EXCLUSIVE: Oklahoma’s 2025 school-year curriculum will look markedly different after major adjustments are made to eschew "woke garbage" while making sure students learn all aspects of complex figures like Thomas Jefferson and Donald Trump, and issues like the BLM and Capitol riots.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said Wednesday his state is "taking the lead" on a "direct rejection" of politicizing influences on the curriculum like teachers' unions and activist educators.

"What we are not going to allow is these radical teachers' unions to push lies in the classroom. That's not how we're going to teach."

Walters said school curricula are set every six years, and that he plans to hold schools accountable by withholding accreditation from any institutions that don’t follow suit.

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He suggested the new rules are an extension of Oklahoma’s previous push to return the Bible to the classroom as an "important historical document" that shaped America’s founding – in that it is important to similarly give students a fuller perspective on landmark events and figures throughout the rest of U.S. history.

"We are driving out this woke indoctrination and woke nonsense that has been injected into the classroom by undermining Republican presidents and American exceptionalism," he said.

"So our kids are going to know America is a great country. They're not going to be taught to hate this country. They're going to be taught to love this country and a patriotism to come from the principles that our country was founded in our history."

Giving the example of former President Ronald Reagan in the last generation’s education, and how some curricula focused more on shortcomings during Iran-Contra and Col. Oliver North's hearings, Walters said he will not tolerate educators "maligning" President-elect Trump in the same way.

"You're not going to come in and teach President Trump wanted an insurrection on Jan. 6 [2021]. We're not going to allow it. We will be crystal clear on what President Trump's victories were in the White House," he said.

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Similarly, the new curriculum will take a broader look at Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter and the repercussions of coronavirus lockdowns.

He cited a recent clip he saw of a student stating that the only thing they knew about Thomas Jefferson was that he was a slaveholder, and did not know he was a president or the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

"And so we will drive these lies out of the classrooms and get back to an understanding of American greatness throughout our history," he said, noting that Oklahoma will teach "the good with the bad."

Walters was asked how the curriculum would teach COVID-19 lockdown history, given how states like Pennsylvania, New York and Hawaii were confident their zero-tolerance edicts were the right response, just as much as Florida believed its less restrictive response was right.

"I don't care to appease the left or make them happy. We're going to teach facts. We're going to stick to accurate history here. And they can be offended by that," Walters said.

"It is not debatable. Rights were taken from individuals during COVID. That's not debatable. It's also not debatable that lockdowns hurt kids. Lockdowns hurt families and businesses," he said, adding that current curriculum often glosses over that argument and offers only a more proverbially-northeastern view of the COVID years.

"We are ultimately going to let [students] come to their own conclusions," Walters said of the curriculum writ-large.

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U.S. history is strewn with successes and failures on all sides, he said, adding that the most responsible way to prepare the next generation to lead the country is to instill in them the widest view of its history and law possible.

"The left wants to browbeat kids into believing to hate their country, while conservatives, we just want history taught, and show that America is the greatest country in the history of the world."

"It will show you what policies work, what policies don't work. A kid should come to their own conclusions. That’s why every state has to look at their [civics curriculum] standards."

Fox News Digital also reached out to union leader Randi Weingarten via the AFT for comment on the general tenor of partially blaming teachers unions for purportedly slanted curricula.

In a lame duck effort, President Biden and Senate Democrats tried to reconfirm National Labor Relations Board Chair Lauren McFerran, a Democrat, to another five-year term, and thereby solidify a Democratic majority on the board until well into President-elect Trump's term. 

However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., failed to handicap Trump's impact on labor and unions for the first two years of his term with the vote, which took place on Wednesday afternoon.

Outgoing Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., dealt their caucus a blow, voting down the test vote. 

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McFerran was not reconfirmed on the floor, despite the Democrats' effort. Her nomination has been waiting to be considered since August, when Democrats advanced her out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). The Democrats notably have a razor-thin majority of only 51 and making sure all senators are there to vote can often be tricky. 

Senators voted 49 to 50 against ending debate and proceeding to a vote on her reconfirmation. 

Schumer said in a statement following the failed cloture vote: "It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee — with a proven track record of protecting worker rights — did not have the votes."

