Elite university permanently shuts down DEI office amid higher education shifts

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is shutting down its diversity, equity and inclusion office following a comprehensive assessment that began nearly 18 months ago.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the closing, or “sunsetting,” of the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) last Thursday.

“As I’ve said many times, MIT is in the talent business,” Kornbluth’s announcement read. “Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive.”

Among the top priorities listed in the memo, titled “How we support our community,” was a section with the header “Core programs will continue, but we will wind down the central ICEO.”

ELITE UNIVERSITY ELIMINATES DEI HIRING REQUIREMENT: ‘THEY DON’T WORK’

“This process began nearly 18 months ago,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the decision followed a “comprehensive assessment” of the Institute.

The ICEO, which billed itself online as a steward of “MIT’s values and their interconnections,” claimed it built “community through care, education, restorative practices, and programming that embraces, celebrates, and helps increase MIT’s diversity in all its forms.”

MIT will also eliminate the role of vice president for equity and inclusion, Kornbluth confirmed.

Earlier this month, the school became the first in its class to scrap diversity pledges in its hiring and admissions processes – a practice slammed by free speech advocate organization FIRE as functionally serving as “ideological litmus tests.”

TRUMP ADMIN ASKING FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CANCEL REMAINING HARVARD CONTRACTS

MIT’s decision comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s public feud with nearby Harvard University, including a recent ask to pull all federal funds – amounting to a staggering $100 million in contracts – being funneled toward the Ivy League institution.

This comes after Harvard has shown little sway in its standoff with the president over foreign student enrollment and alleged race-based admissions.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

MIT, however, has been downscaling its DEI infrastructure for some time – and the university spokesperson denied any correlation between ongoing political disputes involving Harvard and the ICEO’s demise.

Michelle Obama reveals people ‘spilled water’ on her while reaching for Barack

As former first lady Michelle Obama tells it, it’s not easy being married to a famous man, describing people “spilling water” on her while trying to reach her husband.

Both Obama and her guest, OB-GYN Dr. Sharon Malone, who joined the podcast that Obama co-hosts with her brother, “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” discussed the challenges of being married to famous men on Wednesday. 

Malone’s husband is former Attorney General Eric Holder, who was the 82nd attorney general of the United States from 2009 to 2015 under former President Barack Obama.

MICHELLE OBAMA URGES PARENTS NOT TO TRY TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEIR CHILDREN

Michelle Obama recounted the first time she met Malone during an event. 

“They put us together because we were both reluctant spouses attending one of these huge dinners,” Obama said. “And what, where were they… was Barack a U.S. senator?”

“Yes, he was a senator because you, you were still living in Chicago and Eric was in private practice,” Malone said. “So it was just it was very early days.” 

Michelle Obama said the experience was overwhelming. 

“There was a line of people waiting to shake hands with our respective husbands,” she said. “You know, people, like, reaching over our heads and spilling water on us, trying to get to these two, you know, illustrious men.” 

Obama said that she saw Malone across the table and felt a kindred spirit, saying, “She had the same look on her face as I did, like, ‘Here we go.’”

She added that they exchanged a look that said, “You see this? Like, this is crazy, isn’t it, girl?” They soon became friends.

MICHELLE OBAMA REVEALS BARACK OBAMA NEEDED TO ‘ADJUST’ TO BE PUNCTUAL, LEAVE ON TIME

Obama also spoke about “the fight to protect women’s reproductive health” beyond abortion.

“Sadly, it has been reduced to ‘choice,’” Obama said. “The question of ‘choice.’ And it’s as if that’s all of what women’s health is. That’s the only thing. And as I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail, this past election, was that there’s just so much more at stake.” 

She also called out men for not knowing enough about women’s reproductive health. 

“So many men have no idea about what women go through, right,” Obama said. “We haven’t been researched. We haven’t been considered. And it still affects the way a lot of male lawmakers, a lot of male politicians, a lot of male religious leaders, think about the issue of choice, as if it’s just about the fetus, the baby, but women’s reproductive health is about our life.”

