Democrats stay quiet on next steps after Supreme Court transgender sports ruling
Congressional Democrats are staying mum about their potential next moves after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to transgender athletes, underscoring a politically fraught issue that continues to divide the party ahead of the November midterm elections. The court ruled Tuesday that states may bar biological males from competing on girls and women’s school sports teams, upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia and effectively preserving similar laws in the 25 other states that restrict participation based on biological sex. The ruling, which prompted cheers among Republicans, did not interfere with the remaining states that continue to allow biological males on girls and women’s sports teams. Progressive Democrats sharply criticized the decision, while the vast majority of elected officials in the party did not issue public statements. None, however, appeared to outline any legislative response. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THREATENS KANSAS SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING OVER TRANSGENDER STUDENT POLICY “I want every trans kid to know that there are people here in Congress fighting for you,” Rep. Sarah Jacobs, D-Calif., said in a video posted to social media. “We are going to stand up for all women and girls, which includes trans women and girls.” Jacobs, a junior member of House Democratic leadership and co-chair of the Trans Equality Task Force, did not say whether Democrats would introduce legislation in response to the court’s ruling. The Congressional Equality Caucus, a Democratic-aligned group advocating for LGBTQ rights, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also did not outline any legislative response. The Equality Caucus, however, posted a series of comments on social media slamming the decision, including decrying the outcome as “devastating” for transgender athletes. Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for Jacobs, Jeffries and the Congressional Equality Caucus for comment but did not hear back. The relatively muted response comes as public polling has consistently found broad opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports, including among Democrats, suggesting that some lawmakers may be out of step with their own voters. A survey conducted by The New York Times in 2025 found that nearly eight in 10 Americans opposed biological males competing in women’s sports. Roughly 70% of Democrats or those who “lean Democrat” held that view, according to the poll. Democrats hailing from the centrist side of the party were largely quiet about the court’s ruling. Few Democratic lawmakers facing competitive re-election challenges from Republicans commented on the court’s decision, a Fox News Digital analysis of Cook Political Report election data found. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., who is seeking a third House term in a Republican-leaning district, issued a positive statement following the court’s ruling. “The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant ruling affirming that states possess the legal authority to maintain separate sports teams based on biological sex,” Davis said in a written statement. “Title IX has played a vital role in expanding athletic opportunities for women and girls, and we must continue safeguarding those opportunities.” DEMOCRATS REVOLT OVER ‘BIOLOGICAL’ WORDING IN WOMEN’S HISTORY MUSEUM BILL Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., a top GOP target in November’s midterm elections and a member of the Equality Caucus, acknowledged Wednesday that the trans rights movement misses some of the “nuance” about women’s sports. “At those town halls, what I saw was that the people who were the most upset, a lot of them had spent the last 12 years driving their girls to sports practice, and they view their best shot of their student getting a college education as an athletic scholarship,” Perez told CNN in an interview. “And, so, when we rush to moralize and be like, ‘This is all about love vs. hate,’ I think we miss some of the nuance.” The Washington Democrat did not directly state whether she agreed with the court’s ruling. In the Senate, responses to the decision were few and far between. Requests for comment from several Democratic lawmakers’ offices on whether they would seek to challenge the court’s decision should they regain a majority in the upper chamber went unanswered. Notably silent on the issue was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who lauded the Supreme Court’s decision upholding birthright citizenship the same day and had posted about attending New York City’s Pride parade days before. Some of the most vocal supporters of trans rights in the upper chamber did, however, weigh in, vowing to “keep fighting” for transgender athletes. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., one of the earliest supporters of LGBTQ rights in the Senate, who introduced the Trans Bill of Rights, charged that the court’s decision “again cleared the way for Trump and MAGA Republicans to discriminate against the trans community.” “This decision tears trans athletes from their teams and the sports they love,” Markey, who is in a tight bid for re-election against Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said on X. “We will keep fighting. Discrimination and hate will not win.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also weighed in, accusing “right-wing extremists and the MAGA movement” of being “determined to single out, target, and harm the trans community.” “My heart is with trans kids and their loved ones,” she said on X. “I won’t stop fighting for them.”