A point of frustration for Republicans was the fact that HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., denied a request from his counterpart, ranking member Bill Cassidy, R-La., to hold a public hearing on McFerran before advancing her. 

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"This NLRB seat should be filled by President Trump and the new incoming Senate. Not a historically unpopular president and a Senate Democrat Majority that has lost its mandate to govern," Cassidy said in a statement. "I am glad the Senate rejected Democrats’ partisan attempt to deny President Trump the opportunity to choose his own nominees and enact a pro-America, pro-worker agenda with the mandate he has from the American people." 

Schumer filed cloture on her nomination on Monday, setting up a vote on Wednesday. In floor remarks, the New York Democrat did not acknowledge the lame-duck nature of the vote, telling his colleagues, "If you truly care about working families, if you care about fixing income inequality in America, then you should be in favor of advancing today’s NLRB nominees. You can’t say you are for working families, then go and vote no today, because the NLRB protects workers from mistreatment on the job, and from overreaching employers."

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In his own remarks, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, "The NLRB member who’s held primary responsibility for executing on the Biden-Big Labor agenda is its chair, Lauren McFerran. And she’s up for confirmation to another term."

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He added, "This is to say nothing of the fact that her confirmation would give a lame-duck president control of an independent board well into his successor’s term!"

A source familiar with the vote told Fox News Digital that Vice President-elect JD Vance flew to D.C. from Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday morning to vote to block McFerran.

Since McFerran was not reconfirmed, the position will be Trump's to fill.

Trump's transition team did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk sounded the alarm bell on Schumer and Biden's effort on Monday, writing on X, "EMERGENCY: Chuck Schumer is trying to ram through Dem activist Lauren McFerran for another term chairing the National Labor Relations Board—a very big deal. If successful, we will have a Dem Chair of the NLRB for the first 2 YEARS of Trump's Presidency. We need every GOP Senator to show up and block her!"

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the country's largest labor union for federal employees, is fighting back against GOP criticisms that government employees are abusing the use of remote work.

With the incoming Trump administration, Republicans have gone on the offensive when it comes to challenging remote-work and work-from-home policies that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been maintained for years later. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., unveiled a package of bills last week that she plans to introduce, aimed at holding the federal government more accountable for its use of taxpayer dollars. One of the bills seeks to require federal agencies to submit a report on the impacts of expanded teleworking since the pandemic, as well as details about how they plan to implement remote-work policies going forward. 

Blackburn's bills coincide with a report penned recently by Sen. Joni Ernst, R–Iowa, chair of the new Department of Government Efficiency caucus, which posits ways to reduce the level of government employees working remotely, such as by tracking their individual productivity and tying it to their ability to work-from-home.

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Meanwhile, AFGE, which represents roughly 800,000 civil servants, is rebuking these efforts, deriding them as "a deliberate attempt to demean the federal workforce and justify the wholesale privatization of public-sector jobs."

AFGE put out a press release Friday to "set the record straight" on what the group described as an exaggeration from GOP politicians about the misuse of telework. "AFGE believes that facts matter, and that lawmakers should be guided by the facts when making decisions that affect the lives of their constituents," the press statement said. 

The document laid out a handful of "myths" about federal employee telework. Several they named came from Ernst's report that she presented to President-elect Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, including one that claims "nearly one-third" of the federal workforce is "entirely remote." 

According to AFGE, only 10% of federal civilian workers "were in remote positions where there was no expectation that they worked in-person," citing an August 2024 report to Congress from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

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The labor group also challenged Ernst's claims from her report that "most federal workers are eligible to telework and 90% of [them] are," as well as her claim that only 6% of the federal workforce goes into the office every single day. Citing the same OMB report to Congress, AFGE argued that actually fewer than half – roughly 46% – of federal workers are eligible for telework, while adding that 54% of the federal workforce have jobs that require them to be in-person every single day.

In response to AFGE's challenge of her claims, Ernst said "the real myth" was that bureaucrats are showing up to work.

"Federal employees are already squealing, and the unions representing them are shamelessly fighting tooth and nail against returning to the office," the Iowa senator told Fox News Digital. "I invite public sector unions to support my legislation to track their productivity during the workday. This will show how hard they are working for the American people and settle this debate once and for all. In the coming days, I will be highlighting more profiles of ‘working’ from home. The tips from whistleblowers just keep coming into my office."