“This whole complicated reproductive system that does – the least of what it does is produce life,” Obama said. “It’s a very important thing that it does. But you only produce life if the machine that’s producing it … is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way. But there is no discussion or apparent connection between the two.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

Feds take on Idaho college town for blocking church from getting permit

The Justice Department accused a small city in northern Idaho of religious discrimination after it denied a zoning permit to a local evangelical church seeking to hold worship services.

The DOJ announced on May 20 it had filed a lawsuit alleging the city of Troy, Idaho, violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) after it denied a conditional use permit to Christ Church to hold services in its downtown C-1 zoning district, where nonreligious assembly uses such as clubs, museums, auditoriums, and art galleries were allowed.

The RLUIPA is federal legislation passed in 2000 that’s intended to “protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws,” the DOJ states.

According to the lawsuit, Christ Church, a small but quickly growing evangelical church based in Moscow, Idaho, sought to accommodate its growth in September 2022 by establishing another church campus in the neighboring town of Troy. 

SEATTLE MAYOR BLAMES CHRISTIAN RALLY FOR INSPIRING VIOLENT ‘ANARCHISTS’ WHO ‘INFILTRATED’ COUNTER-PROTEST

The conservative, evangelical church faced opposition from some in the Moscow community over the years because of its beliefs and influence in the liberal college town, with some residents boycotting businesses tied to the church, according to the Spokesman-Review. 

The church made national headlines in September 2020 after a few of its members were arrested for not wearing masks at an outside worship service protesting the city’s mask mandate during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Senior Pastor Douglas Wilson faced criticism for his provocative writings and allegations he wants to make America a “Christian theocracy,” according to a recent article from Politico.

Christ Church allegedly reached out to various locations in Troy to rent on weekends for services, without success. In November 2022, Matt Meyer, an elder at the church and Troy resident, purchased a vacant, former bank in the city’s downtown business district with the intention of converting part of the property into a space to be used by the church for worship services and church meetings, while the other part of the property would be rented out as an event space for the community.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BATTLE ERUPTS AS NEW JERSEY TOWN ATTEMPTS TO TURN CHURCH PROPERTY INTO PICKLEBALL COURTS

Meyer applied for a conditional use permit and told the city he failed to find another suitable space to hold services in Troy. In his application, he said there would be little impact on the surrounding businesses and his purchase of the vacant building would bring in property tax revenue for the city.

After holding a public hearing on the matter where locals expressed strong opposition to the permit request, the Troy City Council rejected the church’s application in March of that year.

According to the DOJ, the city council denied the permit on the basis that the church “did not enhance the commercial district.”

Furthermore, the city council argued the majority of locals were against granting the church a permit in this zone and the decision would burden residents and businesses by creating traffic and parking issues in the city, whose population is fewer than 1,000 people.

In their lawsuit filed on Christ Church’s behalf, the DOJ questioned how the city justified the denial on the basis of several of its arguments.

TECH COMPANY REVERSES POLICY AFTER CHRISTIAN GROUP SUES FOR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION

The lawsuit questioned why the city told Meyer he could use the building for other community events, which had no retail purpose, and these would be considered to “enhance the commercial district” and be allowed under the city’s zoning law.

They claimed the city did not conduct a traffic study, or offer conditions that could be imposed on the church to ameliorate the traffic and parking concerns.

Many of the public comments at the public hearing demonstrated “animus and discrimination against Christ Church, its members, and their religious beliefs,” the lawsuit also claimed.

The DOJ lawsuit accuses the city of Troy of violating RLUIPA by not treating Christ Church on “equal treatment” with nonreligious assemblies through its zoning code, by imposing a “substantial burden” on the church’s religious exercise and by discriminating against Christ Church on the “basis of religion.”

