WATCH: Lawler unloads on Raskin after fiery immigration hearing: ‘Grow the f— up’
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., tore into his Democratic counterparts after a hearing on immigration policies erupted into a heated squabble as the mother of a murder victim killed by an illegal immigrant pleaded to Congress for reforms to sanctuary policies. In a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Lawler reprimanded Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., for not having sympathy for American victims who were murdered by illegal immigrants — Laken Riley and Sheridan Gorman. The mother of one of those victims, Jessica Gorman, was called as a witness to share her story before the committee . “They can save me their crocodile tears about they didn’t like my words or they didn’t like the fact that I spoke on policy as part of my introduction,” Lawler told Fox News Digital. “Grow the f—— up.” ANGEL MOM WARNS DEMOCRATS ‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO STOP’ AFTER EMOTIONAL HOUSE HEARING ON SANCTUARY POLICIES “To fully appreciate and understand why Jessica Gorman is here, you actually have to understand what happened to their daughter,” Lawler said. “The reality is that they didn’t want to hear it. They didn’t want to hear what happened with Sheridan Gorman or that their policies that they support contributed to her death. That’s a fundamental fact.” The New York Republican accused House Democrats of being more empathetic toward the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, anti-ICE agitators who were shot to death by federal agents earlier this year after they allegedly interfered with law enforcement during protests in Minnesota. This led to chaos between the two, with Raskin shouting that Lawler didn’t belong on the Judiciary Committee and didn’t understand the Constitution. RASKIN TELLS LAWLER TO ‘GET THE HELL OUT’ DURING CONTENTIOUS HEARING He also asked Lawler if he felt any outrage for Good and Pretti. “I said, ‘if you care about Alex Pretti and Renee Good, you should care as much about Sheridan Gorman,” Lawler said about his exchange with Raskin. He continued, “The difference is I spoke out about Alex Pretti and Renee Good getting killed. They shouldn’t have died. The reason they died, however, is because sanctuary policies prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating on crowd control and traffic control.” RASKIN TELLS LAWLER TO ‘GET THE HELL OUT’ DURING CONTENTIOUS HEARING Lawler told Raskin he should be “ashamed” of himself for his stance on sanctuary policies. “Their nonsense that we had to sit there and listen to, that Jessica and Tom and Madeline had to sit there to listen to. I have no tolerance for it,” Lawler told Fox News Digital about Raskin’s comments. Raskin has been a strong proponent of sanctuary policies, arguing that having local police enforce federal immigration law is unconstitutional and often defending against what he views as federal overreach on sanctuary policies. He has also criticized proposals to withhold federal funding from cities and states that have limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Sheridan Gorman would still be alive, but for open borders, sanctuary policies and pro-criminal cashless bail policies,” Lawler said. “They support those policies. I don’t. And that’s the fundamental difference here.”
‘It’s insane’: GOP senator says Supreme Court birthright ruling hands China a citizenship loophole
FIRST ON FOX: In the midst of a blitz of Republicans shaking their fists at the Supreme Court, one Senate Republican is warning of national security consequences due to the high court’s bombshell birthright citizenship decision. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., worries that the court’s 6-3 decision leaves America vulnerable to threats, particularly from China. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he explained a multistep path that lawmakers and the administration could take to tackle the issue. “I want to get this done because I really believe that the future of our country is on the line,” Schmitt said. “We can’t have Chinese generals sending their wives to this country to give birth and going back for 18 years and coming back and being citizens. It’s insane.” ALITO WARNS SUPREME COURT MADE ‘SERIOUS MISTAKE’ THAT COULD HAVE NATIONAL SECURITY CONSEQUENCES While some lawmakers want a constitutional amendment and others are pushing legislation, Schmitt has a foot in both camps. He contended that in all, there is “a short-term, medium-term and long-term solution.” “The short-term is executive action, the medium-term is our legislative action that we could take, and then the long-term solution is the constitutional amendment,” Schmitt said. “I think we should pursue all of those.” The clearest shot to counter the court’s decision would be through a constitutional amendment, but legislation may be the more realistic route, he said. He’s following the breadcrumb trail left by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to do it, too. SUPREME COURT RULING SPARKS RACE TO KILL A MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR LOOPHOLE IN CONGRESS “Congress could — consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment — amend or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country,” Kavanaugh wrote in the court’s decision. “But Congress has not yet done so.” Schmitt’s legislation would clarify the language of the 14th Amendment. The court interpreted the words “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” within the text to effectively mean all children born in the U.S. are automatically granted citizenship. His plan is to modify the language to include “not subject to a foreign power,” which he contended would return the 14th Amendment to its original intent and prevent foreign adversaries from quietly scoring citizenship. REPUBLICANS DECLARE WAR ON ‘ORGANIZED THEFT’ WITH GOVERNMENT FRAUD CRACKDOWN “That would get back to what the meaning was supposed