Other "myths" the labor union sought to debunk included claims from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both tapped by Trump to lead DOGE, and Russell Vought, Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget. One claim AFGE focused on from Musk argued that when you exclude federal personnel who cannot work remotely due to their day-to-day responsibilities, such as "security guards and maintenance personnel," the number of federal workers going into the office for at least 40 hours per week is around 1%.

A similar claim was also backed up by a source familiar with the data used in Ernst's report, who said the numbers used by AFGE are cherry-picked because they rely on federal workers who could not work remotely if they wanted to, such as Border Patrol officers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents.

Last week, AFGE secured a deal with the Biden administration's Social Security Administration to set current levels of telework at the agency through 2029. The move will impact roughly 42,000 federal workers, according to Bloomberg News, and will serve to protect the ability to do remote work until the agreed upon contract expires in five years.

"Telework and remote work are not in conflict with productivity and efficiency," an AFGE spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "In fact, they have been critical tools in maintaining continuity of operations, increasing disaster preparedness, improving efficiency, and recruiting and retaining talent in our federal agencies. We look forward to continuing a constructive, fact-based dialogue on this topic."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comment from AFGE. 

Former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker spoke out after a county judge in Madison struck down major parts of a 2011 law geared toward public employee unions. 

Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ruled that the provisions of a law known as Act 10, which selectively exempt certain public workers from its restrictions on unionization and collective bargaining, are unconstitutional. The controversial law sought to close a budget deficit by limiting collective bargaining, thereby moderating public workers' benefits that Walker said at the time helped solve a fiscal situation he was required to address.

The original passage in 2011 led to weekslong protests inside the state Capitol, and even saw legislative Democrats flee to neighboring Illinois to prevent Republicans from reaching a quorum to vote on it. Walker later survived a 2012 recall election over the law's passage and rode his success into a decent showing in the 2016 presidential race, where he eventually bowed out of the primary that ultimately went to Donald Trump. 

On Tuesday, Walker, who currently leads the conservative-training nonprofit Young America's Foundation (YAF), said his law simply took power "out of the hands of the big union bosses and put it firmly into the hands of the hardworking taxpayers…"

"And what this court decision did as brazen political action was to throw that out and put power back in the hands of those union bosses," he said in an interview, calling collective bargaining not a right but an "expensive entitlement."

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Asked about Frost’s assertion that disparate treatment of collective bargaining rights of certain "public safety" workers and other public workers was unconstitutional, Walker said it was a "bogus political argument." 

Frost stripped more than 60 sections of the law from the books.

The law was upheld multiple times at the state and federal levels, Walker replied, adding a new issue is that of a potentially-growing "liberal activist majority" on the officially nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court that may hear any appeal of the ruling.

Walker said that if appealed, the first place the case will land is in Waukesha court, which he predicted would overturn Frost. But a subsequent appeal by the left would bring it before the state’s high bench.

"It’s all the more reason why the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin this spring (2025) is more important than ever," he said.

Walker went on to discuss the roots of Act 10, and how it was his way of abiding by Wisconsin’s balanced-budget requirement. He noted the original name was the "Budget Repair Act" and that a prior Democratic administration instead chose to cut funding for municipalities, which instead resulted in layoffs.

Instead of risking job loss or Medicare cuts, Walker opted to require public workers to contribute more to their entitlements in return for keeping their pensions solvent.

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In addition, Wisconsin Senate President Chris Kapenga echoed Walker’s claim that partisan politics played a role in the ruling:

"[I]t’s proof there is very little justice left in our justice system. Wisconsin's legislature should be discussing impeachment, as we are the only check on their power," said Kapenga, R-Oconomowoc.

"Believing Dane County judges and the liberal majority in our state Supreme Court are independent jurists is almost as far-fetched as believing the border is secure, inflation's not a problem, or [President Biden] won't pardon his son."

"The left keeps telling us, ‘Don't believe what you see’ — Wisconsinites see right through it," he said.

As for Walker’s current role as president of YAF, he said his organization is preparing for conservative leadership to return to Washington as he brought it to Madison in 2010.

