Steve Sarkisian has been challenged to back his words up on the football field this upcoming season by Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, in what is the latest war of words between the two Lone Star State universities.

During an era in which plenty of schools are looking to get out of games against nonconference opponents that could put a blemish on their record, the Red Raiders have essentially called the Longhorns to the table over comments made by their head coach. And, Texas Tech is not looking to wait around to get this game on the schedule.

Last week, during an event at the Houston Touchdown Club, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian might not have specifically named the Red Raiders while answering a question about strength of schedule rankings within college football, but he really didn’t have to.

“There’s a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I would argue if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated, and they’ll probably make the CFP this year,” Steve Sarkisian mentioned.

Obviously, the Texas head coach is loving the potential of his football team this upcoming season, with Arch Manning leading the offense at quarterback, along with a talented group on defense.

But, he had to know his comments were going to make their way outside of the room in Houston and down to Lubbock, Texas.

In reality, the only team he would actually be calling out in that way is Texas Tech, who hasn’t shied away from spending money to put together a roster that is capable of competing for a Big 12 title, along with making the playoff.

And yes, those odds took a hit when quarterback Brendan Sorsby was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for gambling and placing bets on his own team while at Indiana.

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But if there’s one thing we know about Joey McGuire, he’s not going to just roll over and allow someone to talk about his team without pushback.

“You know, Sark, we’ve played him. We got out butts kicked the last time we played, we’re 1-1 against Texas since I’ve been here. I said, ‘There’s no way they’re talking about us,’ because Sark is a pretty tough guy,” McGuire mentioned. “His teams are really tough, and I would think if he was talking about us, he’d call us out and not just say this comment of ‘Well, there’s another team in our state.’ So I guess he was talking about us.

“I’ve actually talked to Keith Patterson and I’ve talked to DJ Kinney, and they’re willing to take our games, and Abilene Christian would go to Texas State, we’ll buy our contract out of Abilene Christian. I’m sure, because Texas has got a lot of money, they can buy their contract out. But, I do know there’s a lot of Red Raiders’ that will help then buy that contract out if they don’t want to.”

I get it. I think the college football world gets it. A lot of this chatter centers around the two schools rarely meeting on the field during the regular season in recent years.

Having played over 70 games against each other during their history, more frequently when both were members of the Southwest Conference and Big 12, the Longhorns did get the last laugh in 2022 after defeating Texas Tech 57-7.

Joey McGuire is not running from the past, though. He’s obviously doing everything he can to get this on the upcoming schedule, which would require Texas Tech buying out of its game against Abilene Christian.

“They can come to Lubbock in week one. We can figure out if there 2’s and 3’s can win this conference,” McGuire said at Big 12 meetings. “I know a lot of people are going to say a lot of stuff about me, or about us. We didn’t score in the playoffs. You can take a shot at us about that, we didn’t score in the playoffs. The last time we played Texas we got beat 57-7, and he played some of his 2’s and 3’s. They kicked the crap out of us.

“But, I know he feels really good about his team, he’s made those comments. But, we would love to play the University of Texas week one in Lubbock. I do know that Cody Campbell reached out to Steven Jones, so if they don’t want to come to Lubbock, we’re gonna try to get At&T (Stadium) week one. So, if they wanna play week one, we’re ready.”

Yep, those are fighting words, with the financial backing of Red Raiders’ megabooster Cody Campbell trying to help manifest this game into actually taking place.

Will it, though?

I reached out to Abilene Christian for comment:

“We are planning on playing Texas Tech as scheduled on Sept. 5 in Lubbock. We look forward to playing the Red Raiders barring any changes.”

So, you’re saying there’s a chance?

FIRST ON FOX: The National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), a parent-teacher organization many families associate with bake sales, book fairs and school fundraisers, is facing scrutiny over the group’s DEI and other left-wing political priorities trickling down to state and local chapters.

A report from conservative watchdog Defending Education shines a spotlight on the trusted parent-school organization known for local volunteer work and school fundraisers, suggesting it has become involved in politically charged fights over race, gender identity, and immigration in K-12 education. 

