OpenAI’s Sam Altman wants to negotiate a 5% stake in company for US if competitors agree to key provision
OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is considering offering 5% of his company to the U.S. in a deal negotiated with President Donald Trump if his other AI competitors agree to do the same, the Financial Times reported Thursday. Altman reportedly met with Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about a plan to make OpenAI public to some degree, according to the report. Altman also met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who recently proposed broad public ownership of AI companies, suggesting U.S. taxpayers should own up to half of the companies. Altman reportedly believes that giving the public partial ownership of AI companies is the best way to spread the benefits of the rapidly growing sector to the American people. A PROGRESSIVE POPE TAKES AIM AT AI AND RISKS KILLING ITS MIRACLES Altman, however, would also want to see AI competitors like Meta, Google and Anthropic contribute 5% of their companies to the public in order to commit to giving up a portion of OpenAI. Anthropic, makers of ChatGPT rival Claude, recently renewed its relationship with the White House and President Trump after being on the outs with the executive branch. The company was recently removed from a Pentagon supply chain risk blacklist and is now working with government officials. NEW YORK MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND LAW REGULATING AI-POWERED COMMERCIALS Altman, according to the report, is seeking with his public gambit to avoid the fate of Anthropic and place himself and OpenAI in Trump’s good graces by adding his company to America’s growing corporate portfolio. The article cited the microchip manufacturer Intel, which the U.S. bought a 10% stake in in August 2025. The Financial Times cited the purchase and Trump’s previous criticism of Intel and its CEO, noting that since Trump made the investment on America’s behalf, his relationship has been smooth sailing. The Intel purchase followed a purchase of 15% equity in the company MP Minerals, and Trump has since acquired stakes in U.S. Steel and a number of quantum companies. ‘LIBELOUS’ NYT REPORT TYING TRUMP FAMILY TO GOVERNMENT-BACKED DEAL SPARKS LEGAL DEMAND Both Altman and Anthropic are reportedly moving to take their companies public soon, a factor that the Financial Times also cites as motivation for Altman to link up to the government as, in the early days of the AI boom, helping influence policy decision on AI may be crucial to the success or failure of the industry’s biggest players. Fox News digital contacted OpenAI and the White House for comment.
NC governor faces criticism for skipping Trump-backed America 250 event
Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is blasting North Carolina’s state government’s decision to boycott the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., accusing the state’s Democratic governor of injecting politics into America’s 250th birthday celebration. Edwards said Gov. Josh Stein, D-N.C., chose partisanship over patriotism by declining to sponsor a booth representing the Tar Heel State, rejecting the state’s explanation that budget constraints drove the decision. “I think it’s unbelievably unfortunate that our governor chose to not send representation from North Carolina to help celebrate such a momentous occasion and show patriotism,” Edwards, who represents a large swath of western North Carolina, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “But I know a lot of North Carolinians back at home, I know the folks in my district are patriots, and they certainly will be celebrating,” he continued. DAVID MARCUS: LIBERAL ELITES SEETHE OVER AMERICA’S STATE FAIR The state government cited fiscal issues for declining to participate in the 16-day fair, which is currently underway on the National Mall until July 10. Every state was given exhibition space and each day features a different theme celebrating American history and culture. “Our limited resources are focused on America 250 events across North Carolina, including one at the State Capitol in Raleigh on July 4,” a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources told The New York Times. “I don’t buy that at all,” Edwards said when asked about the alleged budget concerns. “I think it’s a political statement.” Fox News Digital reached out to Stein’s office for comment. FIRST ON FOX: BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARLINGTON’S MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE FOR AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are among the other blue states that opted out of the Great American State Fair hosted by the Trump-aligned organization, Freedom 250. Govs. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., and Tina Kotek, D-Ore., are among the Democratic governors who opted out over concerns the event would be overly partisan. The fair is one of several high-profile events marking the 250th milestone in the nation’s Capitol. Still, several private sponsors stepped in to fund the North Carolina booth. Amid Stein’s snub, the state’s booth drew controversy after the inclusion of several Confederate flags as part of the display. The symbols have since been removed from the booth by fair organizers. Stein criticized the display in a written statement obtained by NBC News. “This flag does not represent the North Carolina that we love,” the governor said. “America 250 is about unity and bringing our nation together. We are pleased the flag that did the opposite has now been taken down.” North Carolina joined the Confederacy during the Civil War, but the Confederate flag was never incorporated into the southern state flag’s design.