Red-state senator drops hammer on Dem mayor over new ‘woke’ DEI ordinance while violent crime surges
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is demanding answers from Cincinnati’s mayor over a newly enacted city ordinance reorganizing procurement under a Department of Economic Inclusion and Procurement, arguing taxpayers should not be funding what he calls an expanding DEI bureaucracy that is potentially illegal. “Taxpayers should never foot the bill for woke DEI policies or initiatives,” Moreno wrote in a letter to Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval on Thursday that was obtained by Fox News Digital. “Cincinnati’s taxpayers deserve a government that rewards competence and merit, not politically driven quotas or preferences based on race or ethnicity.” At the heart of the issue is a city ordinance approved by the Cincinnati City Council in June that creates a Department of Economic Inclusion and Procurement, which Moreno argues expands the city’s DEI bureaucracy and could inject DEI considerations into the contracting process. According to city documents cited by Moreno, the restructuring would make the city’s contracting process more efficient while preserving its focus on DEI. In the letter, which was also sent to the Justice Department, Moreno said the ordinance comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI programs across the federal government and argued it “completely ignores” the Justice Department guidance warning against engaging in “unlawful discrimination.” DOJ DANGLES MASSIVE SIGNING BONUSES FOR LAWYERS READY TO FIGHT ‘LAWLESS’ CITIES FAR BEYOND DC Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has made eliminating DEI initiatives a priority, signing executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and end DEI-related hiring and training practices, as well as directing agencies to review recipients of federal funding. “The days of choosing public contract winners based on excellence are back,” Moreno wrote, adding that “the City of Cincinnati must be a better steward of public funds.” SEATTLE COUNCIL MEMBER TOUTS ‘BLACK BUDGET,’ CALLS FOR BLACK RESIDENTS TO FORM ‘MOST POWERFUL POLITICAL PARTY’ Pointing to the city’s explanation of the ordinance, Moreno said that the city intends to continue incorporating DEI in its contracting process. “Amazingly, your office even admits it in its explanation: ‘The goal of this restructuring is not to reduce the city’s focus on inclusion. Instead, it is intended to strengthen it,’” Moreno wrote. “Ohioans deserve to know that their hard-earned taxpayer dollars are awarded to individuals and businesses based on merit, not race or ethnicity,” Moreno wrote. INTERNAL EMAILS EXPOSE HOW JULY 4TH BASH IS BEING DERAILED BY DEM-RUN COUNTY: ‘OFFENSIVE’ Moreno asked Pureval to respond within five business days with the exact amount of federal funding the city received during fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026, the projected cost of the ordinance and an outline of the process the new department will use when reviewing applications and awarding city contracts. Moreno also requested information on how Cincinnati is planning to comply with the Justice Department‘s guidance and its recent law enforcement staffing data, adding that the city should prioritize addressing its $30 million budget deficit and public safety challenges instead of expanding DEI initiatives. “Additionally, the adoption of this Ordinance represents a gross misallocation of resources at a time when the city faces a surge in violent crime, including multiple recent homicides, a mass shooting, and a persistent law enforcement recruitment crisis that undermines public safety,” Moreno wrote. “Instead of fueling divisive social experiments, these public funds should be redirected to protecting Cincinnatians and restoring order to Ohio’s streets.” Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Pureval’s office for comment.
Obama judge hands progressives a win over anti-Trump ’86 47′ message amid rising threats
An Obama-appointed federal judge has issued a final ruling allowing an anti-Trump “86 47” flag to be flown, delivering a win to a progressive activist group as the National Mall remains a hot zone for vandalism and threats against President Donald Trump. Progressive group Accountability Now USA flew the flag near the National Mall, and alleged that the National Park Service (NPS) violated their First Amendment rights by threatening to revoke their permit. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C., ruled on Monday that the flag is protected political speech. The administration has previously interpreted the number “86” as a political threat, pointing to its common use in the restaurant industry to mean removing or refusing service, while 47 appears to refer to Trump as the 47th U.S. president. “This opinion is from an Obama-appointed judge. Flying a flag that is a threat to the Office of the President of the United States should not be permitted under any administration,” a Department of Interior spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “In what world have we lost all decency to demand that any threat against the President be taken very seriously?” OBAMA JUDGE CLEARS LEFT-WING GROUP TO FLY OMINOUS FLAG AIMED AT TRUMP ON HIS OWN TURF “[Its] ‘8647’ flag… is not a true threat to the President or incitement of violence,” Moss said in his ruling. The group also displayed two flags accusing President Trump of sexually assaulting a minor. Moss ruled that those displays are “not legally obscene” and therefore remain protected by the First Amendment. Moss was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama after previously serving in former President Bill Clinton ’s Justice Department. He has also contributed to and volunteered for Democratic candidates and causes. OBAMA JUDGE CLEARS LEFT-WING GROUP TO FLY OMINOUS FLAG AIMED AT TRUMP ON HIS OWN TURF The judge noted in a previous order on the case that “a true threat to the life or safety of the President would undoubtedly outweigh the interest of the public or the speaker in continuing to urge that unlawful conduct.” The dispute over the nature of the messaging comes amid heightened administration scrutiny of “86 47” messages after the giant numbers appeared to be etched into the grass between the Washington Monument and the World War II memorial last month. OFFICIALS ASK FOR HELP IDENTIFYING PERSON IN REFLECTING POOL DAMAGE INVESTIGATION Grass samples were also collected for testing and examination in the area by investigators. America’s 250th birthday brings major events to the nation’s capital as D.C. braces for massive crowds, tight security, road closures and heightened law enforcement presence. Trump will attend the “Salute to America” event on July 4th. His remarks are expected to begin around 9 p.m. ET, prior to a massive fireworks display on the National Mall that has been touted by the administration as the largest in history. In April, there was an assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where a shooter attempted to break into the ballroom. The fallout from the latest attempt comes as the anniversary of the Butler, Pa., rally approaches on July 13. A bullet came close to ending Trump’s life that day in 2024 after it grazed his ear. And just two months later, another attempt on his life occurred when a man with a rifle was arrested in Southern Florida after he stuck a rifle through the bushes where Trump was golfing that day. Meanwhile, the National Mall has garnered special attention this year following a string of vandalism against the Reflecting Pool and monuments. The pattern emerged after Trump ordered a restoration and repainting of the reflecting pool, which was then met with “razor-blade cuts” to its lining, according to the White House.
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