Defending Education asserts the examples show National PTA’s left-wing priorities filtering into state and local affiliates, while National PTA told Fox News Digital its resources are meant to support respectful dialogue, family engagement and “safe, inclusive and welcoming school communities.”

“The NPTA is given a lot of credibility by the public, making it an authoritative voice on education issues from the parent perspective. It is deeply concerning when it advances far-left policies that are often very unpopular amongst parents nationwide,” Rhyen Staley, Director of Research for Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. “The NPTA should be a politically neutral organization that advocates for improving the education system and the success of all students.”

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The National PTA’s own “curriculum and educational materials” describe diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as central to the organization’s mission and day-to-day work. Among the learning outcomes, according to the National PTA, is to “develop critical consciousness by recognizing racism … and developing a student’s awareness to openly address these situations.”

Meanwhile, a document part of a National PTA DEI initiative tells PTA leaders, caregivers, parents and educators that “it’s never too early to talk about race with your children,” while listing a recommended reading titled, “Your 5-Year-Old Is Already Racially Biased. Here’s What You Can Do About It” by Andrew Grant-Thomas of the nonprofit Embrace Race. The same resource also recommends Robin DiAngelo’s controversial book titled “White Fragility.”

In addition to DEI initiatives, the National PTA priorities extend to immigration policy. A National PTA position statement says districts should not voluntarily report undocumented students to ICE or other immigration authorities, supports treating schools as “sensitive locations” where immigration enforcement officers refrain from actions against students, and backs confidentiality for school records related to immigration status.

These left-wing political priorities from the National PTA stand in contrast to its stated mission of being “devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools,” the Defending Ed report suggests. The report also claims that these priorities are not just abstract, but are actually trickling into classrooms, citing a tranche of documents, materials and records from various state-level and local PTA chapters that are pushing politics on teachers and families.

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One of the state-level examples cited in Defending Ed’s report is the Washington State PTA, which passed a resolution in 2020 titled “Dismantling Institutional and Systemic Racism.” The resolution says Washington State PTA and its local chapters and councils should not only commit to being anti-racist, but also conduct anti-racism and equity audits, provide trainings on anti-racism, equity, inclusion and unconscious bias “at all levels,” and create anti-racism, equity and inclusion committees.

The resolution adds that the Washington State PTA would collaborate with district and school staff to prioritize and maintain “meaningful and ongoing anti-racist and anti-bias training … for all educators and staff … plus anti-racist and anti-bias pre-teacher training.”

“Washington State PTA believes firmly in educational spaces that are welcoming to all students, and learning environments where all students feel like they belong,” Tori Emerson, the Washington State PTA President, told Fox News Digital. “Our vision is that all children achieve their potential in Washington schools, and that includes understanding, learning and instruction that honors and reflects the diverse histories, cultures, experiences and identities of all of the people who have contributed to America’s story since our founding 250 years ago.”

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Emerson added that the Washington State PTA is committed to ensuring all Washington state students “see themselves in their educators,” adding that they “collaborate with district and school staff to have, when needed, crucial conversations about racial disparities that remain today.”

The Defending Ed report also cited Washington State PTA immigration guidance issued in January 2026, which the watchdog said was developed in consultation with National PTA. The guidance advised PTA members on how to respond if immigration enforcement actions occur at school events, including coordinating with school administrators and understanding legal limits on enforcement access to school spaces.

In Maryland, Defending Education cited a Montgomery County PTA-linked meeting titled “ICE Response & Organizing Tools,” which the watchdog said briefed families on how parents and community members could respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, including warning others about ICE presence.

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San Francisco’s Second District PTA, which said in a DEI statement that the entity “can and should establish itself as an anti-racist organization,” suggested education around “white dominant culture” could help improve PTA communications, actions and structure, and said anti-racism should be incorporated into regular PTA trainings and annual officer trainings.

“The focus of PTAs at all levels – individual, district, state, and national – is to advocate for and improve the lives of children, youth, and families at their school communities,” 2nd District President Karen Meiselman, said when asked how she would respond to parents who may believe PTA should focus on school support and family engagement rather than anti-racism or DEI work.