Top Trump official touts how DC makeover is proof America is rejecting ‘decline by choice’
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is defending President Donald Trump’s many initiatives to address infrastructure in Washington, D.C., calling it a visible reminder that the country needs to actively press back against decline. “Nations don’t crumble by fate — they decline by choice,” Burgum told Fox News Digital. “From rehabilitating and installing historic memorials, statues, and fountains to removing hundreds of instances of graffiti and cleaning up crime on our streets, this administration is proving that American greatness is built through action,” he continued. Burgum’s reasoning, which came ahead of the United States’ 250th Independence Day anniversary, addresses criticisms of the administration that have surfaced in recent weeks, casting doubt on whether Trump’s many renovation and construction initiatives in Washington, D.C. have been worth their price tag. WHITE HOUSE SEIZES ON DELAYED OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENING TO CROWN TRUMP ‘BUILDER-IN-CHIEF’ As part of the 250th celebration, Trump has spent $14.7 million to restore the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool, allocated $250 million to restore the Kennedy Center and is on track to spend over $400 million on the construction of a ballroom at the White House. Trump, in a Truth Social update about the reflecting pool, framed the efforts as part of a larger effort. “We’ve cleaned, renovated and beautified over 45 monuments and memorials, 28 statues and 22 fountains in Washington, D.C. Things are really looking good in our nation’s capital. Add to that the fact that when I became president, crime was rampant. And now Washington, D.C. is one of the safest cities anywhere in the United States,” Trump wrote. REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP’S ‘PRIVATELY FUNDED’ BALLROOM AFTER REPORT POINTS TO TAXPAYER BURDEN The Department of the Interior, which has overseen many of the improvements, further updated its accomplishments ahead of July 4. The city has removed 510 instances of graffiti, removed 154 homeless encampments, applied 212 tons of repair materials to roads and parkways, restored 280,000 square feet of roadway paving, rehabilitated 1,301 benches and fixed 1,913 lights. Burgum said the repairs were emblematic of the administration’s aggressive posture towards addressing problems that had gone ignored in the past. In addition to these major improvements, DOI has restored and cleaned dozens of monuments and statues around DC. DOI also recently helped transform Meridian Hill Park, which got high praise on social media by DC residents, into a desirable place to visit with a restored fountain that had been under construction for years with very little movement. They also cleaned and restored some of the statues in the park, including the Joan of Arc statue and the James Buchanan Memorial. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP ADMIN TRANSFORMS DC HOTSPOT ONCE ROCKED BY GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS IN SYMBOLIC REVERSAL “While others accept decline, President Trump and the Department of the Interior are restoring the heart of our nation’s capital,” Burgum said. “The Golden Age of America isn’t just a slogan, it’s being rebuilt, one landmark, one street and one victory at a time.”
Pro-Trump artist unleashes powerful message about American flag, touts massive Old Glory painting
Patriotic artist Scott LoBaido is putting the finishing touches on what he calls the largest oil-on-canvas portrait ever of Old Glory at the Great American State Fair in D.C., but the outspoken Trump supporter says the message behind the massive American flag is completely apolitical. LoBaido told Fox News Digital the American flag “does not belong to any particular party” as he painted the 9-by-17-foot flag at the Made in America Pavilion during the Great American State Fair in the nation’s capital, part of the broader celebration surrounding America’s 250th birthday. The Staten Island artist said he believes the piece may be the largest oil-on-canvas American flag ever created. “I am a political person, but that’s irrelevant from this,” LoBaido said. “This flag is for everybody.” HOA THREATENS AMERICAN FLAG-FLYING HOMEOWNERS AS THEY FIGHT FOR OLD GLORY BEFORE NATION’S 250TH BIRTHDAY The New York-based, pro-Trump artist told Fox News Digital that some on the left “run away from the flag because they think it’s a MAGA symbol,” but LoBaido argued that view misses the point of both the flag and his painting. “This fair right now that we are at is the perfect example, because there are a lot of Democrats that are coming through here,” LoBaido said. “And they know me, and they know my politics. And we did not have any political conversation. We spoke about the flag, the art, the meaning of the flag … how special it is that we’re at this 250th birthday party anniversary.” LoBaido also pushed back on those who protest the country by desecrating the flag, arguing that Old Glory is what protects their right to protest in the first place. VANILLA ICE EXPLAINS WHY HE WILL ALWAYS ‘RAISE THE FLAG’ AT HIS SHOWS AFTER DOUBLING DOWN ON FREEDOM 250 SHOW “That American flag that men and women still die for is giving you the freedom to be whatever you want, and do whatever you want – protest whatever you want,” LoBaido added. “So that flag should always be up in the air.” LoBaido told Fox News Digital that the size and live setting of the painting are what make the project different from his past work painting the American flag. “I believe this is the largest American flag done with oils on canvas at the colossal canvas size of 9 feet by 17 feet,” he said. “So, right there is my biggest detailed oil painting of Old Glory.” LoBaido added that there was no