JOHANNESBURG: The U.S. is beating China in a high-tech trade war over data centers in a fierce battle being waged across Africa.

Major new deals have been engineered in a public-private partnership between the Trump administration and U.S. companies in Africa, while States across the U.S. clamp down on the centers over their massive reliance on electricity.

The administration’s Bureau of African Affairs has reported it has worked on 37 commercial transactions that have closed since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term — representing $25.67 billion in total value, with more still being reported.

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Data centers are at the heart of today's global economy — fueling the massive demand for AI and hosting everything from video streaming to housing cloud networks.

In Lesotho, with U.S. help, an American company has won a $6.2 billion deal for a data center and hydropower plant. It is the largest transaction in this Southern African country’s history.

In Gabon, the U.S. Embassy helped win $600 million in business for American companies in 2025. And this year, the embassy in this central African country has assisted in securing a $100 million contract to supply two data centers and a gas-to-power plant, in the face of strong competition from China.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, told Fox News Digital, "Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is assisting U.S. companies to find new markets and flourish in Africa."

The main strategic competitor in Africa is China. While American goods traded with Africa last year were valued at $83.4 billion by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Beijing’s General Administration of Customs claimed bilateral trade between China and Africa reached $348 billion for the same period.

But Garcia called out China for giving African countries a raw deal, saying "there are others (notably China) that trap, coerce and undermine. The choice to me is clear — partner with the United States for prosperity."

To drive this initiative, the State Department, through the Bureau of African Affairs, launched the Commercial Diplomacy Strategy in early 2025, with Garcia telling Fox News Digital the U.S. "is working worldwide to advance a level playing field for U.S. companies and address disparities in trade practices."

The playing fields in Lesotho are not level: Geographically because this is a mountain kingdom. Financially because China is historically deeply entrenched in life there. Beijing has dropped all tariffs on Lesotho’s exports. Payments between the two countries have been simplified, with Lesothans able to bank directly with the State-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Beijing has canceled debt on major projects in Lesotho, and among other major projects is building a new fire station, a solar power plant and even completed a police fingerprint examination laboratory.

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This makes it all the more remarkable that, with the administration’s help, primarily through the local embassy, U.S. company Convalt Energy has secured a $6.2 billion agreement with the government of Lesotho.

Garcia told Fox News Digital that the "project includes a 1,200MW pumped-storage hydropower facility and a 900MW AI data center, increasing Lesotho's electricity generation capacity by approximately 1,600% and transforming the country into a net exporter of electricity. The project is expected to generate approximately $2 billion in U.S. energy equipment exports."

Convalt Energy’s President & CEO, Hari Achuthan, told Fox News Digital how U.S. companies such as his are beating China on their traditional turf "American companies can compete successfully by innovating faster, integrating hardware and software, and remaining intensely focused on the needs of the end customer."

A new data center, Achuthan believes, is not only at the heart of the project, but is essential for any country’s growth. "The next major cycle of economic growth will increasingly be driven by artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and the energy systems required to support them. AI cannot scale without physical infrastructure. Every data center requires reliable power, water, fiber connectivity, land, cooling systems and resilient transmission infrastructure."

"The Trump administration’s emphasis on trade and private-sector investment, rather than relying primarily on grant funding, is closely aligned with our approach in Africa," Achuthan continued. "In Lesotho, we are pursuing a commercially sustainable infrastructure platform built around long-term investment, bilateral trade with a durable, sustainable operating business."

"At the same time," Achuthan added, "the project can create meaningful economic benefits in the United States. Convalt’s U.S. manufacturing facilities are being developed to serve domestic customers as well as international markets, particularly Africa, where demand for power, manufacturing capacity and digital infrastructure is growing rapidly."

The construction of two data centers is part of the $100 million deal Assistant Secretary Garcia says administration officials have helped American company Cybastion secure. Garcia added, "notably, the U.S. company prevailed over Huawei (a Chinese company) in a direct competition for the project."

