SUMMARY: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is promoting school choice through a new television ad for the American Federation for Children. Alongside state legislators, he introduced a bill to expand a school choice program, currently piloted in Davidson, Hamilton, and Shelby counties. Lee emphasizes that “freedom” is essential for education in Tennessee, supporting the Education Freedom Act that empowers parents and invests in public schools. However, the Hamilton County Board of Education opposes the bill, citing a lack of demonstrated student outcome improvements and recommending the retention of pilot program limitations to assess effectiveness and accountability for private schools and homeschool programs.

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SUMMARY: Illegal border crossers from Venezuela, linked to the violent Tren de Aragua gang, are connected to an ATM theft ring across multiple states, including North and South Dakota. Recent arrests include a man apprehended by West Fargo police who possessed over $24,000 in cash, masks, and tools for hacking ATMs. Investigators uncovered a network targeting banks, with multiple arrests made in Texas and other states. The U.S. Treasury designated the gang as a criminal organization, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott labeled it a foreign terrorist organization. Over one million Venezuelan illegal crossings occurred under the Biden administration, many with criminal records.

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SUMMARY: Relief efforts for Hurricane Helene in North Carolina received a boost with the passage of the American Relief Act 2025, which allocates $110 billion for various disasters, including Hurricane Helene. While bipartisan support was shown, Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop opposed the resolution. President Biden signed the bill, directing about $9 billion specifically to North Carolina for disaster recovery, including support for infrastructure and agriculture. The aid aims to address devastation from Helene, which caused significant loss of life and property damage. Key officials emphasized the importance of this funding for the recovery of communities in western North Carolina.

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