better place to create the piece publicly than at America’s 250th birthday celebration, calling the American flag itself “the greatest work of art.” “Where better to unveil, create in public, live, this greatest work of art — not mine, but the American flag itself — at the birthday party of the greatest place in the universe, America, and its 250th birthday party?” ARTIST PAINTS PRESIDENT TRUMP LIVE, CELEBRATING AMERICA 250 AT THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR LoBaido expects the final unveiling to be emotional, adding that he plans to put the finishing touches on the painting on Independence Day before it eventually finds a permanent home. “I’m just going to put the final touches on it and I don’t know, maybe make an emotional statement, a little speech,” he said, adding that he has “a weakness for this country and the Star-Spangled Banner sung properly.” LoBaido told Fox News Digital that he has already received interest in the painting, but he also floated one high-profile possibility of where it could wind up landing. “Would this not look great in the White House ballroom?” he said. “I think it would be the most beautiful painting with the gold frame on it. Who knows?” The artist said Trump already owns several of his paintings, but joked that if the president wants this one, “he might have to open up his checkbook,” adding that he gives “a big portion” of his proceeds to charity.
Newsom, Walz urge Congress to block anti-climate bill in their ‘woke’ crusade
Top Democratic governors, including Minnesota’s Tim Walz, California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’s J.B. Pritzker are urging Congress to reject legislation that would shield oil and gas companies from climate-related lawsuits, arguing taxpayers should not bear the costs of pollution. “Communities all across our nation, in red states and blue states, have suffered and face staggering costs from fires, floods, storms, and heat waves that, according to scientists, are becoming more destructive as a result of the burning of fossil fuels,” reads a letter penned by 10 Democrat governors. The top state leaders, along with Democrat attorneys general, are pushing Congress to reject the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, arguing it would protect oil and gas industries by granting immunity from lawsuits at the expense of taxpayers. Republicans argue the bill protects American energy from lawsuits that could bankrupt the industry, lead to job loss and drive up the cost of electricity and gasoline. NEWSOM UNDER FIRE AS CALIFORNIA GAS TAX HIKE SENDS PUMP PRICES EVEN HIGHER “Such a guide is sorely needed as litigation involving climate science only grows in prevalence and urgency in our courts. Furthermore, the chapter’s removal does not change the scientific reality of climate change,” wrote more than 20 attorneys general in their letter to Congress. Jason Isaac, American Energy Institute CEO, told Fox News Digital that this is a “coordinated legal campaign to bankrupt lawful American energy producers through junk litigation.” “These companies legally produced the energy that heats and cools homes, powers hospitals, and fuels the American economy — and now a coalition of activist attorneys general and climate advocacy groups want to make them pay retroactively for doing exactly that,” said Isaac. GOP URGES SCOTUS TO REJECT ‘WAR ON AMERICAN ENERGY’ THEY SAY WOULD HIT FAMILIES’ WALLETS The act was first introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., in April. If passed, the act would clear over a dozen lawsuits filed against oil and gas industries brought by local and state governments. “After many failed attempts to enact EU-style climate measures, activists have turned to suing energy companies in a thinly-veiled effort to impose a global carbon tax through the courts,” Civitas Institute research director Michael Toth told Fox News Digital. “This climate lawfare threatens to hijack the federal government’s authority over matters that bear directly on our national security.” California sued several major oil companies in 2023 as part of a broader Democratic effort to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate change. The lawsuit, which remains tied up in litigation, reflects Gov. Gavin Newsom’s longstanding opposition to the fossil fuel industry despite California being one of the nation’s largest oil-producing states. “These companies knew about the catastrophic consequences of fossil fuels. They covered it up. Suppressed scientific data. Spent millions to cast doubts on climate science. Time for them to pay,” Newsom wrote on X at the time. The letters from Democratic members and attorneys general come as the Supreme Court will hear a case in their fall term on ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy brought on by officials in Boulder, Colorado. TRUMP’S ENERGY INITIATIVES MAY FINALLY EXTRACT AMERICA FROM MIDEAST CHAOS More than 70 House Republicans are urging the Supreme Court to reject the bid to hold major oil companies liable for climate change damages, calling the lawsuit a costly “war on American energy,” Fox News Digital previously reported. The case would decide whether federal law preempts localities from seeking relief for alleged climate damages in state courts. Boulder sued ExxonMobil and Suncor in 2018, alleging they contributed to climate change and misled the public about its risks. Alliance for Consumers Executive Director O.H. Skinner told Fox News that elected officials need to “push back against climate lawfare, stopping left-wing activists from using their woke lawfare playbook to push unpopular political beliefs through the courts.” “These activists push a woke agenda that hurts consumers by driving up costs and limiting what is on store shelves for consumers. This is the Biden playbook all over again,” said Skinner.