Cybastion CEO Dr. Thierry Wandji believes U.S. companies can and are now coming to the fore. Earlier this month the U.S. embassy in the Ivory Coast confirmed an even larger deal for Cybastion. The $170 million contract will bring a data center, government digitalization platform and a cutting-edge border surveillance system to this West African country.

Wandji told Fox News Digital, "We believe we are the better option compared to other global competitors. Cybastion brings a unique understanding of the African context and local business environments."

"Africa has some of the world's fastest-growing economies," Wandji continued. "Across the continent, countries are prioritizing sovereign data centers, modernizing their government services through digitalization, and digital workforce development as part of their national development plans.

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"The U.S. tech sector offers global competitiveness unparalleled to any country in the world," Wandji added. "We deliver innovation, transparency and accountability in our business offerings, while creating new markets for U.S. companies."

Convalt’s Achuthan told Fox News Digital what’s working for U.S. business in Africa, "American companies must clearly communicate the value of quality, transparency, safety, responsible business practices and long-term community partnership. Competing solely on price is not enough going forward. Companies from the United States should compete on performance, reliability, innovation, institutional trust and the ability to create sustainable local economic benefits."

A senior House Democrat is urging his party to push back against the growing socialist wing that's been gaining influence in recent years.

"I don't ascribe to any of those ideas at all, and I think that there's very little support for those ideas," Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital in an interview.

He compared the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to the House Freedom Caucus, a group on the rightmost flank of the House GOP, while denouncing the DSA's use of the word "democratic" in its name — implying its ideals were mostly socialist in nature.

"Much like the Republicans have had to deal with the Freedom Caucus, the Democrats are going to have to deal with this group," Suozzi said. "I don't like the idea of them using 'democratic.' I think that we should be, as the Democratic Party, should be fighting against that and saying, 'You know, you shouldn't be using the word democratic ... that's us, that's not you."

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It comes as DSA-linked candidates are making significant inroads in primary elections across the country, even defeating incumbent House progressives in New York and Colorado.

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And as Republicans work to capitalize on a burgeoning civil war within the party, Suozzi warned fellow Democrats to take the perception of a DSA takeover seriously.

"I try not to waste my time on worry. I try to take action. So I just say very clearly, 'That's not me and that's not us, and this is why that's not us, and that's why this is not me.' And I fight back against it," Suozzi said. "And there are a lot of Democrats who say, 'Oh, if you look at it, it's just a very small percentage in very deep-blue seats. And it's not that big a deal.' I think that's wrong to just discount it like that. I think you just come out head-on, and take it on and say, 'These guys are wrong. We've got nothing to do with them.'"

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Suozzi himself is part of an ever-shrinking group of moderates on both sides of the aisle. He's also co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which is dedicated to finding legislative solutions that both parties can get behind.

The New York Democrat is one of Republicans' top targets in the coming midterm elections, and his November victory would be key to Democrats taking back control of the House. Suozzi's district, anchored in the wealthy Long Island suburbs outside of New York City, was won by President Donald Trump in 2024.

He told Fox News Digital that Democrats should not focus on running against Trump the person, but rather argue about his specific policy actions.

"Your grocery prices are higher, your fuel prices are high, your health insurance costs are higher. Your energy bill is higher. Your kids can't buy a house — all these different factors. And that's happening because of this administration," Suozzi argued. "I think it should be less about Trump himself. You know, when I say it should be a referendum on Trump, it should be a referendum on this administration's performance addressing the things in your life."

Meanwhile, Republicans have argued that a Democrat-controlled House will embolden the party's socialist wing to take control and push policies that are unpopular with Americans.

In the Empire State, for example, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has become a prominent boogeyman for the right.

Suozzi said the tactic "would be effective" if he had not distanced himself from the socialist's policy platform early on.

"He's a very smart guy, he's very charismatic," Suozzi said. "I just fundamentally disagree with his positions on things."

But it's not enough to speak out against the socialist left, Suozzi warned.

"I started a thing called The Promise to America, where I've got now 10 members of Congress signed onto it. We're in the process of getting 200 state and local officials," he said. "We've identified 10 candidates, Democratic candidates, to sign the pledge that says 'We're capitalist, not socialist. We're for safety, not lawlessness. We're proud, not ashamed of America, and we're mainstream, we're not extreme.' So we've just got to organize, we've got to do the work necessary."

