New ruling reveals fate of middle school girls banned for protesting trans competitor
Five West Virginia middle school girls banned from participating in track and field meets after they protested against a trans athlete last week are allowed to compete again, a judge ruled Thursday night. Judge Thomas A. Bedell issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the Harrison Board of Education and its schools from penalizing student-athletes for their speech. The school board denied allegations of retaliation against the students, and instead asserted the students were allowed to protest without hindrance and with full awareness and permission from coaches and the principal. “Those students, like all of the other students on the team, however, were subject to a team rule that any player who scratches in an event cannot participate in that event at the next track meet,” the board said in a statement. “This neutral, school-specific rule was in place before the students’ protests and has nothing to do with those protests in any way. Other than not being permitted to participate in the same event in which they scratched at the next track meet, the students have competed in track meets and events following their protests without restriction.” OREGON HIGH SCHOOL TRANSGENDER TRACK ATHLETE COMPETES AGAINST GIRLS AT EVENT, SPARKING OUTRAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed an amicus brief this week in support of the plaintiffs and praised the judge’s decision. “These girls didn’t disrupt anything when they protested. They should be commended, not punished,” Morrisey said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We need to teach them that it is noble to stand firm in their beliefs and address their grievances within the protections guaranteed by our Constitution. “They need not be silent,” he added. “They have won by having their voices heard. So glad we were able to weigh in on behalf of these courageous young girls and that they are able to play.” Last week, the middle school girls were barred from competing in a shot put track and field event after protesting a court’s ruling to block enforcement of the state’s “Save Women’s Sports Act,” according to the West Virginia Attorney General’s office. The state law prohibited transgender girls from competing against biological girls in sports. But, in a 2-1 ruling, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the law violated Title IX, siding with the American Civil Liberties Union, its West Virginia chapter and Lambda Legal. COLORADO COULD BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO BUILD SEPARATE PRISON UNITS FOR TRANSGENDER FELONS Last month, a 2-1 ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the state’s Save Women’s Sports Act, first signed in 2021. The court said the law cannot lawfully be applied to a middle school-aged trans girl who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since the third grade. In 2021, after the law went into effect, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of 12-year-old transgender athlete Becky Pepper Jackson (B.P.J), who would be kicked off the middle school’s track and field team under the new ban. Jackson’s lawyers argued the law violated the 14th Amendment and protections under Title IX. TENNESSEE SENATE CLEARS BILL MAKING IT ILLEGAL TO ASSIST MINORS SEEKING ABORTIONS West Virginia is one of 24 states that has laws barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports. Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
Biden’s controversial DHS ‘experts’ panel shuttered after being slapped with lawsuit
FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration has agreed to wind down a controversial intelligence “experts” group, as it faced a lawsuit from a conservative legal nonprofit arguing that it was in violation of federal law. The Homeland Intelligence Experts Group was announced by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in September. The group was a collection of figures from the private sector to provide perspectives on the government’s intelligence and national security efforts. “The security of the American people depends on our capacity to collect, generate, and disseminate actionable intelligence to our federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, campus, and private sector partners,” Mayorkas said in a statement. DHS DOCS REVEAL WHERE PAROLED MIGRANTS UNDER CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN FLIGHT PROGRAM ARE LANDING But critics have said that the board was not a neutral body and was instead a partisan body. Critics highlighted former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan as two of the figures they saw as objectionable due to their signing on to a letter questioning the veracity of the Hunter Biden laptop story. America First Legal, which filed the lawsuit, found that of all the political contributions of those named to the group, just 1% went to Republicans, while 98% went to Democrats. Multiple Republican lawmakers had sent a letter to Mayorkas demanding that the appointments of “known purveyors of disinformation” be withdrawn. AFL, also representing itself and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, sued DHS in November. The lawsuit alleged that the alleged bias violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, citing alleged lack of balance, a lack of public notice and inappropriate influence by the Biden administration. According to a joint notice and stipulation of dismissal, DHS “maintains its position that the establishment and operation of the Experts Group did not violate the FACA” but agreed to wind