City of Troy attorney Todd Richardson rejected the DOJ’s discrimination allegations in an interview with Fox News Digital. He said they’ve allowed Christ Church to hold services in the building for the past two years, while the investigation has been ongoing, and they have cooperated fully with federal investigators.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING TASK FORCE TO ‘ERADICATE ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS’

The city attorney accused the Justice Department of using “bullying tactics” to try to force their hand.

The case isn’t about religion, he said, but about the city preserving the two-block downtown area as a commercial district and resisting the influx of as many as 15% of its population gathering at one location and putting a “strain on the city’s limited resources.”

“We have no complaints about Christ Church being in town. We have concerns about overwhelming that zone,” he said.

Matt Meyer, the elder at Christ Church who filed a complaint with the DOJ over the dispute, told Fox News Digital that the church would be happy to work with the city to accommodate any of its concerns, such as parking restrictions, but city leaders “have never asked us for any sort of conditions” to do so.

He found the city’s allegations about parking and impacting businesses unfounded, saying many of the buildings in this downtown area are vacant, and the town is “largely empty” on Sunday mornings.

Meyer attended the public hearing where many residents spoke out against the church permit being granted. He referred to the hostile comments made by some in the community toward the church, as mentioned in the DOJ lawsuit, to argue they likely played a role in the city council’s decision.

“It seems logical that elected officials could be influenced by a vocal group of residents even if that group is a minority, but I can’t read the mind of the city council,” he said.

In April 2025, Troy passed an interim zoning ordinance that changed many of the previously permitted uses in the business district to “not permitted,” including auditoriums, community centers, civic and fraternal organizations, parks, playgrounds, schools, museums, libraries, and movie theaters, and prohibits churches as a conditional use, according to the lawsuit.

In its press release, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “RLUIPA unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups. The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that discriminate in land use matters on the basis of the applicants’ religious beliefs.”

Christ Church pastor Douglas Wilson told Fox News Digital that public backlash to his opinions shouldn’t be a factor in how city leaders treat his church.

“The content of things that I say should have nothing to do with whether a church is allowed to meet. You don’t approve a religious assembly based upon your disagreement with certain views expressed.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Justice Department told Fox News Digital it did not have further comment on the matter.

Celebrities are reportedly lawyering up to avoid taking the stand in Diddy trial

San Francisco school system changes mind on proposed grading plan after backlash

The San Francisco Unified School District will not be moving forward with a controversial equity grading strategy that was proposed this week after significant backlash.

The strategy, known as “Grading for Equity,” was presented during a SFUSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, according to Superintendent Maria Su, with the goal of offering “professional development opportunity in standards-based grading.”

Under the proposed standards, how a student scores on the final exam, which could be taken multiple times, would be what counts toward their grade for the semester, according to the Voice of San Francisco.

Homework and weekly tests would not impact the grade, and neither would late assignments, tardiness to class or absence from school.

COLLEGE DROPOUTS CELEBRATE AT UNCONVENTIONAL ‘GRADUATION’ CEREMONY IN SAN FRANCISCO 

The letter-grade system would also be significantly altered, allowing students who score an 80 to receive an A and students who score as low as a 21 to pass with a D, which models the “Grading for Equity” system in the San Leandro Unified School District, Voice of San Francisco reported.

The new system was supposed to be tested by 70 teachers in 14 SFUSD schools until the community, including the mayor and lawmakers, spoke out against the proposal.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X that the younger generation is owed “an education that prepares them to succeed” and the “changes to grading at SFUSF would not accomplish that.”

“I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future,” he wrote, in part.

TENSIONS FLARE AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AFTER TRANS ATHLETE WINS MULTIPLE TRACK EVENTS 

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., called out the proposal, sarcastically describing it as a “brilliant solution.”

“San Francisco has come up with a brilliant solution for its failing schools. Students simply won’t be failed,” Kiley wrote on X. “Under the new ‘Grading for Equity’ plan, Fs are now Cs; Bs are now As; homework and tests are ungraded; truancy is unpunished; and finals can be re-taken again and again.”