Suozzi is running against Republican former state lawmaker Mike LiPetri, whom Trump endorsed to flip the seat red.

EXCLUSIVE: The rise of a new type of fraudster has a top Trump administration investigator sounding the alarm as new — albeit brazen — schemes for ripping off hard-working American taxpayers emerge.

The Department of Labor (DOL) Inspector General is warning of a growing cottage industry of online scammers, dubbed "fraudfluencers," who boast their skill in exploiting government programs and facilitate fraud on behalf of others. Typically, the scammers take a cut of the fraudulently obtained benefits.

"This isn’t just a crime — it’s a deliberate and public betrayal of every hardworking American who plays by the rules," DOL Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito told Fox News Digital. "Fraud is not a trend or content; it’s theft of taxpayer dollars, and it will be prosecuted."

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In one case, a California Employment Development Department (EDD) contract employee named Britteny Egland openly used her social media to invite others to participate in her schemes. She offered to help her followers take advantage of taxpayer-funded programs they weren't qualified for by using insider information and stolen identities to file fraudulent unemployment insurance, grant and rent relief applications. 

Egland had nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram and over 1,500 followers on X at the time of the posts. Her actions exhibit a growing cottage industry of online schemers who brazenly solicit others to team up and commit fraud.

She went on to steal $2.8 million from government coffers.

"NEW OR REGULAR CLAIMS ONLY," a typical post from the fraudfluencer, who used the handle @Britisshh on X, reads. "IF YOU DID PANDEMIC EDD THIS ISN'T FOR YOU! EVEN IF YOU HAVE A REMAINING BALANCE IT WILL NOT WORK."

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"IF YOU HAVEN'T DID EDD DURING THAT PERIOD LET'S RUN IT UP. 10-30K," the post continued, before offering for her to "check a claim" for the price of $150.

Egland prompted users to "get with the winning team" by defrauding the U.S. government, but warned potential clients against asking her too many questions because she was unable to address the influx of messages.

"IT'S A LOT OF MONEY ON THE FLOOR! PLEASE DON'T BE STUPID AND MISS OUT," another post from the perpetrator said. "NOBODY WENT TO JAIL OR OWE BACK FOR ANYTHING - LITERALLY - THE WHOLE WORLD IS SCAMMING THE GOVERNMENT AND ALL THESE PROGRAMS."

In a third post, the scammer offered her services in defrauding a $20,000 grant program, saying that she would take $5,000 and give the rest to her client.

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The law eventually caught up with Egland. In June 2025, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Egland was sentenced 60 months in federal prison, 36 months of supervised release and ordered to repay the full $2.8 million she stole.

"What makes this increasingly dangerous is the growing effort by fraudsters on social media to glamorize and normalize stealing from their own communities — turning theft into entertainment and betrayal into a lifestyle," said D'Esposito.

"My office, working in close coordination with Vice President Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, has zero tolerance for those who cheat the system. We will pursue these cases aggressively, seek prison sentences, and ensure real accountability."

Egland's case isn't isolated.

Investigators are increasingly seeing fraudsters use social media to normalize theft, advertise their methods and build audiences around criminal behavior.

An Atlanta man named Jonathan Dupiton, who had a podcast with the motto "F.R.A.U.D is Dope," was convicted in April and sentenced to seven years in federal prison for using stolen identities to brazenly obtain $3.8 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from the same California EDD program.

In 2022, a Memphis rapper called "Nuke Bizzle," whose real name is Fontrell Antonio Baines, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison after exploiting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provisions from the CARES Act, meant to help struggling Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baines bragged about his $788,000 in ill-gotten gains in a music video posted to YouTube.

"The criminal mindset hasn’t changed — only the platform has," said D'Esposito, a former NYPD detective. "I’ve seen criminals make mistakes. Today’s ‘Fraudfluencers’ make those mistakes in high definition. They steal from taxpayers, boast about it on social media, and leave a digital footprint our investigators can follow."