to be, that the court got wrong, which would give us the opportunity, I think, for potentially the decision to be overturned, because Congress has clarified it,” Schmitt said. But, like nearly every legislative push in the Senate, the 60-vote filibuster threshold is a barrier. That means that Schmitt, or any Republican pushing a bill dealing with birthright citizenship, will need Democratic support to pass. Schmitt pointed to the late former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bill from 1993, the Immigration Stabilization Act, which among other things sought to tweak the 14th Amendment to prevent children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. from gaining citizenship, as a marker that at one point, Democrats supported the same thing he and Republicans are pushing for. “It wasn’t that long ago that Harry Reid actually had legislation to deal with this issue,” he said. “And so, you know, are the Democrats going to be a party that learned their lesson from the Biden years where they were open borders and they let 15 to 20 million people here illegally?” “They don’t believe in sovereignty that we can tell people who can come and who can go,” Schmitt continued. “Is that who they are, or are they gonna make a shift more towards where the American people are at?”
AOC sides with Bernie-backed progressive in Senate primary clash with Schumer establishment
Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taking sides in a high-profile Democratic Senate primary that’s seen as the next major showdown between the far left and the party establishment. Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in battleground Michigan, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. El-Sayed, who if elected would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, has long been backed by another progressive champion, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He is facing off with two more moderate candidates, including centrist Rep. Haley Stevens, who is tacitly supported by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALISTS LOOK TO TAKE NEW YORK PLAYBOOK NATIONWIDE AFTER PRIMARY VICTORIES Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments, in a race that Democrats view as crucial as they aim to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB But Ocasio-Cortez, the four-term firebrand from New York City best known by her initialism AOC, disagreed. “Despite our ideological differences and whatever disagreements there are in the party, every single one of us sees this moment as existential,” she said in a New York Times interview, where she announced the endorsement. “And I think many people are willing to put aside differences in order to give us the best chance at winning. And I think that Abdul gives us that right now.” The endorsement by Ocasio-Cortez, her first this cycle in a contested Democratic Senate primary, could further energize far-left progressive activists who are already heavily supporting El-Sayed. And it will likely be problematic for establishment leaders, who worry El-Sayed as the party’s nominee would jeopardize the Democrat-controlled Senate seat by pushing the party too far to the left in a state that President Donald Trump carried two years ago. EL SAYED DOUBLES DOWN ON CONTROVERSIAL RHETORIC Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement in Michigan comes in the wake of stunning Democratic primary victories the past week and a half by far left and socialist-aligned candidates in showdowns in New York City and Colorado. The results have emboldened the far left as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the party. In Michigan, which holds its primary on Aug. 4, El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, former public health official and academic who recently served as director of the Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services of Wayne County, has made support for “Medicare-for-all” a major component of his campaign. El-Sayed also calls for abolishing ICE, and he’s a vocal critic of Israel in its war with Hamas. He has characterized Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians. El-Sayed, who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has also vowed not to accept PAC donations. THESE MIDTERM RACES WILL DETERMINE WHETHER REPUBLICANS HOLD THEIR SENATE MAJORITY Stevens, meanwhile, has been backed by millions in super PAC spending, including big bucks from Israel-aligned groups. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who has a growing national profile, is the third major candidate in the Democratic Senate primary. She is running as a progressive in an ideological space between El-Sayed and Stevens. Polling indicates that El-Sayed is the frontrunner in the race. This isn’t the first time Ocasio-Cortez has backed El-Sayed. She also endorsed him for his insurgent but unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial bid in Michigan. Sayed, pointing to Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement, told the New York Times, “I’m honored for what her support says about what this campaign is building and what we’re fighting for.” And taking aim at Schumer, he argued that the longtime Democratic Senate leader “doesn’t want to see me on the inside of the U.S. Senate.” The eventual Democratic nominee will face off in the general election with former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to the Republican nomination. Rogers, who is running for the Senate for a second straight cycle, narrowly lost in 2024 to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The leading nonpartisan political handicappers rate the Senate race in Michigan as a toss-up. The Michigan GOP called the Ocasio-Cortez endorsement “the least surprising political news of the week.” Michigan GOP senior communications adviser Greg Manz argued that “the U.S. Senate in Michigan race is a choice between the crazy agenda of AOC and Abdul El-Sayed or the commonsense values of Michigan working families.”