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also shared his opinion on the proposed grading system on his personal X account.

“My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90. He came to America for the chance to work hard & pursue excellence. Giving A’s for 80% & no homework is not equity—it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids,” he wrote.

A statement from Su on SFUSD’s X account on Wednesday said that there have been no changes to grading practices within the school district and no action was taken at the meeting.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

She said each student within the school district is held to a high standard and SFUSD’s goal is to “support student success by prioritizing learning and mastery.”

“It’s clear that there are a lot of questions, concerns and misinformation with this proposal. We want to make sure any changes benefit our students,” Su wrote, in part.

Injured WNBA star Caitlin Clark spotted carrying toddler before Fever loss

Caitlin Clark may be offering her babysitting services while unable to provide her basketball ones. 

Clark was seen carrying a toddler around CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on Wednesday night. Clark was not active for the Indiana Fever’s game against the Washington Mystics, as she sat out with a quad injury. 

Footage of Clark carrying the child was posted to social media by Yahoo Sports. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Sports Illustrated reported that the child is the son of Indiana assistant coaches Karima Christmas-Kelly and Austin Kelly.

Clark’s Fever went on to lose to the Mystics in her absence. 

The team announced on Monday that Clark will miss at least two weeks with the quad issue. However, Fever head coach Stephanie White said there is a silver lining to Clark not being able to play. 

SPARKS’ KELSEY PLUM DELIVERS TAUNT AFTER BLOWING BY SKY’S ANGEL REESE ON LAY UP

“I think it’s a great opportunity for Caitlin to watch the game from the sideline, to grow in a coaching kind of mindset and see some different things that we might be talking about on film, addressing in practice, to see it develop in live action,” White said, via CBS Sports. 

“As players you see [the game] in a micro viewpoint, and when you’re on the sideline, and you’re watching it as a whole, you get to see it a different way from a macro viewpoint. I think it’s gonna give her a unique perspective, and she’s gonna come back better, and it’s gonna help us be better.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It is great to grow when you’re on the floor, but you also see the game at different levels when you’re not on the floor,” White added. “You see it at one level or two levels when you’re on the floor, and you often [equate] it to being in a coach’s mindset, being in a coach’s viewpoint. Listening to us and our conversations, whether it’s in practice or on the sidelines, talking about what our emphasis is, what we’re looking for, and you see it from a different perspective.”

Clark will be out for the team’s upcoming games against the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky. The earliest Clark would return is June 10 on the road against the Atlanta Dream.

Bones that puzzled Jersey Shore for decades finally identified, thanks to students

Bones that mysteriously washed up on the Jersey Shore over the past three decades were recently identified, thanks to cutting-edge technology and diligent students.

Ramapo College announced the discovery in a May 21 press release. The remains were identified as belonging to Henry Goodsell, a captain who died in an 1844 shipwreck off the coast of South Jersey’s Brigantine Shoal. (See the video at the top of this article.)

The ship was carrying 60 tons of marble for Girard College, a preparatory school, when it sprung a leak and sank.

DIVERS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS 2,500-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK, FILLED WITH UNUSUAL ARTIFACTS, OFF COAST OF SICILY

Goodsell’s bones didn’t wash up until over a century later, when they were found on various beaches in the Garden State.

“A skull washed ashore in Longport in 1995, and more bones were found in Margate in 1999, both in Atlantic County,” Ramapo College’s statement noted. “In 2013, additional remains were found in Ocean City, Cape May County.”

“Scattered Man John Doe went without a name for 30 years since traditional methods of investigation could not deliver an identification.”

Cairenn Binder, assistant director of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center, told Fox News Digital that her team conducted traditional DNA testing to find a matching profile in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA profile database.

“More identifications like these will be made now that we have advances in technology.”

“While there was no missing person sample on file that matched with the profiles from the bones, the bones all matched one another, so that’s how [the New Jersey State Police] learned they were all connected before we began working on the case,” she said. 