D'Esposito and the White House Fraud Task Force was created, in part, to crack down on taxpayer funds being paid out to fraudsters and to end the widespread abuse of government programs.

Federal immigration officials have lodged a detainer against a Honduran national accused of attempting to disarm a police officer during an encounter in Northern Virginia.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is asking Fairfax County officials not to release Nehemia Noel Fuentes-Banegas after authorities said he ambushed a Fairfax County police officer Tuesday.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), officers responded to a report of a man who left a home in Annandale following an argument while allegedly armed with two knives.

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Fairfax County police said the man also stabbed himself before leaving the residence and fleeing into a nearby wooded area.

As officers searched a wooded area, Fuentes-Banegas allegedly emerged from the brush, grabbed an officer's firearm and attempted to disarm the officer, DHS said.

Fairfax County police said one officer fired his service weapon while a second officer simultaneously deployed a department-issued Taser. The bullet grazed Fuentes-Banegas' shoulder, police said.

Fuentes-Banegas was arrested and charged with attempted disarming of a law enforcement officer. ICE has lodged a detainer requesting that Fairfax County notify federal authorities before his release.

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According to DHS, Fuentes-Banegas entered the United States illegally through Texas in 2022 and was later released under the Biden administration.

"This criminal illegal alien from Honduras attacked a law enforcement officer and attempted to take the officer's gun," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

"He has now been charged with attempted disarming of a law enforcement officer," she continued. "ICE is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail."

DHS blamed Virginia's sanctuary policies for limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, arguing they have made the commonwealth "a magnet for illegal alien crime."

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The department noted that Spanberger signed executive orders at the start of her administration ending former Gov. Glenn Youngkin's 287(g) agreements and limiting state cooperation with ICE.

"Under Governor Spanberger, Virginia has become a hotbed of illegal alien crime," DHS said.

DHS also pointed to the recent arrest of Raul Genesis Ortiz Moran, a Mexican national charged with second-degree murder and aggravated sexual battery in connection with the death of a 2-year-old girl in Louisa County.

"This horrific tragedy was completely avoidable because this illegal alien should have never been in our country. Governor Spanberger’s sanctuary policies have made Virginia a hotbed for illegal alien crime," DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis previously told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Spanberger's office for comment.

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

A Washington mother says she is withdrawing her children from an elementary school after learning a Pride-themed lesson had been presented during music class without advance notice to parents or an opportunity to opt out, raising questions about district policies governing classroom instruction.

"I assumed I had probably missed an email asking for consent, but there was nothing," Maria Varchetto said in communications with school administrators, which she shared with Fox News Digital on Monday. "No advanced notice, no opportunity to review the lesson, no information letting parents know this topic would be discussed. No option to request that our kids be allowed to opt out and participate in an alternative activity. There was nothing."

Varchetto alleged the lesson was presented to elementary school students, including her daughter, on June 15 at Martha Lake Elementary School in the Edmonds School District as part of a music class and that parents were not informed beforehand.

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Varchetto said that a video entitled, "Why is Pride in June," from the YouTube account, "Queer Kid Stuff," which, according to the account, "imagines a kinder and more equal future through highly-accessible education and entertainment for kids ages 3+," was shown to her fourth-grade daughter.

The YouTube channel describes itself as an "LGBTQ+ educational webseries for children ages 3+ hosted by a tie-wearing queer lady, Lindsay, and her non-binary best-stuffed friend, Teddy. Gender Studies 101 meets Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood!"

Varchetto said the incident prompted her to remove her children from the school.

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"We are 100% removing our kids from this school as I have no trust in the leadership," Varchetto said.

Other materials Varchetto said were included were a list of videos from musicians in the LGBTQ+ community such as Freddie Mercury of Queen, Lil Nas X, and Billy Porter dancing in a ballgown on Sesame Street.

Varchetto told school officials that her daughter recalled hearing during the lesson that students could identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, asexual, nonbinary or Two-Spirit.

She said an administrator told her she had not been aware those topics were part of the classroom discussion, leaving Varchetto wondering whether the lesson included more than the materials she had been shown.