Portland Public Schools’ Abernethy Elementary PTA has many of the same DEI programs as the other chapters, such as DEI committees, audits and trainings, but also has a “racial justice parent resource library purchased through PTA Mini Grants,” that lists titles including “White Awareness,” “Waking Up White,” “White Rage,” “White Like Me,” “Race, Whiteness and Education,” “Raising White Kids,” “So You Want To Talk About Race” and “How To Be An Antiracist.”

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An Abernethy PTA DEI representative told Fox News Digital that DEI spending is voted on by the board, but said many of the events she organized did not require a budget. She said her DEI work has included a Ruby Bridges walk/bike-to-school day, a Black History Month Bike Day and a BMX anti-bullying assembly, and described the response from the community as “overly positive.”

“The work I have done through DEI has been centered around community, education, empathy, and belonging,” the Abernethy representative said, adding that the goal was to help children “better understand the diverse world around them and the history before them so they can go out in the world with kindness, respect, and humanity.”

In addition to the audits, trainings and committees, many of the state and local chapters also have dedicated DEI personnel or directors. Some encourage direct political action.

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In Ohio, the state PTA chapter urges its members to reach out to lawmakers to condemn legislative efforts that do not support LGBT youth or “silence” conversations about sexual orientation among students. The Ohio chapter cites National PTA positions on LGBT youth in a “Ohio PTA Board position statement” to back its position.

Other materials from the Ohio PTA chapter explicitly targeted certain state-level DEI bills, while a DEI “position statements” from 2021 said the group would continue to “recommend, initiate, and support legislation and appropriations.”

The Ohio PTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Defending Education argues all of these examples, and more, show National PTA’s left-wing political priorities are not staying at the national level, but are trickling down to affiliates that operate under the PTA brand in local school communities.

“While the public tends to view the PTA as a neutral actor helping to organize family events and raise funds for schools, the national organization and many state and local affiliates have become left-leaning political entities driving radical ideologies into schools, communities, and even state legislation,” the report argues.

Meanwhile, the National PTA defended its materials in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying the association provides “resources and guidance intended to help parents and caregivers navigate complex issues affecting children and schools.”

“These materials are designed to encourage respectful dialogue, support family engagement and reflect PTA’s longstanding commitment to ensuring all children feel supported, valued and able to succeed,” National PTA said. “National PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.”

The association added that it is “the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association,” and works to support “safe, inclusive and welcoming school communities where every child and family can thrive.”

DAVIE, Fla. — Law enforcement officers from across Florida are teaming up on increasingly coordinated and successful efforts to arrest illegal immigrants along the state’s roadsides. 

This month, Fox News Digital rode along with troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) on its largest partnership yet, dubbed Operation 9.

During the three-day sweep, FHP teamed up with five other federal, state and local agencies. 

After three days, 249 illegal immigrants had been captured, processed and handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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And many handcuffed on the shoulders of South Florida highways were “ghosts,” said Lt. Ramin Sulaiman, assistant commander of the FHP Immigration Enforcement Section.

What’s alarming, he said, is “we have no records for them, no accountability of who they are.” 

And that’s what his team sees every day in their routine work patrolling the state’s highways.

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More than 1 million immigrants who came into the country illegally during the Biden administration told immigration officials at the border that they were headed to Florida, Sulaiman said. Then, they were released.

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“But that does not include all the ghosts, meaning the people that have no encounters [with law enforcement],” said Sulaiman.

“They’re just here.”

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And with unknown criminal histories and intentions, he said. 

Florida has about 23.5 million known residents. Based on their daily roadside encounters, Sulaiman and other troopers say there are likely millions more uncounted ghosts.  

Troopers patrolling the Sunshine State on routine duties have happened upon — and gathered up — more than 10,476 illegal immigrants since March 2025, Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, told Fox News Digital. 

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On routine stops for driving infractions, they find that many drivers don’t have a license. That’s the first clue they might not be citizens. And that leads to more-probing questions. 

Trooper Tony Golden normally focuses on commercial vehicles on the highways in six counties in Florida’s Panhandle.

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He encounters so many illegal immigrants in his day-to-day work that he believes the number of them in Florida “is astronomical,” he said.

Golden understands why immigration enforcement is a polarizing topic, even among some law enforcement officers. 

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But “we are enforcing the law,” he said. “We don’t pick and choose what we want to enforce.”