the group down. BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS SEEK ANSWERS FROM MAYORKAS AFTER RUSSIAN CYBERATTACKS ON WATER SYSTEMS IN US “The Experts Group shall be wound down within thirty (30) days of the entry of the Order, it will not hold any future meetings, and the Department will not reconstitute the Experts Group inconsistent with the FACA or the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Department will also provide the Experts Group meeting agendas and meeting minutes with participant identifying information redacted within fifteen (15) days of the entry of the Order,” it said. AFL in turn agreed to dismiss the lawsuit. DHS also reserves the right to create an advisory committee under the FACA provisions. The conservative plaintiffs hailed the agreement as a win. “Thanks to the courage of Ric Grenell in standing up to the Deep State, we have just achieved an unqualified legal victory over Mayorkas and Biden,” Stephen Miller, President of America First Legal and a former senior Trump White House advisor said in a statement. “As a result of our lawsuit in federal court, DHS is surrendering in total to our demands: they are closing down their new partisan intelligence board featuring Clapper and Brennan — which would have been used to promote censored, unethical spying, and gross civil rights invasions of political enemies — and they are surrendering their documents, handing them over to our possession. We won. We beat Biden and DHS,” he said. Grenell said that DHS “surrendered” because “they knew the America First Legal team was right, and Biden’s team broke the law.” DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zoom call reveals ‘Squad’ Democrat’s message to anti-Jewish agitators at university encampment
A video posted by far-left anti-Jewish agitators at the University of Oregon has revealed one “Squad” member’s message urging them to continue their aggressive actions. The video of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., appeared in multiple social media posts across a number of platforms earlier this week and was posted by Free Palestine Eugene and the UO Palestine Coalition, two groups supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and involved in the setup of a protest encampment at the University of Oregon. “I’m here to tell you all, I love you. Thank you for this. Just know the incredible power that you all have to, again, move our country in the right direction. So thank you all so much. Thank you, thank you,” Tlaib said in the Zoom call that protesters were able to watch on their individual phones. COLLEGE GIRL PELTED WITH OBJECTS BY ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS FOR STANDING UP FOR US FLAG SPEAKS OUT Her message to the protesters marks the latest instance when she has shown sympathy to antisemitic causes and actions as a frequent critic of Israel. Amid the breakout of anti-Jewish protests at universities across the country last month, Tlaib criticized administrations for cracking down on those occupying and causing disturbances in public spaces. “From UM to Vanderbilt to USC to Columbia, students across our country are being retaliated against for using their constitutional rights to protest genocide. It’s appalling,” Tlaib wrote on X in response to a post by Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, who was arrested while protesting at Columbia University. STANFORD JEWISH STUDENTS ON TAKING PHOTO OF MAN WITH HAMAS HEADBAND ON CAMPUS: ‘WE WERE JUST IN SHOCK’ “Our country isn’t just complicit in this genocide — we’re actively participating in it,” she wrote in another post on X, while calling on the Biden administration to stop supplying the Jewish state with arms. Despite Tlaib’s concerns over campus responses to student protests, she has refused to call out the antisemitism seen at some gatherings in which Jewish students have been targeted, and even took part in a protest at the University of Michigan on April 24. Protests at multiple universities have seen anti-Israel supporters call for an “intifada,” or uprising, and for the destruction of the Jewish state, and have ended in thousands of arrests as police were forced to intervene and disperse them. NYPD BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS OFFICER BREACHING COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BUILDING TAKEN OVER BY ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS More than 100 University of Oregon students set up an encampment on campus earlier this week, mirroring those seen at other universities across the country, to protest the war in Gaza and demand university administrators take action to divest from Israel, according to the Eugene Register-Guard. The encampment continued growing, reaching more than 100 tents by Thursday, according to local ABC affiliate KEZI, as university president Karl Scholz rejected the protesters’ demands, contending that the encampment “violates university policy.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Reports show that the negotiations between the university and the encampment protesters are still ongoing, with no clear timeline on when they could be removed should they opt not to leave peacefully. Fox News Digital has reached out to Tlaib’s office for comment. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Weather update: IMD predicts heatwave, rainfall in several states in coming days; check full forecast
Amid the ongoing heatwave conditions in many parts of the country, there is a possibility of a heat wave at isolated places in Western Rajasthan, Saurashtra Kutch and North Interior Karnataka on May 07, 2024, said IMD.
Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar declares innocence amid report of incoming indictment
FBI agents raided the Democrat’s Laredo home and office in 2022 — weeks before his primary election — though his lawyer at the time asserted he was not the target of the investigation.
Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar expected to be indicted by DOJ, sources say
The Department of Justice intends to indict Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, sources familiar with the investigation have told Fox News Digital. The details of the indictment have not yet been made public but are expected to be unsealed Friday, sources say. Federal law enforcement raided Cuellar’s house and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into a group of U.S. businessmen and their ties to the country of Azerbaijan. The representative and his office agreed to cooperate with the investigation. FEDERAL GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS REP. CUELLAR, WIFE, AND ASSOCIATES IN AZERBAIJAN-TIED PROBE: REPORT Cuellar released a statement on Friday following reports of the upcoming indictment, declaring both himself and his wife as innocent without specifying the charges. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” wrote Cuellar. “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of Texas.” REP. CUELLAR, STAFF TOOK SPONSORED TRIPS TO AZERBAIJAN COORDINATED BY CONVICTED BUSINESSMAN The Texas representative specifically defended his wife and her qualifications, once again without specifying the nature of the indictments. “Imelda and I have been married 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting. The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard working is both wrong and offensive.” Cuellar previously served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar indicted by DOJ on conspiracy and bribery charges
The Department of Justice indicted Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas on conspiracy and bribery charges Friday. Cuellar’s wife has also been indicted in an investigation connected $600,000 in bribes they accepted from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a bank in Mexico to advance the former Soviet republic’s interests in the U.S. Federal law enforcement raided Cuellar’s house and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into a group of U.S. businessmen, and their ties to the country. The representative and his office agreed to cooperate with the investigation. FEDERAL GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS REP. CUELLAR, WIFE, AND ASSOCIATES IN AZERBAIJAN-TIED PROBE: REPORT Cuellar released a statement on Friday following reports of the upcoming indictment, declaring both himself and his wife as innocent without specifying the charges. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” wrote Cuellar. “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of Texas.” REP. CUELLAR, STAFF TOOK SPONSORED TRIPS TO AZERBAIJAN COORDINATED BY CONVICTED BUSINESSMAN The Texas representative specifically defended his wife and her qualifications, once again without specifying the nature of the indictments. “Imelda and I have been married 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting. The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard working is both wrong and offensive,” he wrote. Cuellar previously served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. This is a developing story and will be updated. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Amit Shah fake video case: Delhi Police arrests Arun Reddy, handler of ‘Spirit of Congress’ X account
The Delhi Police on Friday arrested a Congress member for allegedly uploading and circulating a fake video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Watch a May 22 conversation on addressing young Texans’ mental health needs
We’ll discuss the challenges facing our kids and how the state is investing in addressing the crisis. We’ll explore the work being done in schools, health care, child welfare and restorative justice systems.