METAL DETECTORISTS DISCOVER HOARD OF PRICELESS GOLD COINS DATING BACK TO BIBLICAL TIMES

Over the past several months, Ramapo students have gleaned various details about Goodsell’s life from old newspapers. 

He was 29 years old when he died, and his ancestors were among the earliest settlers in Connecticut.

“Capt. Goodsell’s ancestors lived in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties in Connecticut and had all been there since the 1600s – some of the earliest European Americans,” Binder said. 

“He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but lived in Boston from at least the late 1830s.”

Goodsell also left behind a wife and two children when he perished; his family was financially devastated by the shipwreck.

“The news reported that his family was left in ‘very embarrassed’ circumstances after the captain’s death,” Binder said. 

“There was a fundraiser held for Capt. Goodsell’s widow a year after his death,” she also said. Reports were that “she was destitute.”

Five or six other crew members were on the vessel, Binder noted, and all of them are believed to have died. 

One was found and buried while the others were lost at sea.

Binder described the discovery as “extremely rare,” noting that Ramapo researchers have not been able to find an older case where IGG was used to successfully identify remains.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

“There are a handful of cases where remains more than 100 years old have been identified with IGG, but this is the oldest we have been able to find,” she said. 

“We believe that more identifications like these will be made now that we have the advances in technology to make them happen,” she added. 

Authorities from various New Jersey law enforcement offices were also involved in the research. 

In a statement, Cape May County prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said the same technology is used to “bring offenders to justice.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP“

“The hard work of Ramapo College’s IGG Center and working with the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit has demonstrated the power and accuracy of this new technology combined with classic detective work in solving complex cold cases that will bring offenders to justice and provide closure to victims’ families,” he noted.

Victoria’s Secret shuts down website, in-store services over ‘incident’

Victoria’s Secret’s website went dark on Wednesday after a “security incident” prompted the company to completely shut down U.S. online operations.

Customers clicking onto the world’s largest lingerie retailer’s website were met with a black screen featuring a message sprawled across the center of the page.

CYBERATTACK AT SOFTWARE GIANT POTENTIALLY COMPROMISED PATIENT DATA; FBI INVESTIGATING: REPORT

“Valued customer, we identified and are taking steps to address a security incident. We have taken down our website and some in store services as a precaution. Our team is working around the clock to fully restore operations,” the message read. “We appreciate your patience during this process. In the meantime, our Victoria’s Secret and PINK stores remain open and we look forward to serving you.”

COINBASE ESTIMATES CYBERATTACK COULD COST CRYPTO EXCHANGE UP TO $400M

A Victoria’s Secret spokesperson told FOX Business after the security incident was identified, the company immediately enacted its response protocols.

“Third-party experts are engaged, and we took down our website and some in store services as a precaution,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement to FOX Business. “We are working to quickly and securely restore operations.”

The company brought in $2 billion, or about one third of its total revenue, in digital sales in 2024.

Following the crash, shares dipped nearly 7% on Wednesday.

It is unclear what the security incident entailed, or if any customers’ data was compromised.

The company did not confirm if law enforcement is involved.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Victoria’s Secret did not immediately confirm to Fox Business how long the outage has been active.

New Orleans manhunt continues for two inmates as AG makes promise to accused helpers

New Orleans authorities have arrested a total of 14 people in connection with a mass jailbreak on May 16 and re-arrested eight of the 10 Orleans Parish escapees.

Two fugitives — domestic abuse suspect Antoine T. Massey and four-time convicted killer Derrick Groves — remain at large.

“I am absolutely confident that they will be recaptured, and we just are going to continue our very methodical work to get them back in custody,” Attorney General Liz Murrill told Fox News on Thursday, adding that Massey and Groves are both considered “armed and dangerous.”

Officials this week announced the arrests of Massey’s sister, 31-year-old Daishanae Massey, and two other women, Lenika Vanburen and Diamond White. All are accused of helping the escaped inmates, who removed a toilet from a wall in a cell and crawled through the hole it created.