Walker said he is thrilled by the prospect of seeing many YAF alumni in the new Trump administration, including Stephen Miller, a top aide to Trump and formerly ex-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

Sergio Gor, a longtime aide to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was named Trump’s head of presidential personnel last month. Walker praised Gor's prior work leading YAF’s George Washington University chapter.

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"Four years ago, younger voters sided with Biden by 25 points," Walker said. "This election, that shrunk right down to 5 or 6 points. And most interestingly, young men four years ago went with Biden by 15 points. In this election, they shifted to Trump by 14. What we need to do is lock that in."

A federal judge in Kentucky rejected expanded protections implemented by the Biden-Harris administration for foreign farmworkers who come to the U.S. under H-2A visas.  

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves granted an injunction siding with Kentucky farmers and Republican attorneys general in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Alabama who argued that the new rules constituted granting foreign farmworkers collection bargaining rights. Reeves said that Congress, not the Biden-Harris administration, would have to determine whether to allow H-2A visa-holders the right to unionize. 

Those new rules, implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor in April, expanded protections for H-2A visa-holders, including requiring employers to ensure they would not intimidate, threaten or otherwise discriminate against foreign farmworkers for "activities related to self-organization" and "concerted activities for the purpose of mutual aide or protection relating to wages of working conditions." 

"In perhaps its most blatant arrogation of authority, the Final Rule seeks to extend numerous rights to H-2A workers which they did not previously enjoy through its worker voice and empowerment provisions," Judge Reeves wrote. "The DOL justifies this attempted regulatory expansion as an effort to prevent the alleged ‘unfair treatment’ of H-2A workers by employers to protect similarly situated American workers."

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"The Final Rule not so sneakily creates substantive collective bargaining rights for H-2A agricultural workers through the ‘prohibitions’ it places on their employers," Reeves wrote. "Framing these provisions as mere expansions of anti-retaliation policies, the DOL attempts to grant H-2A workers substantive rights without Congressional authorization." 

Under a prior preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in Georgia, the new rules had already been blocked in 17 states. Reeves' decision does not apply nationwide. 

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Congress created the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program in 1986 through the Immigration Reform and Control Act, allowing employers to hire foreign farmworkers on a temporary, seasonal basis, when there is a shortage of U.S. workers to fill the needed positions. It includes protections for American workers, including setting a minimum wage rate for foreigners coming to work under the program. 

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman argued that the Biden-Harris administration rules could have caused "serious and irreversible damage to farmers who are just trying to get by and bring food to Kentucky’s dinner tables." 

"We should be working to help Kentucky’s farmers, not put them out of business. This unlawful and unnecessary rule from the Biden-Harris Administration would have made it harder to get farmers’ products to grocery store shelves and would have increased already high prices for families," Coleman said in a statement. "We will continue to do what’s right to stand up for Kentucky’s farmers."

A House Republican whose name has been floated for Secretary of Labor is traveling to Mar-a-Lago at the end of this week, two sources told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., who recently lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum, is in consideration to lead the Labor Department, according to Politico.

Her travel down to President-elect Trump’s Florida home could mean that she is a serious contender for the role.

Chavez-DeRemer’s candidacy is backed by the Teamsters Union, who Trump allies had been trying to court earlier this year in their bid to broaden the Republican base ahead of the 2024 election.

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She would be the fourth current House Republican selected for the new Trump administration after House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. 

But unlike the others, her elevation to Trump’s Cabinet would not take away from the GOP’s razor-thin House majority.

When reached by Fox News Digital, Chavez-DeRemer’s spokesperson did not comment directly on the congresswoman’s travel plans but shared her statement on the Teamsters’ endorsement for the role.

"I’d be honored to have the opportunity to support President Trump’s mission to empower and grow our nation’s workforce. Hardworking Americans finally have a lifeline with the president, and I’d work tirelessly to support his impressive efforts to remake the Republican Party into the Party of the American worker," she said.

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Multiple House Republican allies of hers have also lauded her as a potential Trump Cabinet pick on social media.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former Trump 2020 campaign staffer, wrote on X that she "would be a fantastic Labor Secretary."

Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., and Pete Sauber, R-Minn., shared similar praise on the platform, among others.

"She is a champion for workers; she is a problem solver, and she is a no nonsense leader," Rep. Marc Molinaro, who a source said is also being considered for a high-ranking role in the Department of Transportation, wrote on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.