Campus ‘occupation guide’ taps into agitators’ ‘rage,’ instructs how to ‘escalate’ chaos
FIRST ON FOX: Anti-Israel radicals on the University of Pennsylvania campus are passing around multiple guides directing agitators on how to break into buildings, “escalate” protests, create weapons and even administer first aid, documents exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital show. “Let repression breed more resistance. We will not disavow any actions taken to escalate the struggle, including militant direct actions. Our notion of ‘safety’ in the imperial core is built on centuries of corpses, and this liberal framing of ‘safetyism’ prevents us from escalating and winning, which is our duty to Palestine and us all. We keep us safe by escalating. Don’t hesitate to take more risk,” one how-to guide dubbed “FLOOD THE GATES: ESCALATE” reads. Fox News Digital obtained a 52-page document — which contains various guides for radicals — through a source with access to agitators on Penn’s campus. The guides coach student agitators and outside radicals in how to build shields out of trash cans and how to most effectively barricade a door, while advising that bolt cutters are the best tool to cut padlocks, and angle grinders are best to slice through locks, bolts and chains. ‘SCREAMING AND CURSING’ ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS DESCEND ON SENATOR’S HOME MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES “Use the straighter end of a crowbar to pry open windows and doors (such as in the hand over hand method). Use the slightly angled part as your fulcrum, pushing it against the window frame or door jamb,” the “Do-It-Yourself Occupation Guide 2024” describes. The guide informs agitators they shouldn’t pry a crowbar toward their face. A university spokesman on Thursday declined comment to Fox News Digital when asked about the guides. Penn, located in Philadelphia, is among the long list of schools nationwide where students and other radicals are staging anti-Israel protests, including setting up encampments. The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on Penn’s campus was established more than a week ago, where students are demanding the school disclose its financial ties to Israel, divest from the country and provide protections for the protesters on campus, ABC 6 reported. Student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian reported Thursday that university officials had called on the Philadelphia Police Department to disband the encampment immediately, but that the department reportedly turned down the request as it has an agreement with the school’s police department to provide support “as needed,” and there was no imminent threat. “The University has been managing an encampment and surrounding protests on our campus for several days,” a Penn spokesperson told the student newspaper in comment that was also provided to Fox News Digital. “Protest activity began to escalate overnight and has steadily continued, with large crowds in and around College Green today. We have reached out to the City of Philadelphia to ensure we have the necessary resources to keep our community safe.” “The Mayor’s Office has asked for more information, and we’re providing it,” the statement continued. The Philadelphia Police Department told Fox News Digital on Thursday when asked about the report and ongoing protests, that “our response will be based on the specific circumstances of each situation.” “The PPD remains committed to facilitating safe demonstrations while ensuring the safety and upholding the First Amendment rights of all who live, work or visit our city. In line with this commitment, the Philadelphia Police Department maintains a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department to ensure effective cooperation in situations requiring a police response. As per the MOU, the PPD will provide assistance to the UPPD as needed. However, for tactical purposes, we do not publicly discuss specific planning or engagement strategies related to ongoing situations,” a department spokesman continued. NYPD RELEASE VIDEO SHOWING PROFESSIONAL ‘PROTEST CONSULTANT’ AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY The guides for the agitators, meanwhile, detail how to best handle injuries for when protests turn violent. “Have medics both inside and outside the building. Medics should know about the needs of specific individuals involved in the action beforehand (medications, allergies, etc.). They should have a first aid kit. Anybody can be a street medic, but make attempts to contact RNs and EMTs,” one guide states. The documents advise those who have been pepper sprayed to clean out their eyes with water, while counseling that rubber bullet wounds should be cleaned and sutured “for comrades who cannot be taken to the hospital.” ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS NATIONWIDE FUELED BY LEFT-WING GROUPS BACKED BY SOROS, DARK MONEY Radicals are also coached to establish a “propaganda team” to disseminate press releases and work with the media. “Have an initial statement prepared before the occupation is announced,” the guide advises on press releases. “Pour out your rage, but make sure you also provide a reasonable explanation for what you are doing, since many people will want to know why you did it. Do not have an official line. Do not prevent people from expressing themselves in their own way. Have people on hand to make and distribute flyers about what you are doing when the occupation takes place.” Though the guide states that the agitators should establish a media team, it warns that one person should not be “branded” as the leader. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROTESTS: REP. ELISE STEFANIK URGES TRUSTEES TO REMOVE SHAFIK AFTER MOB SEIZES BUILDING “No particular individuals inside the occupation should become too visible, so as not to be branded as leaders. No one on the inside should give televised interviews, or any more information about themselves than necessary.” Student agitators have infiltrated college campuses nationwide in recent weeks, including radicals on Columbia University’s campus taking over the school’s Hamilton Hall building, while universities such as UCLA, Harvard and Yale are working to clear student encampments where protesters demand their elite schools completely divest from Israel. TRUCK BILLBOARDS CALLING FOR PENN PRESIDENT’S FIRING CIRCLE CAMPUS AFTER ISRAEL REMARKS Columbia saw its occupation of Hamilton Hall cut short this week, when riot-clad NYPD officers stormed the building and cleared it in about two hours on Tuesday night. The protests follow terrorist organization