Immigrant business owner who built the American Dream says birth tourism is a ‘slap in the face’
A legal immigrant from Trinidad who became a U.S. citizen after nearly a decade-long process told Fox News Digital that birth tourism and illegal immigration are a “slap in the face” to those who came to America the right way. Kris Ramsingh, a Virginia business owner who immigrated in 2006 and became a citizen in 2015, said his own experience becoming an American shaped his support for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. “When you see that people come across the border, whether it’s [to] have a baby for an anchor, or come across to border and get free healthcare, [or] free school, it’s really a slap in the face to the people who have worked really hard to come into this country the legal way,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. Unlike those who enter the country illegally, Ramsingh said he was required to satisfy a series of federal immigration requirements before becoming a U.S. citizen. ‘WEAPONS OF MASS REPRODUCTION’: WATCHDOG UNVEILS ACTION PLAN TO CURB BIRTH TOURISM AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING As part of the legal immigration process, federal authorities required Ramsingh to provide proof of certain vaccines, personal documentation, a criminal background check and proof of a bank account to demonstrate he would not become a ward of the state. “America doesn’t owe us anything,” Ramsingh said of legal immigrants like himself. “Our government here doesn’t owe us anything. We have the privilege of coming into this country where it’s a holiday visa or for school.” Ramsingh said the week of Independence Day also marks the anniversary of his and his wife’s arrival in the U.S. in 2006 with just $300 and a few suitcases. “I have lived in Roanoke all of those 20 years since,” he said from his Dominion Custom Upholstery business not too far from the city’s famed Mill Mountain Star. WORLD CUP SOCCER FANS ARE DISCOVERING AMERICA’S GREATNESS. IT’S TIME AMERICANS DID, TOO As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Ramsingh said he feels a special sense of pride in the American flag. He recounted living in his home country in 1990 when Muslim insurgents carried out a coup and shot Prime Minister ANR Robinson while taking officials hostage. “When we saw the red, white, and blue [of American] soldiers coming into the country, we knew we were safe. We knew at that point that America had our back. And America has had a lot of countries’ back over the years,” he said, commenting that — having experienced such a situation firsthand — he is troubled by other countries that demand America’s assistance but go back to resenting the U.S. after they’ve been helped. Ramsingh said that experience shaped his appreciation for the United States and its role around the world. After immigrating to the United States, Ramsingh founded Dominion Custom Upholstery 13 years ago and later launched another company focused on boatworks and interior repairs. He also recently founded Dominion Project International, a missionary organization through which he travels to India, Africa and the Caribbean to share the Gospel while providing potable water and medical supplies to people in need. “The American Dream is that you can try something — you can work hard and try and if it doesn’t work out you can you can pick up and try again,” he added. “The flag represents peace [and] hope as we’re getting ready to celebrate Saturday, the Fourth of July, and it means so much to me — it means freedom.” Since becoming a U.S. citizen, Ramsingh said he feels a special sense of security and pride whenever he returns from missionary trips abroad. “There’s a sense of ‘I’m back on U.S. soil; I’m home,’” he said, whether landing in Washington, D.C., Miami or New York. “That feeling is so great and it really bothers me to see Americans and foreigners coming into this country and saying that they hate America,” he said. “I think if you hated that much, you should just leave — there is no need for you to be here.” Asked about critics’ claims that Trump is anti-immigrant, Ramsingh rejected that characterization. “He’s