He bristles at suggestions that troopers pull over drivers because they look a certain way. 

“People accuse officers of targeting people for immigration enforcement,” Golden said. “That’s not true.”

The scary part, he said, is that many illegal immigrants — including violent criminals — blend into the communities where they live and work.

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“The ones that are running around with no [traffic] violations — you might not ever see them. And they could be the worst of the worst.”

During Operation 9, more than 100 officers huddled in groups before daybreak at an FHP station in Broward County. Gathered were troopers, agents from ICE and U.S. Border Patrol, deputies on specialty teams from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, officers with Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, and guardsmen with the Florida State Guard.

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Since October, Florida has carried out eight similar operations, Sulaiman said.

With each round, the partnerships between agencies have become increasingly efficient, because “we all have the same common goal,” Sulaiman said. 

And now, he added, “we don’t really go through any of the hiccups.”

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As additional agencies tag along and learn, Florida’s efforts continue to expand. 

During Operation 9, officers made frequent trips back to the station, guiding handcuffed men and women into an air-conditioned waiting area. There, they were patted down, processed for transfer to ICE and offered bottled water and snacks. 

Later, most would have a choice, said Nestor Yglesias, a public affairs officer for ICE who rode along on Operation 9. They could opt for an arranged flight back home, or wait in custody for an immigration hearing.

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On a case-by-case basis, ICE determines whether an immigrant headed home will pay for his or her flight out of the country or whether the U.S. government will cover the bill, Yglesias said. 

Some leave with cash, up to $2,600 recently, he said. The amount varies and depends on each individual’s circumstances.

Many officers who participate in immigration enforcement hail from other countries, said Sulaiman, who was born in Afghanistan. 

“Since they took the proper steps to come here, they feel like everyone should,” he said. 

Still, some participating in Operation 9 expressed sympathy for immigrants’ desires to be here. 

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“I kind of feel bad for them,” an officer with a Spanish accent admitted with a shrug as she turned back to her vehicle after assisting with an arrest.

But overall, officers with Operation 9 were unapologetic about the mission.

“We treat every single person we stop with respect from the beginning,” Sulaiman said. 

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Even after a suspect resists arrest, he said, “Once it’s addressed, we’ll go right back to the same level when we first started – kindness.


“We’re just doing our jobs. There’s nothing personal.”

On Day 2 of Operation 9, officers pulled over a pickup truck with pool-cleaning tools in the back for going 11 mph over the speed limit. 

The driver showed a passport from Mexico. He had been in the country for six years, Golden said. He did not have a driver’s license. That led to questions about his two passengers. 

One, officers learned, was deported 22 years earlier and slipped past authorities when he returned to the United States. The other sneaked in 22 years earlier, as well, Golden said. 

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Their identification was from Guatemala.

“We don’t know if they have a criminal history,” Golden said. “We will run that later.”

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“They seem like hard-working people, but we don’t know what they’re doing on their free time.

“When you’re doing this job, if you let the heartstrings get to you, you’ll beat yourself up nonstop.” 

Golden said he understands why pangs of compassion and sympathy strike some Americans. 

“Unfortunately, these people [getting arrested and deported] could be the best people in the world. But they did it the wrong way … They didn’t go through the proper steps to get into our country legally.”

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The number with a criminal past — often violent — in their home countries is high, Golden said. 

One that haunts him came from a recent arrest: a 30-year-old accused of impregnating his 14-year-old niece.

Golden deployed multiple times to the border in Texas during the Biden administration. 

Often, people caught crossing into the country were young men with plans to travel to specific cities, Golden said. To him, they didn’t sound like people leaving family to flee danger. It was maddening.

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“It was like when you have a water leak, and you just sit back, and you watch it, and don’t take any progressive action. Well, now, four years later, the floor’s ruined, the wall’s gone, and now you’re trying to clean up the mess.” 

As a father, he said, the scariest part is that “they don’t have a clue who’s over here.”

So when people argue that it’s wrong to deport illegal immigrants, Golden squares his jaw. He feels that he and his colleagues have a way of life to preserve, a country to save. 

“The way I look at it, I’ve got a 9-year-old daughter. I’m not only doing it for me, but I’m doing it for her.”