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"No handouts were sent home (which is typical for music class)," Varchetto told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Varchetto said she asked the school for a copy of the lesson materials but was told they could only be reviewed in person rather than sent electronically. She also said parents were not notified beforehand that the lesson would be taught, were not given an opportunity to opt their children out, and received no advance communication about its content.

She said that cultural lessons were taught every month for the theme of that month, but that Pride month was left off of the list of lessons.

"I feel mad they did this, mad they hid it," Varchetto said. "I feel insulted, offended, angry, and sad that my kids are now being taken out of a lifestyle they've grown to love, away from the friendships they've built, all because this one teacher didn't care to ask permission and a principal lied and hid it." 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Edmonds School District said, "The lesson was not part of a districtwide Pride curriculum. It was a music lesson developed by the school’s music teacher that highlighted the contributions of influential musicians, including some who identify as LGBTQ+."

The spokesperson continued, "The purpose of the lesson was to teach music and music history through the lives and contributions of notable artists. Discussions about an artist’s background or identity were included as relevant biographical context, similar to how students may learn about other aspects of historical figures’ lives that helped shape their experiences and contributions."

The spokesperson added, "We expect instructional materials to be age-appropriate and aligned with district expectations and state standards. As with any concern raised about classroom instruction, we will work with the school administrator to determine whether they met those expectations."

City Hall repeatedly touted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 19-member judiciary advisory panel as a "truly representative cross-section" of New York City’s legal profession — but four Jewish bar associations say not one Jewish member was appointed.

The groups, backed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), are demanding Mamdani correct what they called a profound omission from the influential committee, which screens and recommends candidates for judgeships across the five boroughs and across various different courts, including Criminal Court, Family Court and, on an interim basis, Civil Court.

City Hall touted Mamdani’s 19-member judiciary advisory panel as a "truly representative cross-section" when it was announced July 22. Meanwhile, Mamdani’s own Jan. 2 executive order establishing the committee stated that its membership "shall reflect the cosmopolitan population of the City of New York."

"The members announced today offer a truly representative cross-section of the legal profession in New York City, bringing a wide range of professional experience from all five boroughs to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary," said Ramzi Kassem, Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall, who supervises the activities of the Committee. 

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"Under Mayor Mamdani’s leadership, [Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary] will reach across the legal community to build a broad and highly qualified pool of judicial applicants," Kassem continued. "An independent and impartial judiciary composed of jurists who have served their fellow New Yorkers in a range of legal circumstances is essential to a healthy democracy, and these appointments reflect our administration’s commitment to a fair, inclusive and transparent judicial selection process."

But the Brandeis Association, Jewish Lawyers Guild, Brooklyn Brandeis Society and Queens Brandeis Association — along with other critics — say the absence of even one Jewish member from the 19-person panel exposes a glaring contradiction between City Hall’s rhetoric and its appointments. 

"At a time when antisemitism is rising and Jewish communities are increasingly under threat, excluding Jewish voices from this influential body is not only disheartening, it is dangerous," the groups wrote in a joint letter they sent to Mamdani on Monday. "The absence of Jewish representation on a committee entrusted with shaping the future of our judiciary sends a deeply troubling message to the Jewish community and undermines the committee’s credibility and ability to serve all New Yorkers fairly."

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In addition to Mamdani, the four groups sent the letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson, along with other state, city and judicial officials.

The letter's warning, which included calls to "correct this exclusion," came amid renewed fears over Jewish safety in the city.

On Tuesday, a hammer-carrying intruder entered the grounds of the Jewish Institute of Queens and shoved an 8-year-old boy into a fence during a struggle with security, leaving the child with a head injury, authorities said. Police did not believe the boy was the intended target, and investigators have not established a motive.

The frightening episode followed last week’s alleged hate-crime attack on an Orthodox Jewish man who was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver shortly after leaving an Upper West Side synagogue. Prosecutors say the suspect shouted "Justice for Islam" and "Allahu Akbar" before committing the attack.