not anti-immigrant. Republicans are not anti-immigrant — we just want them to go through the process of doing it legally; coming in legally.” “During the Biden administration. When he opened that border — we’re anti-invasion, we are not anti-immigrant. That was an invasion.” Ramsingh acknowledged that some of the personal stories surrounding deportations are difficult to watch, but said those situations stem from years of lax enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “I came from a third-world country. My missions are in third-world countries. I see how these people live. I understand why they want to come to America. I understand the ‘why’,” he said. “I would say Trump is not against immigration. He just wants to see it done right. And again, Donald Trump and our government doesn’t owe immigrants anything. We have the privilege of being here. It’s a privilege. It’s not a right.” Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan and Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
House Dems dodge questions on SCOTUS trans athlete ruling, shift blame to ‘culture wars’
House Democrats mostly sidestepped questions on the Supreme Court ruling that now allows states to ban student-athletes from competing on sports teams or in leagues that correspond with their gender identity rather than their biological sex. ” I think we spend far too much time obsessing over that,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital when asked for his opinion on the ruling. “And what people should be focused on right now is the dysfunction here in Washington.” ” I think the focus should be on this economy and getting us out of this war of choice and bringing down gas prices so that folks do not have to make real decisions about if they’re going to put food on their table or gas in their tank, to take their kids to the hospital or to school,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., said. DEMOCRATS STAY QUIET ON NEXT STEPS AFTER SUPREME COURT TRANSGENDER SPORTS RULING She continued, “I think that the culture wars that we allow to divide us don’t do anything to feed our kids.” The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision marked a major victory for supporters of laws restricting transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, upholding state laws challenged by transgender student-athletes who argued the policies violated the Constitution. But when asked about the landmark ruling, several House Democrats didn’t know about the decision or pivoted to talking about what they deemed as more important issues like the economy and dysfunction in Congress. “This place is a disaster,” McGovern said. “And, you know, and the incompetence here is… I’ve never seen this before. “ “I think what people should be focused on is that Washington is not working, and it’s really sad.” WHAT THE SCOTUS TITLE IX RULING COULD MEAN FOR LAWSUITS SEEKING DAMAGES FOR WOMEN IMPACTED BY TRANS ATHLETES Despite the ruling leaving the decision up to the states rather than a nationwide ban, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., argued the issue should be dealt with at an even lower level — locally. “Let like the school athletic associations, let parents, let people at the local level decide which sports and which age groups should be co-ed or what the rules should be.” Like several of his Democratic colleagues, Magaziner quickly shifted the conversation to broader issues he said Congress should prioritize. NEWSOM’S OFFICE RESPONDS TO SCOTUS RULING ON WOMEN’S SPORTS AS CALIFORNIA FACES ONGOING TRANS ATHLETE WAVE “I frankly like don’t think that this is something that politicians in Washington should be involved in,” Magaziner said. “We should be focused on lowering inflation, we should be focused on ending the war, we should be focused on preserving our democracy.” “Congress should be focused on the big picture things,” he added. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., was among the few Democrats to offer a direct criticism of the ruling, calling it “unfortunate.” “Unfortunate for a lot of folks in across this country,” Elfreth said. “Like I said, they didn’t get a lot right today.”
