor plumbing, said he knows the value of work and preparation. It’s what landed him his own McDonald’s franchise empire in Oklahoma, where he owned 24 restaurants — his past life in business also earned him the nickname "McCongressman." "I just respect the idea of work. I think working hard gives you a chance to compete with anybody," Hern said. "And so, same thing with the Senate race. I came out strong, set a tone from day one." "The president endorsed me in the first 48 hours because of the work I've done over the last eight years," he continued. "And I think it goes back to that common word of work and working hard." And if successful in November, Hern isn’t shutting down the option of seeking a spot in Senate GOP leadership. Hern said that throughout his business career he would tell anyone that "if you wait till something comes available, and you start working hard, it's too late because there are other people like me that have started out in the proverbial parking lot." "We've got people on third base who think they're ready to be in leadership, and I'm running right past them, and they say, ‘Who's this guy?’ And it's a guy like me that's just been working hard, positioning, building relationships," Hern said. "And I think that's important going forward, and we'll see what comes open." View the full article

Five years after the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) pledged sweeping reparations for Black students, critics say the landmark initiative has failed to achieve its goals, leaving students to face the same dismal academic outcomes that prompted the effort in the first place. The school board passed its "Reparations for Black Students" resolution in March 2021, creating a 24-member Black Thriving Task Force. The group was charged with developing a five-year plan to eliminate the Black student opportunity gap by 2026. However, former task force members reveal that the original group stopped meeting after roughly a year due to intense internal conflict and abrupt changes in district leadership. CHAOS ERUPTS AT NY REPARATIONS HEARING AS ‘FOUNDATIONAL’ BLACK AMERICANS CLASH WITH LEFT-LEANING GROUPS "It was as if we all got together and wasted our collective breath for a whole year," former task force member Kevin Hill told The Mercury News. "One of the harsh realities I learned in this process is that the district can just wait people out." According to reporting from the outlet, interviews with former members show the initial effort fractured over bitter disagreements regarding school closures and the exact role district officials should play in the reparations work. The initial resolution was sweeping. It aimed to establish a "Black Thriving Fund" to pour resources into recruiting Black educators, expanding a Black-centered curriculum, mandating anti-racism training for staff, and boosting outreach to struggling families. The resolution was explicitly drafted to combat historic disparities in the district. In the 2018–19 school year, district data showed that while Black students represented 22% of OUSD enrollment, they accounted for 57% of all student suspensions. Furthermore, Black students with Special Education Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were nine times more likely to be suspended than their peers. SOME BLACK NEW YORKERS DEMAND CASH PAYMENTS AS ONLY 'TRUE FORM OF JUSTICE' "We kept looking at these data points — chronic absenteeism, literacy, mathematics — it was just dismal," Lawanda Wesley, the former director of the task force, told reporters. Five years after that data was compiled, student performance remains largely unchanged. By 2025, district testing revealed that Black students still had OUSD's lowest proficiency rates in both math and English. Additionally, about 46% of Black students were chronically absent, and nearly 10% had faced suspensions. The initial momentum has completely shifted. The district's official reparations webpage has not been updated since 2021, public meetings have ceased, and Black student enrollment in OUSD has dipped below 20%—down from nearly half two decades ago as Black families continue to leave Oakland. CHICAGO SUBURB EXPANDS CASH HANDOUTS AS RACE-BASED REPARATIONS PROGRAM FACES MAJOR LEGAL BATTLE Following a grievance process led by the local teachers' union, the district quietly revived a smaller version of the task force in 2023. The updated initiative pivots away from the grander systemic promises of 2021, focusing instead on targeted family engagement and expanding support systems at 11 designated "Black Thriving Schools"—campuses where at least 40% of the student body is Black. While some local educators claim pieces of the original promise continue quietly via a handful of newly created "Teacher on Special Assignment" roles, others argue the district completely abandoned its public commitments. District officials did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. However, OUSD spokesperson John Sasaki defended the current state of the initiative in a statement to The Mercury News, asserting that the task force "is currently active and moving forward under strong leadership, with a clear focus on supporting Black student achievement and well-being." View the full article

Pro wrestling star Tessa Blanchard requested her release from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on Tuesday and it was granted, Fox News Digital confirmed. Blanchard is expected to address the decision on Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre’s (CMLL) YouTube page in the near future as she performs for that company as well. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Fightful Select first reported Blanchard’s departure. Blanchard is one of the top female wrestlers in the world. She was ranked No. 92 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s ranking last year and was as high as No. 5 on the outlet’s list in 2019. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM She was with TNA from 2018 to 2020 and re-joined the company in 2024 after a run with Women of Wrestling and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. Blanchard is a third-generation pro wrestler. She’s the daughter of Tully Blanchard and the granddaughter of renowned promoter Joe Blanchard. She’s also the stepdaughter of Magnum T.A. She made history when became the first woman to win the TNA World Championship and she also held the TNA Knockouts Championship. Recently, she had been aligned with Victoria Crawford and Myla Moore. She defeated Harley Hudson in her last singles match on "Impact" last month. She also defeated Jody Threat in a Bunkhouse Brawl. View the full article