SEE IT: Pennsylvania Democrats boot GOP lawmaker from House floor over patriotic America 250 suit
A Republican lawmaker was booted from Pennsylvania’s Democrat-controlled State House chamber over his choice of patriotic attire celebrating the U.S. founding 250 years ago this week in the commonwealth. The dispute comes as Americans prepare to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial and as the Trump administration showcases the Great American State Fair while the Shapiro administration features America250PA concerts and fairs from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre. America’s most prominent swing state has long enjoyed closely-divided government, with Gov. Josh Shapiro controlling the executive, Democrats holding a one-seat House majority and Republicans holding a four-seat Senate majority – which has led to dustups like that involving state Rep. Eric Davanzo this week. MS NOW GUEST ADMITS ‘GREAT TREPIDATION’ ABOUT CELEBRATING AMERICA’S 250TH, CLAIMS COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED Davanzo, who represents a swath of Westmoreland County between Pittsburgh and Greensburg, said he was shocked by the reaction of House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Southwest Philadelphia, when he came to Tuesday’s session sporting a red, white and blue suit and tie. Davanzo told Fox News Digital he walked around the chamber greeting colleagues and eventually stopped to chat with House Minority Whip Timothy O’Neal, R-Washington. “We were talking, I turned around when a House photographer got a picture… and the next thing I know Whip O’Neal is gone.” PRIDE FLAGS SPARK CONTROVERSY AFTER BEING DISPLAYED WITH VETERANS’ TRIBUTE BANNERS IN LONG ISLAND TOWN “He comes back a few minutes later and he says, ‘hey, you’re not going to like this,’” Davanzo said, going on to recount that McClinton informed minority leadership that his attire was inappropriate. “I’m like, ‘what? You’ve got to be kidding,’” Davanzo said, before learning McClinton wanted him off the House floor. Davanzo initially decided to stay on the floor despite Democratic leaders’ wishes until a House security guard informed him McClinton was demanding he either remove his suit jacket or leave. PRIDE FLAGS SPARK CONTROVERSY AFTER BEING DISPLAYED WITH VETERANS’ TRIBUTE BANNERS IN LONG ISLAND TOWN “Instead of taking my jacket off, I walked off the House Floor,” he said. Davanzo said that while it was clear McClinton objected to his America 250-themed suit, some Democratic lawmakers came up to him afterward in the Capitol and said they did not agree with his ejection. One Philadelphia Democrat, Rep. Jordan Davis of Gray’s Ferry, had remarked to Davanzo the suit was “a very colorful jacket the representative is wearing today. Very patriotic, I see, my friend.” Davanzo said House leadership had previously endorsed thematic attire in the chamber. “They were asked to dress in pride colors because they were going to do a House photo on the floor,” Davanzo told Fox News Digital, noting June is Pride Month. “That’s OK. We can take our photos for pride but we can’t show up as a patriot and take a photo or even get on the House floor apparently,” Davanzo said. He then read from a statement from McClinton about Pride Month and how it encourages people to be “authentic” and “love freely.” “You’re only able to love freely because the brave men and women died for this flag,” Davanzo said. “They died for our country. This is complete hypocrisy. You’re allowed to wear tennis shoes on the floor. You’re allow to wear top hats. You can wear camo-jackets. Everything across the board, but don’t show up with a patriotic outfit on because you’re going to be asked to leave.” He noted that the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago Saturday about 250 miles east of his district in Philadelphia and that he is also a “Bicentennial Baby,” born in 1976 and celebrating his 50th birthday this year. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Davanzo also leads the America First Caucus in the State House, which he said focuses on efforts like onshoring manufacturing in the increasingly postindustrial Keystone State and providing for an “automatic death penalty” for illegal immigrants convicted of murdering Pennsylvanians. “I introduced bills that we would give $250 checks out to every family household in Pennsylvania so that we can celebrate America [250]. This is what I stand for, this is what believe in. I’m just representing my folks back home of who I am,” he said. “This is a big celebration coming up. I want to be patriotic, why not? What is so wrong with what I have on?” said Davanzo, who wore the very same suit during his interview. Fox News Digital reached out to McClinton for comment. Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.