Al Green responds to July 4 question with renewed call to impeach Trump
Democratic lawmakers said they believed the U.S. is still an extraordinary country despite expressing disagreements with President Donald Trump when asked by Fox News Digital if they were proud to be American citizens. “The freedoms that we have and the fact that anyone should be able to get ahead for them and their family based on the laws we have every now and then — in general, it’s sound,” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., said. The answers, which came ahead of the country’s 250th Independence Day celebration, highlight the deep distrust Democrats have of the administration’s leadership even as they expressed confidence in principles that have made U.S. prosperity possible. Just one, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, declined to expand on why he was proud to be an American. WORLD CUP SOCCER FANS ARE DISCOVERING AMERICA’S GREATNESS. IT’S TIME AMERICANS DID, TOO “I am very proud to tell you that impeachment is an option to remove a reckless, ruthless, lawless president,” Green answered when asked if he was proud to be an American. “I’m proud that it exists,” Green added. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, echoed his thinking. “I believe Americans are ready to defend our democracy and oppose authoritarianism so that we can celebrate our 251st birthday in this country instead of turning all power over to a would-be king,” Doggett said. Despite his disagreements with the Trump administration, Doggett clarified that his views were distinct from his feelings about the nation itself. “We’re the greatest country on earth. We’re innovative, we’re smart, we make sure that we promote our values, our liberties and justice and freedom. We’re always trying to perfect our union, but at the same time, we were the great experiment of democracy and it’s been a rousing success,” Doggett said. Other Democrats, like Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., agreed with U.S. exceptionalism. “This is a great country. You know, we are a country of immigrants. Immigrants have contributed so much to our country, and you know this is the greatest country on earth. I am so proud to call myself an American citizen, although there are some concerns with the new administration,” Thanedar said. AMERICA WON’T LAST ANOTHER 250 YEARS BASED ON THE ‘CURRENT ADMINISTRATION,’ MS NOW GUEST WARNS Thanedar, who was born in India, immigrated to the United States in 1979. For their own part, Republicans, who readily affirmed their pride in the country, articulated that they believed the founding ideas were the reason for the country’s success. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., said he believed the Constitution had given citizens the latitude to thrive. “I guess our Constitution and all the freedoms we have that other countries don’t have, which results in us being so much wealthier than other countries — not that that’s the main thing. But you look at your average American with a front yard and backyard, they don’t even have that in Western Europe, they don’t have that in Israel, they have it in other top countries. We’ve got it here in the United States,” Grothman said. “So, I think the combination between the material wealth which impresses you and a Christian nation which is also so tremendous.” PUSH TO OUST TRUMP EXPOSES CRACKS AMONG DEMOCRATS ON STRATEGY, TIMING Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., said he believes it’s that success that has made Americans proud and zealous for protecting its interests. “We’re a nation who’s willing to understand peace through strength. And we’re a nation that has been willing to go ahead and pledge our lives to keep the freedoms that we have here that no other nation like ours has seen,” Mills said.
Trump grants pardons to ‘persecuted’ mechanics in right-to-repair crackdown: ‘I am setting them all free’
President Donald Trump on Friday announced full executive pardons for more than half a dozen people he claims were “persecuted” by the Biden administration for simply “fixing their car.” In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, the president took aim at federal prosecutions he characterized as part of the “Weaponization and Stupidity” of the prior administration, saying, “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!” Those who received clemency were charged after circumventing emissions control regulations that are no longer in effect, a White House official told Fox News Digital. They include: Joshua Davis; Matt Geouge; Jonathan Achtemeier; Tim Clancy; Ryan and Wade Lalone; Barry Pierce; Aaron Rudolf; and Mackenzie Spurlock. FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION The pardons align with Trump’s broader push to defend the “right to repair.” Earlier in the week, he signed a presidential memo designed to make it easier for Americans to repair their own vehicles by protecting self-repair rights and opening up options for aftermarket parts. “It came to my attention because I noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car,” Trump said during an Oval Office news conference. “We rule by common sense.” The executive clemency follows the high-profile federal environmental case involving Elite Diesel Service Inc. and its owner, Troy Lake Sr. Lake received a full and unconditional pardon Nov. 7, 2025, wiping away his conviction in the case United States v. Elite Diesel Service, Inc. et al. WATCH: TRUMP EPA CHIEF SPARKS EXPLOSIVE HEARING SHOWDOWN OVER GLOBAL WARMING ALARM FROM DEMS: ‘I’M TALKING’ According to federal plea agreements, Elite Diesel had instructed employees to disable computerized on-board diagnostic systems on at least 344 heavy-duty commercial trucks between January 2017 and December 2020. The diagnostic systems are federally mandated under the Clean Air Act to monitor emissions control systems. Lake was sentenced on Dec. 5, 2024, to more than a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The company was put on probation for five years, ordered to pay a fine of $37,500 and required to make a $12,500 payment to a Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment program designed to repair emissions systems for low-income drivers. REPUBLICANS DECLARE WAR ON ‘ORGANIZED THEFT’ WITH GOVERNMENT FRAUD CRACKDOWN Government prosecutors also argued that Elite Diesel’s co-conspirators, other diesel truck garages and fleets, hired Lake’s company to manipulate the computers so that emission system malfunctions would go undetected, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The EPA’s sprawling investigation ultimately swept up eight alleged co-conspirator garages and fleets across seven states, including Kansas, North Dakota and Oklahoma. The businesses were ordered to pay heavy fines and fund local community service projects, such as buying clean school buses or electric groundskeeping equipment to offset environmental impacts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. At the time, Biden administration officials defended the criminal prosecutions as essential for public health. EPA Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Lance Ehrig accused the defendants of leading a “large-scale conspiracy” that “diminished air quality.” A study cited by the prosecution claimed the tampered trucks collectively released more than 1,300 tons of excess nitrogen oxides and other pollutants into the air.