4 ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY AIDING ESCAPED INMATES IN NEW ORLEANS

The eight inmates who have been re-arrested include Lenton Vanburen Jr., Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd, Robert Moody, Gary C. Price, Dkenan Dennis and Kendall Myles.

The 11 others charged in connection with helping them escape include Patricia Vanburen, Tyshanea “Minnie” Randolph, Lenton Vanburen Sr., Angel McKey, Emmitt Weber, Trevon Williams, Casey Smith, Sterling Williams, Connie Weeden, Corvanntay Baptiste and Cortnie Harris.

“I think they were sympathetic. I mean, some of them are relatives of some of the escapees,” Murrill said Thursday. “I mean, these individuals are reaching out to people they know and seeking assistance, and we are going to arrest and prosecute anyone who we find is assisting them.”

A New Orleans jury last October found Groves guilty of two counts of second-degree murder after he killed two men on Mardi Gras in 2024. He later pleaded guilty to two manslaughter charges in two other killings.

INMATE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ORLEANS JUSTICE CENTER ESCAPE

Groves, already serving two life sentences for the Mardis Gras murders, was awaiting his sentencing for the manslaughter charges when he escaped the Orleans Justice Center. His aunt, Jasmine Groves, is calling on him to turn himself in.

“I’m praying to the Lord that he is protected, and I pray that they don’t try to kill him,” she told FOX 8 New Orleans.

Murrill told Fox News’ John Roberts there is “always the possibility” that Groves and Massey could be traveling out of state.

Jasmine Groves told the outlet that her nephew has been stabbed three times in jail, and she noted that the inmates would have never been able to escape had the correctional facility been staffed properly.

FORMER NEW ORLEANS POLICE CHIEF CRITICIZES SHERIFF’S ‘CHECKERED PAST’ AFTER JAILBREAK

The other escaped inmates, some of whom are charged with violent offenses, were being held in a minimum-custody site at the Orleans Parish facility. The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson on Thursday called for a long-term investment in plumbing upgrades at the Orleans Justice Center ahead of hurricane season, noting issues with flooding and “severe plumbing issues.” 

“These recurring plumbing issues highlight a much deeper infrastructure crisis at OJC, rooted in years of deferred maintenance, chronic overcrowding, and a lack of meaningful investment,” Hutson said in a Thursday statement. “This is not just a facilities problem. It’s a public safety issue, a staffing issue, and most of all, a human dignity issue. We are responsible for providing safe, stable, and humane conditions for everyone in our custody and working inside that building.”

Hutson announced a temporary suspension of her re-election campaign in a statement on May 21.

“As I said today, I take full accountability for the breach that occurred under my leadership,” Hutson said. “I am grateful to the community, our law enforcement partners and city and state leaders for helping us to secure the Orleans Justice Center and capture the remaining escapees.” 

LOUISIANA JAIL WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HELPING 10 INMATES ESCAPE ORLEANS PARISH FACILITY

“We’ve taken immediate action, including suspensions, an arrest and full cooperation with the attorney general’s investigation.”

She added there is “a long road ahead” for her “to be fully satisfied that the [Orleans Justice Center] and my deputies have the proper resources to perform their duties to the fullest extent the people of New Orleans deserve.”

LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS ‘PROGRESSIVE PROMISES’ AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE

“As such, I am temporarily suspending my re-election campaign. I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs,” she said. “Now is the time to focus on security, accountability, and public safety. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with other agencies and community organizations to hear your valuable input and make necessary changes.”

WATCH: Stunning video shows New Orleans inmates escaping

Anyone found aiding an escapee will be charged as an accomplice, according to New Orleans authorities. The FBI is offering rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the escaped inmates. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward per inmate.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A violent offender warrant squad is searching for the escapees, along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. More than 200 law enforcement officers are assisting with the search.