‘Libelous’ NYT report tying Trump family to government-backed deal sparks legal demand
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump Organization is demanding the New York Times retract a story it calls ‘libelous’ and claims was deliberately crafted to suggest financial impropriety by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, according to a legal letter obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter stems from a Times story published this week titled “Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit,” which ties the elder Trump brothers and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s sons to a tungsten deal secured by President Donald Trump with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in September 2025. “Your June 28 article is deeply misleading and appears deliberately crafted to create the false impression that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were involved in, or sought to influence, the decision to award the Kazakhstan tungsten mine project to an affiliate of Cove Capital,” Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten writes in a letter to The Times. THOMAS, GORSUCH TARGET LANDMARK RULING TRUMP SAYS PROTECTS THE ‘FAKE NEWS’ The letter is addressed to The Times’ editor-in-chief Joseph Kahn, along with the authors of the story, Eric Lipton and Paul Sonne. “As your own reporting and interviews with those involved all clearly demonstrate, that implication is demonstrably false,” the letter continues. A spokesperson for The New York Times defended its reporting and addressed the letter by telling Fox News Digital: “The Trump Organization does not deny the main point of our story: That Eric and Donald Jr. have profited from the U.S.-Kazakh tungsten mining agreement.” “The letter mainly disputes whether the article gave enough prominence to the fact that the brothers were indirect and passive investors — a point that is clearly set out in the story,” NYT’s Executive Director of Media Relations Charlie Stadtlander added in the statement. Tungsten is a mineral used by the United States to develop military equipment, including missiles and fighter jets. Currently, China, Russia and North Korea have a stranglehold on the resource, and the Trump administration has made it a strategic priority to secure a pipeline to obtain the mineral. DOUG BURGUM SAYS TRUMP ENTERS CHINA SUMMIT IN ‘STRONGEST POSITION’ OF ANY US LEADER EVER Kazakhstan is rich in tungsten, and from the outset of his second term in office, Trump sought to make a deal with the Central Asian country to tap into its tungsten supply — even as his own tariff policies have caused price surges and bottlenecks for the import of this metal. That makings of a deal culminated in a September 2025 meeting at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, where Lutnick hosted Tokayev. Trump joined by phone, and the parties came to a verbal agreement for the United States to procure tungsten, according to The Times. The letters of interest from U.S. government financing agencies was officially inked in November. The Times’ report stems from the Trump brothers’ relationship to an investment firm called Dominari Securities. The brothers invest in some deals made by Dominari and they have a minority share in its parent company, Dominari Holdings Inc. ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU INITIATING DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST NEW YORK TIMES OVER CONTROVERSIAL ‘DOG RAPE’ STORY A source familiar with the matter explained the details of how the Trump brothers became passive investors in the tungsten mining operation. An investment fund by Dominari Securities invested in a publicly traded construction company called Skyline Builders in August 2025. After the verbal September 2025 agreement, Skyline approached Cove Capital, the company that invested in the tungsten mining project, and solicited a merger that would allow Cove Capital affiliate Cove Kaz to go public, the source detailed. The project has been backed by letters of interest from U.S. government financing agencies totaling up to $1.6 billion. At no point, the source reiterated, did the brothers have any influence over the decision to award the mining contract to Kaz Resources. This is echoed in the letter to the Times, where it states: “Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had absolutely no involvement in the award of the Kazakhstan project.” Furthermore, Cove Capital was not introduced to Skyline Builders until about one month after the September 2025 verbal agreement, according to the legal letter and third-party communications obtained by Fox News Digital. Those communications also reveal that Cove Capital leadership never spoke to either of the Trump brothers about the financing support before it was executed. USHA VANCE MOCKS NEW YORK TIMES FOR DRAWING ‘POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE’ FROM HER PREGNANCY FASHION “Don and Eric exercise no control over either company, played no role in and no knowledge of Cove Capital’s pursuit of the Kazakhstan project, participated in no negotiations relating to the project, and never even discussed the Kazakhstan project with anyone at Skyline, Cove Capital or any of their respective affiliates,” the Trump Organization letter to The Times says. “Their connection to Cove Capital is therefore remote, indirect and highly attenuated.” The letter accuses The Times of intentionally misleading readers before it revealed the tenuous relationship between the brothers and the tungsten mining project. NY TIMES TORCHED FOR FATHER’S DAY ‘TRANS DAD’ ARTICLE CRITICS SAY SHOWS PAPER IS ‘CORRUPTING OUR CHILDREN’ “Indeed, in a message to my clients sent prior to publication of the story, your team expressly acknowledged that Don and Eric were not ‘actively a part of this deal,’” the letter says. “Based upon the foregoing, we demand that The New York Times promptly retract or prominently correct the false and misleading impression created by the article and ensure that any future reporting accurately reflects the undisputed facts, including that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had no operational role in any of the entities involved, no involvement whatsoever in the Kazakhstan project or its negotiations, and, as a matter of indisputable chronology, could not have influenced the award of the project.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The letter ends by expressly reserving all rights and remedies to solve the problem, including potential legal action. The Trump Organization sounded off on The New York Times in a statement
WATCH: Nationwide transgender sports law is next step after Supreme Court win, GOP senator says
Fresh off a U.S. Supreme Court victory for states restricting transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., is calling on Congress to take the next step by making those protections the law nationwide. Justice, who signed West Virginia‘s “Save Women’s Sports Act” as governor, said the ruling vindicates the state’s approach after years of legal challenges and proves West Virginia “had it right all along.” “To be perfectly honest, it makes me super proud of West Virginia,” Justice said in an interview Tuesday. “I’m prejudiced, you know, toward West Virginia, that’s for sure. But it makes me proud that the people of West Virginia had it right.” SUPREME COURT MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS The Supreme Court’s twin rulings in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox uphold laws in West Virginia and Idaho restricting participation in girls’ and women’s sports based on biological sex, reinforcing similar laws already on the books in 27 other states. West Virginia became one of the first states to enact legislation restricting transgender participation in girls’ and women’s athletics when Justice signed House Bill 3293 in April 2021. The law requires athletic teams designated for females at public schools and colleges to be based on biological sex. The measure was immediately challenged in court, leading to years of litigation before reaching the Supreme Court. Justice said he and his administration were willing to take political and legal risks to advance the legislation. “I’m a coach and I’ve been a coach forever and I coach women and girls and have done that forever,” Justice said. “I see how hard they compete, how hard they try, how valuable Title IX is. I see their dreams being extinguished. And from my standpoint, from my heart, I’ve been all in from day one.” Although the Supreme Court upheld the laws in West Virginia and Idaho, it did not create a nationwide standard, leaving states to determine their own policies and setting the stage for Justice’s push for federal legislation. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THREATENS KANSAS SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING OVER TRANSGENDER STUDENT POLICY “There’s still more that needs to come,” Justice told Fox News Digital. “This needs to be national.” Justice’s call for a nationwide law comes as the Trump administration has battled Democratic-led states such as California and Maine over policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. President Donald Trump has clashed with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s transgender athlete policy and has sued California over similar rules, arguing both states are violating Title IX protections for women and girls. While Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he does not believe it’s fair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, California Attorney General Rob Bonta is defending the state’s policy in court against the Trump administration’s lawsuit. “The Supreme Court’s decision does not affect California’s laws. The state remains committed to ensuring every Californian, including the LGBTQ community, is met with dignity and respect,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital. The Trump administration’s lawsuits with both states are still ongoing. Since taking office in January, Justice has pushed to make West Virginia’s policy the national standard by cosponsoring Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or S.9. But the bill failed to advance in March 2025 after falling short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate. Justice indicated Tuesday he will continue supporting legislation to protect women’s sports for all girls and women across the country. “As soon as I was sworn in as Senator I got to work on protecting women’s sports,” Justice said in a statement. “Our girls deserve somebody willing to stand up and fight for them. That’s why I proudly cosponsored Senator Tuberville’s S.9 and pushed the NCAA for answers about protecting women’s locker rooms. At the end of the day, this isn’t complicated. It’s just common sense. Let’s protect our female athletes, keep women’s sports for women, and do what’s right.” In the meantime, Justice extended the invitation for families to move to his state, where “commonsense” is practiced. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Come to West Virginia and Idaho,” Justice said. “For God’s sakes, what in the world do you want to be in California for? Because the reason is just right out the window in California, It makes no sense at all. Logic doesn’t matter. But in West Virginia, you’ll find a lot of good stuff.” Justice said the debate ultimately comes down to protecting opportunities for female athletes. “For five years, we’ve been on this journey and there’s been a lot of beautiful, athletic girls and women that have been trying as hard as they can and people have, in many situations, turned their backs on them,” Justice told Fox News Digital. “We waited five years too long, and for those that fell through the cracks in those five years, we should all apologize, but we should celebrate today.”
China-linked green group training US judges draws fresh heat as foreign ties fuel pressure at home
A national security group is urging Congress to investigate a prominent environmental-law nonprofit over past partnerships and programming ties with Chinese government-linked organizations, according to a report sent to lawmakers on Tuesday by State Armor, a national security organization. The Environmental Law Institute, or ELI, has trained more than 2,000 American judges on environmental law through its Climate Judiciary Project since 2018, according to its website. During its decades of China-related work, the organization cultivated relationships with entities the report described as Chinese government-affiliated, CCP-linked or tied to China’s military research ecosystem, according to State Armor. “Across three decades of engagement, ELI’s work has uniformly advanced Chinese strategic and national security interests while undermining American national security by constraining domestic energy producers and industrial expansion and simultaneously pushing America toward dependence upon energy sources dominated by the PRC,” a letter addressed to congressional leadership attached to the report reads. LAWMAKERS PRESS ELI LILLY FOR CHINA DRUG TRIALS TIED TO MILITARY-LINKED HOSPITALS State Armor, a national security organization focused on state-level policy responses to foreign threats, is raising concerns that the ties could have domestic implications. The organization is run by Michael Lucci, a lobbyist, and keeps its donors private to shield them from being targeted by the Chinese government. Lucci said in an April 2025 Wall Street Journal profile that his group refuses funding from corporate and foreign sources to avoid perceptions of conflicting interests. “The question is not whether judges should receive continuing education but rather whether any educational initiative funded, organized, or influenced by organizations with relationships with foreign entities, particularly a foreign adversary, could affect the perception or reality of judicial impartiality,” the congressional letter reads. TRUMP ADMIN AXES TIES TO DOZENS OF PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN ‘DIRECT OPPOSITION’ TO MISSION: ‘DECISIVE ACTION’ ELI, when asked about its ties to China, told Fox News Digital that its programming in China ceased in 2024 and rejected criticism that its work advanced Chinese government interests specifically. “For over 50 years, ELI has worked to strengthen environmental protections in dozens of countries,” an ELI spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “Our programming in China concluded in 2024 but was no different than our typical work — sharing evidence-based best practices on environmental regulation, not advancing any government interests. The Climate Judiciary Project has not conducted any programming in China.” The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit was founded in 1969 and describes its mission as developing “innovative, just, and practical” environmental law and policy solutions across borders and sectors. ELI launched the Climate Judiciary Project in 2018, which is a judicial-education initiative focused on climate science, climate change and the ways climate science arises in the law. LAWMAKERS PRESS ELI LILLY FOR CHINA DRUG TRIALS TIED TO MILITARY-LINKED HOSPITALS Though ELI says it has ceased its work in China, ELI has continued to advance China-related scholarship and partner with individuals linked to Chinese government ventures. Fox News Digital is not aware of any ELI programming that has taken place in China since 2024. As recently as May, the nonprofit, through its journal, published an English-language paper written by two Chinese academics hailing from state-run universities detailing how China had made progress on environmental protection. Then, in June, ELI hosted a Chinese legal scholar for a panel discussion with speakers from multiple other countries on global career pathways in environmental law. The scholar, who received training through an ELI fellowship in 2021, “participated in ministry-level projects on environmental legislation and policy of China,” according to her biography on ELI’s website. She also “managed internationally funded programs” to train Chinese “judges” and “environmental law enforcement officers,” according to ELI. ELI did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the paper by the Chinese academics or the panel featuring the Chinese legal scholar. TOP CALIFORNIA DEM RUNNING FOR OFFICE TIED TO CHINESE SCHOOL ACCUSED OF US DIPLOMA SCANDAL ELI discloses on its website that it has “worked to improve environmental rule of law, enforcement, and compliance in China” since the “mid-1990s” in light of “the critical role that China, and its 1.4 billion people, has in global environmental protection.” “ELI has worked to improve environmental rule of law, enforcement, and compliance in China in partnership with Chinese NGOs, universities, law firms, businesses, judges and environmental regulators,” the organization’s website reads. “ELI has held capacity-building workshops, high-level roundtables, seminars and panel discussions on Chinese policy issues, trained lawyers on environmental justice issues, and published articles and books on sustainability, environmental management, and constitutional environmental law in China.” State Armor argued that this kind of knowledge sharing ultimately benefited the Chinese government, to the detriment of the United States. State Armor urged lawmakers to examine the scope of ELI’s cooperation with Chinese entities and review the funding, curriculum development, expert selection and governance structure of its judicial education programs. WALL STREET BANKS HELPED CHINESE MILITARY-LINKED FIRM RAISE BILLIONS DESPITE RED FLAGS, LAWMAKERS FIND “Under the banner of ‘improv[ing] environmental rule of law,’ ELI’s China Program provides technical assistance, capacity building, and legal training to Chinese NGOs, judges, and environmental regulators,” the report reads. While ELI has historically provided these services, Fox News Digital could not find evidence that ELI has provided any programming in China after 2024. To support this assertion, State Armor cited public records showing that some of the organizations ELI worked with are tied to the Chinese Communist Party or the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). State Armor cited ELI’s own website, which states that the organization worked with the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE), a think tank affiliated with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, to improve China’s environmental regulatory system. State Armor argued that PRCEE’s affiliation with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and its stated policy-support role place it within China’s government environmental-policy apparatus. In 2013, PRCEE worked on a report jointly published by the Chinese government and the United Nations Environment Programme dubbed “China’s Green Long March” — an apparent reference to the CCP’s famous
Mamdani gets roasted after telling sweltering New Yorkers to set ACs to 78 degrees: ‘Commie’
New York City’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked viral outrage on Thursday when he responded to a heat wave affecting the city by instructing residents how to set their air conditioners. The blowback came as New York City expanded emergency heat measures during a historic holiday weekend heat wave, with officials warning temperatures could feel as hot as 112 degrees. “New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool,” Mamdani posted on X as the city dealt with sweltering temperatures. “Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can. Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment. A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together.” FAMOUS LANDMARKS SLASH VISITING HOURS AS DEADLY HEAT WAVE THREATENS TOURISTS Mamdani’s post quickly went viral and was seen over 36.5 million times as conservatives and pundits blasted the mayor over his instructions on what temperature to set their air conditioning units. “Show us your thermostat, commie,” reality TV star and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted on X. STEVE FORBES: MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST RENT-CONTROL PUTS NEW YORK ON THE ROAD TO HOUSING RUIN “78 degrees???” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy posted on X. “Welcome to communism people! Hope you enjoy! “ “Welcome to socialism, where the government demands you turn your house into a sauna because they can’t plan for the super unpredictable fact that it tends to get hot in the summer,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, posted on X. “78 degrees?” conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on X. “My AC does not go above 68 in the summer. This is America for God’s sake.” “Turns out socialism actually isn’t free,” Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X. “Do you feel the warmth of collectivism yet?” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. Manhattan Institute fellow Daniel Di Martino responded to the post on X with a meme riffing on the 19th-century flag showing American defiance but swapping an AC unit for a cannon with the words “come and take it.” Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment. While Mamdani faced accusations of being a communist on social media, his political power is on the rise in New York City, highlighted by last week’s primary elections where his slate of endorsed socialist-linked candidates were all victorious. After those elections, former Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Mamdani and the two connected by phone, Fox News Digital reported, sending a signal that Mamdani’s base will be critical in deciding who becomes the next Democratic presidential nominee in 2028.
Social media erupts over socialist’s 9/11 comments after House primary win: ‘Radical lunatic’
In the wake of her primary victory on Tuesday evening in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, conservatives and social media users expressed alarm at Melat Kiros’s comments about the 9/11 terror attacks. “This is light-years worse than AOC beating 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley,” Steve Guest, a GOP strategist, said in a post to X, referring to the rise of progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “This is the Democrat party,” Guest added. Kiros has suggested the U.S. invited the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 that left nearly 3,000 Americans dead. Those views, compounded with other statements that have seemed to rationalize acts of violence, have sparked backlash as she looks poised to capture a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and further cement the momentum of the far-left flank of the Democratic Party. MUSLIM MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST PRIMARY WINNER SUGGESTED AMERICA DESERVED 9/11 IN UNEARTHED VIDEO When asked if the 9/11 attacks had been avoidable, Kiros said she believed the U.S. had made them “inevitable” through its foreign policy. “Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East. That forced people to believe that another act of violence was the only response,” Kiros said in an interview. “SICK!” the Republican National Committee (RNC) wrote online, highlighting the comments. Benny Johnson, a conservative media personality, pointed to Kiros’ win as evidence that the Democratic Party had conceded to candidates with extreme positions. “She is a socialist who was born in Ethiopia. Melat also thinks America deserved 9/11. It isn’t just happening in New York; Democrats are losing their entire party,” Johnson said in a post, alluding to the victory of other socialist candidates with similar views. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., also echoed Johnson’s thinking. “One radical lunatic after the next is coming to Washington. Why would we ever want to empower someone who believes 9/11 is America’s fault?” MELAT KIROS BECOMES 28TH FAR-LEFT CANDIDATE TO WIN A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY THIS YEAR AS SOCIALISTS AMASS POWER On her website, Kiros shares platform items that are commonly held by many radical progressives: “Medicare-for-all,” ending “all wars,” abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and universal childcare. “As someone who’s working as a barista to pay for school and health care, I know what it’s like to work so hard to get ahead while Washington is so far behind,” Kiros said in a campaign video. But it’s her views on Israel and U.S. foreign relations that have set her apart from many other candidates, including her primary opponent, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. Kiros, a Ph.D. student and lawyer, was fired from a New York firm in 2023 after publishing an open letter, arguing that anti-Israel student protesters calling for the elimination of Israel were not antisemitic and appearing to defend Hamas. She has also described the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against the Jewish state as the “inevitable consequence of apartheid” and declined to characterize the deadly firebombing of protesters in Boulder last year who were urging the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as antisemitic. “I don’t know what was in the heart of the perpetrator,” Kiros told Colorado’s 9News in a recent television interview. “All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might have believed.” Like other onlookers, Clay Travis, the conservative founder of OutKick, a sports and pop culture website, said he feared that Kiros’ victory would only lead to more far-left momentum elsewhere. SOCIALISM GOES WEST AS DSA-BACKED CHALLENGER OUSTS LONGTIME DEMOCRAT “That’s four incumbents losing primaries to socialists in a week. Every state now has a Mamdani [and] the Democrat Party is on a rapid descent to Communism,” Travis wrote. Kiros will face Republican Christy Peterson, a local accountant, in the state’s general election on Nov. 3.
Trump admin axes ‘Green New Scam’ appliance rules as Europe bakes in brutal heat
The Trump administration is set to unveil a sweeping overhaul of federal appliance efficiency rules that officials say will end “Green New Scam” appliance mandates, restore consumer choice, and block future federal crackdowns on gas stoves, fluorescent lightbulbs, HVAC systems, and other household appliances. “In America, you should be able to choose between a drying machine that takes multiple cycles to dry your clothes and one that does it on the first try — unfortunately, past administrations thought otherwise,” Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News Digital. The Department of Energy is expected to propose a sweeping rewrite of federal appliance regulations that would change how energy-efficiency standards are written, creating what the Trump administration says is a permanent safeguard against future efforts to regulate household appliances. The proposal was viewed by Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADMIN AXES TIES TO DOZENS OF PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN ‘DIRECT OPPOSITION’ TO MISSION: ‘DECISIVE ACTION’ “For too long, the American people paid the price for mandates that restricted consumer choice and drove up costs. President Trump promised to end this nonsense and that is exactly what we are doing. This proposed rule will preserve the American people’s ability to choose home appliances and equipment that actually work — at prices they can afford. It’s called commonsense.” Officials said previous Obama and Biden administrations interpreted Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) standards as requiring increasingly stringent efficiency standards that made some appliances more expensive or less functional. Biden-era changes in 2021 and 2024 that loosened the Trump administration’s 2020 rules by making the procedures non-binding and removing several provisions, including a significant energy savings threshold and other procedural requirements. FAMOUS LANDMARKS SLASH VISITING HOURS AS DEADLY HEAT WAVE THREATENS TOURISTS The proposal is open for public comment for 30 days before being made an official rule. It comes as the U.S. and Europe face a major heat wave. Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey Pulvar recently released a statement blaming the United States for the deadly heat wave over France by saying the issue is climate change – not the lack of air conditioning in Europe. “Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room. OMG, this is so rich!” she wrote on Instagram. BIDEN-HARRIS STILL HATE YOUR GAS STOVE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH Due to regulations, only 20% of households have air conditioning compared to 88% in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. She added, “As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing. Your cities ‘90% air-conditioned’ are not unrelated to this. In Paris, we take responsibility.” Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.