Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening…

-EXCLUSIVE: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac's NY offices to shutter in response to AG James’ ‘corrupt’ practices

-Speculation swirls as AOC is rumored to harbor 2028 aspirations: 'Savvy politician'

-Harris sought Clinton 'marriage' secrets to avoid running mate drama

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he’s working to determine which "Democrat" agencies will face cuts after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on a government funding package.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he was meeting with Russell Vought, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, later Thursday to discuss which agencies "are a political SCAM." The president said he wanted Vought to recommend which agencies should face cuts and whether those cuts should be temporary or permanent.

"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," read Trump’s post. "They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"…READ MORE.
 

CHOPPING BLOCK: White House says federal layoffs could hit 'thousands' ahead of Trump, Vought meeting

SPIN FIGHT: EXCLUSIVE: Media bashes Trump admin messaging for pinning shutdown on Dems, White House fires back

WAR ON CARTELS: Trump admin tells Congress it determined US engaged in formal 'armed conflict' with 'terrorist' drug cartels

CONTROL FREAKS: Starmer’s digital ID work requirement sparks uproar from UK's left and right

ATOMIC GAP: Trump must triple severely outdated nuke arsenal to outpace China and Russia, report warns

ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED: Jewish holiday Yom Kippur sees deadly attack in UK, Hamas refusal to end war

'LOW MARKS': As Fetterman bucks his party, his poll numbers with Democrats plunge

BUSIEST TIME OF YEAR: With the government shutdown threatening air travel, a GOP bill seeks to keep flights running

DEEP WATERS: 'Real consequences': Food aid, flood insurance, FEMA funds in jeopardy amid shutdown, Johnson says

NO DEAL DEMS: Johnson shuts door on negotiating shutdown deal as Democrats dig in on Obamacare

FISCAL FIASCO: EXCLUSIVE: Johnson says Democrats lying about illegal immigrant healthcare push

TROOP TURMOIL: Lawmaker warns government shutdown chaos potentially leading to big waste in the military, impacting readiness

NO TRUST: Democrats refuse to budge over Obamacare fight as shutdown drags on

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: NYC mayoral candidates Mamdani, Cuomo air first ads amid government shutdown drama

'LOST THE PLOT': Rahm Emanuel warns Democrats need 'education reset' to win back public trust

'JUSTICE FOR LOGAN': South Carolina AG demands death penalty against career criminal charged in college student’s murder

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Rahm Emanuel took aim at his own party this week, warning Democrats that they’ve lost focus on education and must return to the fundamentals if they hope to regain parents’ trust.

"We’ve spent the past five years debating pronouns without noticing that too many students can’t tell you what a pronoun is," the former Chicago Democratic mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday.

"The U.S. has been more focused on whether a school is named for Abraham Lincoln than whether students can tell you why he is an American giant. We’ve become so obsessed with bathroom access that we’ve ignored classroom excellence.

"America has lost the plot. Democrats need to refocus on the fundamentals in the elementary years — when it comes to high school, we need to be pursuing fundamental reform."

RAHM EMANUEL SAYS DEM STRUGGLES NOT A 'MARKETING PROBLEM,' TELLS PARTY TO FIX YOUNG MEN’S ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

Emanuel’s comments followed the September release of the Nation’s Report Card, which showed further declines in reading and math scores.

At the same time, Emanuel noted Democrats’ refusal to reopen schools during the COVID-19 pandemic "deservedly" damaged their reputation, helping flip what was once a 14-point advantage on education into an edge for Republicans.

"That’s in part because we [Democrats] made the grave error of refusing to reopen schools during the pandemic, even when the evidence suggested it was safe. Washington may not be noticing what’s happening in our schools, but parents and educators are," he wrote.

RAHM EMANUEL ADMITS HIS PARTY IS 'LESS POPULAR THAN ELON MUSK' IN SCATHING CRITIQUE

He added that prolonged school closures in blue states sent families a clear message about Democratic "leadership — or lack thereof."

On the flipside, Emanuel credited some southern states for bucking the trend of decline.

He pointed to Mississippi as a model. The state climbed from 49th in 2013 to ninth today by dropping "whole language" reading instruction — which teaches kids to recognize words by sight or context — and replacing it with more phonics-based "science of reading" methods. 

AMERICANS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIX EDUCATION. WE’VE BOTH DONE IT BEFORE ON OPPOSITE SIDES

The state paired that shift with tutoring, summer literacy camps, and mandatory retention for third-graders still unable to read.

Emanuel also pointed to the example he set during his time as mayor of the Windy City, requiring every high school graduate to provide an acceptance letter from a four-year university, a community college, the military or a vocational program. His initiatives also enabled students to earn college credits while still in high school and allowed anyone with a B average to attend Chicago's community colleges for free.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

"These reforms should be the meat and potatoes of Democrats’ education agenda. They’ll produce results, but they’ll also resonate with parents," he wrote.

"The kitchen-table issues that Democrats focus on involve more than paying bills. Families talk about what’s happening at their neighborhood school, what students are and aren’t learning, who their children consider friends, and what TikTok is doing to their kids’ minds."