Mamdani blasts ICE agents, Elon Musk and ‘supremacy’ in America 250 speech ahead of July 4 weekend
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took aim at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Elon Musk and what he described as the “arena of supremacy” in the United States during an immigration-themed America 250 speech on Friday ahead of Fourth of July weekend. Flanked by eight recently naturalized U.S. citizens, Mamdani invoked the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and America’s history of immigration before turning his rhetoric on elements of today’s U.S. Mamdani also blasted the “world’s first trillionaire,” a milestone Musk achieved with the long-awaited Initial Public Offering (IPO) of SpaceX last month. “We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more,” Mamdani said, without naming Musk. “We see monopolies that dominate every industry, and oligarchs who buy elections. We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans. FETTERMAN WARNS MAMDANI RISKS ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’ BY VOWING TO DEFY SCOTUS IMMIGRATION RULING “We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with calloused, dirt-streaked hands, those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone. And we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.” Mamdani, who was sitting at George Washington’s desk during the remarks, also praised the legacy of immigrants, claiming they have overcome riots “aimed at their very existence,” to create lives in New York. “Over the years that followed, despite laws enacted by the federal government to bar their entry, despite sweatshop fires that killed hundreds of women, despite riots aimed at their very existence, immigrants made homes here in New York City, and they helped to make New York City,” the mayor said. “That legacy of every generation of Americans insisting that the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness extends to them, too, is no relic of the past. It carried millions of Black Americans north during the Great Migration. It drew hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans to New York City after the Second World War. It invited countless others from the West Indies and South Asia and West Africa and across the world. And it is what brought my family to this city when I was seven years old.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI PRAISED FOR ‘FANTASTIC’ QUESTION-DODGING ON PRESIDENTIAL ELIGIBILITY Mamdani did not mention his own family’s wealth in the speech. His father was an elite Harvard academic, and his mother an acclaimed film director. “My family did not arrive by boat, although we saw the Statue of Liberty from the window of the plane. Even from the air, we could make out the promise of America, the promise of the beautiful patriotic work of rendering America, year after year, a little more faithful to its founding ideals,” he said. In his speech, Mamdani blasted those with “power and influence,” who he lamented have written American history. “There is a term so often used to describe our nation and those who have shaped it. American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism, the conventional wisdom tells us, makes our freedom a little more free. It is how we dug the Erie Canal and irrigated the West. (It) is why children in faraway lands grow up dreaming of one day moving here. And, yet, the irony is that the story of America has so often been written by those who were told by others with power and influence and wealth that they were anything but exceptional,” Mamdani said. “For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best. “It sent Puritans and Sikhs and Quakers and Muslims and Jewish people who were banished for praying the wrong way, worshiping the wrong gods, angering the wrong people. It sent peasants and serfs from slums and shuttles who were treated as less because they hardly owned clothes, let alone land. It sent immigrants from whom power was something someone else had,” he continued. “We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else. The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here nothing is fixed into place.” Mamdani referenced how he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018. Mamdani was born in Uganda in 1991 and moved to New York when he was 7. The mayor is a dual U.S.-Ugandan citizen. “Nearly a decade ago, I too felt what you feel the joy of no longer being just a New Yorker but an American too. You each hold a special power. The power to determine what America means,” the mayor said, speaking to the recently naturalized citizens by his side. “The powerful have always known their answer. America, in their view, is an arena of supremacy where only a select few are allowed freedom,” Mamdani said. “Where not all are created equal. America, if you ask them, becomes less the more people it welcomes. America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How small they are, how weak, how unoriginal. At every moment in our past, those who led through exclusion and isolation have tried to win power and enrich themselves by turning us against one another.” Mamdani also claimed ICE was invading New York neighborhoods. “We see America each time neighbors link arms with neighbors without asking how long they have lived here or what papers they have as ICE invades our neighborhoods,” he added. “We see America each time those young and old stand in the beating rain or the stifling heat to cast their ballots. We see America each time working people demand more, not just for themselves, but for their fellow Americans.” “There are some