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The mayor’s office, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary and committee Chairman Ali Najmi did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by publication time. However, Mamdani press secretary Joe Calvello told NBC New York that any suggestion the appointments to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary were motivated by religion was "false."

Calvello said Mamdani had appointed "a dozen qualified judges from a range of backgrounds, including Jewish judges," and said the administration declined to appoint retired Justice John Leventhal, who is Jewish, after learning he had served on Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team.

"Make no mistake, the leader of the Democrat Party, Mayor Mamdani, is working to bulldoze the rest of New York government to fit his ideology," Mark Bednar, a principal at Monument Advocacy who previously led communications for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and served as communications director for then-Rep. Sean Duffy, told Fox News Digital. "Americans of all backgrounds should take notice of the threat his ideology poses, and to sound the alarm about anyone he appoints to important positions."

Jewish civil rights attorney Gerard Filitti argued that the absence of Jewish members was particularly glaring in a city with the largest Jewish population in the country. He also pointed out the committee’s influence over the courts that hear hate-crime cases.

"His own chief counsel called the slate a truly representative cross-section of the city's legal profession, in the city with the largest Jewish population in America, on the panel that will pick the judges who hear hate-crime cases," Filitti wrote on X. "City Hall did not deny the exclusion. It changed the subject to judges Mamdani appointed elsewhere. Jewish New Yorkers are owed the same representation as everyone else, and this mayor just seated a panel that gives them none."

Utah isn't giving up its crown.

The Beehive State came in at America's No. 1 state for the fourth consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best States rankings, holding onto the top spot overall while Texas claimed the nation's highest-ranked economy.

The list points to a notable regional trend, with Mountain West, Midwest and Sun Belt states claiming many of the country's highest overall rankings. Four of the top five states are located in the Mountain West or Upper Midwest, with Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska leading the overall rankings in order. New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Vermont rounded out the Top 10.

U.S. News Executive Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler said the results reflect what he called "a broader realignment of American economic growth," with states in the Midwest and South gaining ground as businesses and workers increasingly gravitate toward faster-growing, lower-cost regions.

"States in the Midwest and South generally moved up the rankings, while several Northeastern states fell substantially, showing how human and financial capital are actively migrating away from high-cost areas into more affordable regions," Gertler told Fox News Digital.

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Texas climbed to the No. 1 spot in the economy category after the Lone Star State ranking the year prior. U.S. News credited the state with leading the nation in job growth while posting among the country's strongest performances in GDP growth, net migration and youth population growth.

South Dakota, meanwhile, posted one of the year's biggest gains, climbing from No. 8 overall to No. 2, while North Dakota jumped from No. 12 to No. 4, driven by improvements in health care, education, fiscal stability and economic performance.

Gertler described 2026 as the "Year of the Midwest," pointing to the Dakotas' rapid ascent as evidence of a broader shift in economic momentum.

"Low cost of living combined with strategic manufacturing investments are making these states prime destinations for young workers and expanding businesses," Gertler said.

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Utah, meanwhile, maintained its dominance by placing in the Top 10 across five of the report's eight major categories, including No. 2 in the economy and fiscal stability and No. 4 in infrastructure.

Gertler attributed Utah's sustained success to the state's overall consistency.

"Utah's No. 1 ranking comes down to consistency," he said, pointing to the state's strong economy, fiscal stability and education system, along with its young and growing workforce.

One of the report's most striking findings was that the nation's top-ranked state also placed 48th in natural environment, underscoring that no single category determines the overall standings.

No state dominated every category. Colorado climbed to No. 1 in education, Hawaii topped the nation in health care, Nevada ranked first in infrastructure, Wyoming led in fiscal stability, New Hampshire earned the highest marks in crime and corrections, Vermont ranked first in opportunity and Hawaii also claimed the top spot in natural environment.

Among the nation's largest states, Florida was the only one to crack the overall Top 10, finishing eighth. Texas paired its top-ranked economy with continued population and job growth, while California and New York did not finish among the top 10 overall.

The annual U.S. News Best States rankings compare all 50 states across eight categories that include the economy, education, health care, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment.