WWII Memorial vandalism suspect now in custody, to be charged with two felonies, Pirro announces
The suspect accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., has been taken into custody, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia are charging Melissa L. Farris with two felony charges for her alleged role in the vandalism. “Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather. This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” Pirro added. The DOJ is accusing Farris of an act of vandalism which occurred Thursday. The words “Clean hands, dirty money,” were spray-painted on the memorial in bright pink paint. PROSECUTORS MOVE TO DISMISS FELONY VANDALISM CASE AGAINST OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN OVER REFLECTING POOL Bubble soap was also dumped into the fountain at the center of the memorial, according to authorities. President Donald Trump reacted strongly to the memorial’s defacement. “Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” he wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social. The memorial is the latest D.C. monument targeted this year. Trump continues to seek the prosecution of a former Olympian accused of ripping the Lincoln Monument Memorial Reflecting Pool’s coating. TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM ALLEGATIONS, CITES NEW WITNESS ACCOUNT In June, U.S. Park Police also launched an investigation after the numbers “8647” were burned into the grass near the Washington Monument. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
El-Sayed in the hot seat after ‘sickening’ animal control record goes viral on social media
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over his tenure as Detroit health director, during which Detroit’s animal control department was beset by allegations of animal mistreatment and reportedly branded a “dog slaughterhouse” by a former employee. Detroit Animal Care and Control’s (DACC) live-release rate was roughly 20% to 26% when El-Sayed inherited the operation in late 2015 but climbed to about 61% to 62% by late 2016 — an improvement his campaign points to in arguing that the raw number of animals euthanized during his tenure obscures a turnaround from the dire conditions and euthanasia rates he inherited. The Daily Mail reported that records covering the period surrounding El-Sayed’s tenure showed 4,680 dogs and cats were euthanized, with 1,056 dogs and 29 cats getting euthanized in the first full calendar year DACC was under El-Sayed’s Health Department. After winning a bruising primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., El-Sayed is asking Michigan voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, but his record running Detroit’s Health Department and the troubled animal-control operation under its authority has generated renewed scrutiny. BIDEN-WORLD VETERAN ISSUES STARK WARNING ABOUT ABDUL EL-SAYED AS HE CROSSES PARTY LINES “I actually really really don’t want to believe this. Can someone verify?” questioned Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s one-time press secretary. “This is sickening. Abdul El-Sayed wants Michiganders to trust him with their families,” El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, wrote on X. “Meanwhile, Detroiters couldn’t even trust him with their pets.” The scrutiny stems in part from an October 2015 whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Detroit Animal Control officer Brittany Roberts, who alleged animals died from inadequate food and medical care, were kept in filthy conditions and were subjected to other mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. Roberts also reportedly alleged she was demeaned, harassed and ultimately fired after reporting the problems. The lawsuit landed the same month — and shortly before — the city moved Animal Control from the Detroit Police Department to the Health Department led by El-Sayed. “I was almost embarrassed with myself to be part of a team that played a role of the death of so many dogs in their cages,” Roberts said in 2015 as she accused the agency of neglect and mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. “Every morning, we’d just walk around and see who was alive before we could even feed.” Roberts, who began working at the shelter in March 2015, reportedly alleged in her whistleblower lawsuit filed that October that she witnessed animals die from a lack of food and medical care, unsanitary conditions and other violations of state law and department policy. FOX 2 Detroit reported at the time that Roberts called the shelter a “slaughterhouse” and alleged dogs were rarely euthanized properly, but instead were neglected and mistreated until they died. HOUSE DEM’S GRAPHIC CHICKEN DECAPITATION ‘HORRIFIED’ HER COLLEGE ROOMMATES: ‘BLOOD WENT EVERYWHERE’ Best Friends Animal Society put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s 2015 save rate at just 20%, while numbers from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Animal Shelter Annual Report placed its live-release rate at 26%, according to The Daily Mail. The 2015 numbers showed 1,988 dogs and 272 cats, and a total of 2,260 animals were euthanized, the outlet highlighted. Before the city moved it back under El-Sayed’s health department in October 2015 as part of a broader overhaul, Animal Control had been under the Detroit Police Department since 2012. Changes followed, as the city scrapped the shelter’s no-adoption policy and began working with rescue and foster organizations, while Melissa Miller was brought in as a new animal-control director in December 2015, according to local reporting. The operation later reportedly moved into a larger facility donated by the Michigan Humane Society and expanded partnerships with outside animal-welfare groups. The numbers improved and by September 2016, local reporting put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s live-release rate at 61%, up from 26% the previous year, and Miller said the following month that the figure had reached 62% — nearly triple the prior year’s rate. According to The Daily Mail, the DACC failed to publicly report its 2016 euthanasia figures, but numbers they obtained showed the animal control unit euthanized 1,056 dogs and 29 cats that year. Then-Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at the time that the previous euthanasia rate had been “unacceptable,” but that the improved rate was “more in line with national standards.” WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS Meanwhile, the Detroit mayor’s office acknowledged that DACC had a very high euthanasia rate while it was still under the police department and was transferred to the Health Department in part to change the operation’s culture. The office cited inadequate shelters and Detroit’s emergence from bankruptcy as major challenges that were not entirely within Animal Control’s control because of city budget constraints. “When I was the new director of the Detroit Health Department, I inherited a part of the job that I never trained for and never thought I would do, which is Detroit Animal Control,” El-Sayed said during a 2024 podcast interview. “And it was a mess at the time, and I needed somebody who I could trust, who could come in and do right by the animals and right by the people of the city of Detroit. And Mel Miller was that person.” El-Sayed’s campaign pushed back strongly against any suggestion that the animal deaths define his record, telling Fox News Digital that he inherited an operation with outdated procedures, severe staffing and facility problems and an extraordinarily high euthanasia rate. The campaign said El-Sayed raised frontline animal-care officer pay by 15%, worked to fully staff the operation, moved it into a more modern facility, overhauled care protocols and expanded partnerships aimed at getting animals out of the shelter alive. “During Abdul El-Sayed’s tenure as Detroit Health Director, he dramatically reduced animal euthanizations and reversed the Detroit Animal Control’s abysmal save rate,” the campaign said, arguing that
Mark Lynch endorses Ralph Norman as congressman heads into runoff against Darline Graham
Mark Lynch has endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the runner-up in South Carolina‘s special Republican U.S. Senate primary, who will face first-place finisher Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in a head-to-head runoff. Graham finished first in the Aug. 11 primary, with Norman advancing in second place. The runoff is scheduled for Aug. 25. Lynch — who finished second in the South Carolina Republican U.S. Senate primary that Sen. Lindsey Graham won in June — placed fifth in the special Republican U.S. Senate primary contest. “I’m honored to receive Mark Lynch’s support and endorsement in my race for U.S. Senate!” Norman declared in a Wednesday post on X. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP SENATE SHOWDOWN HEADS TO RUNOFF IN RACE TO SUCCEED LINDSEY GRAHAM The post also included a statement, apparently from Lynch, stating, “I am proud to endorse Ralph Norman for the United States Senate. Our country needs someone who will put America First, and the people of South Carolina have shown they are ready for a businessman and someone with a proven conservative record who will be their voice in Washington, D.C.” Last month, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to serve the remainder of her brother’s Senate term — and President Donald Trump is backing her for election. DARLINE GRAHAM DETAILS HOW SHE’D FORGE OWN PATH IN SENATE WHILE CARRYING ON BROTHER LINDSEY’S LEGACY National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., backed Graham after she placed first in the special GOP U.S. Senate primary this week. “If I were going to endorse in the South Carolina GOP Senate primary, I wanted to do so with confidence. After watching Darline Graham in the Senate and on the campaign trail, I’m confident she’s the real deal. Her first-place finish last night was remarkable, but not surprising. She is a conservative stalwart, a hard worker, and represents our beloved state with class, humility, and dignity,” Scott wrote in a Wednesday post on X. REP RALPH NORMAN ENTERS SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT OF DARLINE GRAHAM “I know she is making her brother proud, but Darline has already proven to be her own person: focused on pocketbook issues, defending our South Carolina values, and delivering for the people she represents. Her priorities are our priorities. I voted for Darline in yesterday’s primary, and I’ll vote for her again in the runoff. I’m proud to endorse Darline Graham for the U.S. Senate, and I encourage South Carolina Republicans across our state to join me in voting for her in the runoff,” Scott added.
Newsom-appointed judge who freed migrant before fatal stabbing said justice ‘sometimes means a dismissal’
The California judge who released a Venezuelan national arrested for burglary — and later allowed him to remain in pretrial home detention despite his violation of its terms — had previously said that justice can sometimes mean “dismissal” in an interview with her alma mater, the University of San Francisco School of Law. The day after Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Nichelle Holmes dismissed Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, a Venezuelan national, he was accused of stabbing another man to death while attempting another burglary. The killing of Todd Stewart, 68, outside his home of more than 30 years has renewed scrutiny of judges’ discretion in releasing repeat criminal offenders. It also comes as Republican leaders criticize “sanctuary” policies that they say make it difficult for federal immigration enforcement agents to do their jobs and put the public at risk. Holmes, who was appointed to Contra Costa Superior Court by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., in 2024, ordered on Aug. 5, 2024, that Iriarte-Valdez, a Venezuelan national who holds Spanish citizenship, be released on his own recognizance. The Department of Homeland Security called Iriarte-Valdez an “illegal alien” in a social media post, but later said he was “legally admitted” to the U.S. in 2007. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on his immigration status. DEADLY HOSPITAL STABBING PUTS NEWSOM UNDER PRESSURE OVER ICE DETAINER FIGHT Holmes’ ruling to allow Iriarte-Valez to walk free aligns with an interview that she gave to her alma mater, the University of San Francisco School of Law, in 2017, in which she claimed that her work as then-deputy district attorney of Contra Costa County is her way of fighting against injustices and racial disparities in the justice system. “Coming to work every day and ensuring that justice is served is my way of protesting,” Holmes said. “Justice does not always mean a prison sentence. Sometimes it means a treatment program, or intensive counseling, and sometimes it means a dismissal.” Holmes shared that she decided to become a district attorney as opposed to a defense attorney because she said victims need a voice too. “Navigating through the criminal justice process can be daunting and only add to the stress and trauma of being a crime victim,” Holmes shared. “I choose to advocate for the victims and be their voice to make the process just a little easier. I choose to make my community a safer place for everyone.” “I choose to ensure that the Constitution is upheld on all sides,” Holmes continued. “I choose to be a part of the solution.” CALIFORNIA MOM RIPS NEWSOM-BACKED ‘DIVERSION PROGRAM’ THAT APPEARS TO BENEFIT HER SON’S KILLER Prior to her appointment to Contra Costa Superior Court, Holmes served as the deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County from February 2012 to April 2024. As deputy district attorney, Holmes prosecuted sensitive cases centered on sexual assault, domestic violence, child trafficking and community violence. She worked four years in the county’s Domestic Violence Unit and was in the Community Violence Reduction Unit. She graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2010 and previously graduated from Spelman College in 1990. Some state lawmakers fumed over the judge’s behavior and Sacramento’s sanctuary policies, with Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, telling Fox News Digital on Thursday that Stewart “should be alive today.” “This murder was 100% preventable if we just enforced the laws currently in place,” Tangipa said. “But Governor Newsom’s garbage sanctuary laws and activist judges are leading to the death of Americans. Californians deserve a justice system that protects innocent Americans first.” A spokesperson from Newsom’s office did not comment on Holmes’ specific decision to release Marcos Iriarte-Valdez despite violating the terms of home detention. Instead, the spokesperson said he should be held responsible for the killing of Stewart. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “This individual should face justice for his alleged crime,” the spokesperson said. “California takes public safety seriously, and nothing in California law prevents federal authorities from enforcing federal immigration law. The federal government has billions of dollars and substantial resources to enforce federal law — they should do their job instead of blaming California for ICE’s enforcement failures.” Fox News Digital reached out to Holmes for comment.
Detransitioners reveal how doctors pushed them toward life-altering treatment as teens
Three detransitioners claim they were pressured by doctors and hospitals when they were young to pursue gender transition, including medical treatment in two cases while they were minors, according to a new HHS-commissioned report. The stories of Clementine Breen, Soren Aldaco and Luke Healy were featured in the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of ‘Gender Medicine’” report released on Thursday. The HHS-commissioned report alleges financial incentives encouraged hospitals and doctors to provide gender transition treatments and identifies insurance billing practices that it says may be improper or warrant further investigation. Breen was only 12 years old and struggling with a changing adolescent body and unresolved trauma from earlier sexual abuse when the then-minor learned about gender transition online. Breen alleges, according to the HHS report, that doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Breen’s parents the preteen was “100% trans” and at high risk of suicide without medical intervention. According to the report, Breen began puberty blockers at 12, testosterone at 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 14. HHS OFFICIAL WARNS OF IRREVERSIBLE RISKS AS TRUMP ADMIN RESTRICTS FUNDING FOR YOUTH GENDER PROCEDURES Breen’s mental health later deteriorated, and the teen stopped taking testosterone at 18 after therapy led Breen to conclude that the distress surrounding gender identity was connected to earlier trauma, according to the report. Breen reported experiencing pain and irregular menstrual cycles and requiring estrogen. When Breen later sought breast reconstruction, doctors questioned the teen’s mental stability, and some stopped responding, according to the report. “She did not face this same scrutiny when seeking a mastectomy at 14,” the report states. HHS also said Breen discovered letters in the medical record claiming a lifelong history of gender dysphoria. Now studying theater at UCLA, Breen said in the report that the treatments and surgery continue to have physical consequences. “How can a child consent to losing fertility or the ability to breastfeed if no one checks whether she even understand what that means?” Breen asked. Aldaco said gender-related distress emerged during adolescence and that online communities framed gender transition as the “appropriate response” to those feelings, according to the report. After talking to a doctor, Aldaco was prescribed testosterone by several specialists treating the then-teen for gender dysphoria, and the report says Aldaco gave no indication that providers considered alternative treatment options outside what it calls a “sex rejection” model. Aldaco began taking testosterone before receiving a double mastectomy to remove breast tissue. Aldaco then began suffering severe complications after surgery, causing pain the young person said, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” “Despite these negative developments, providers did not initiate a structured reassessment of her treatment plan,” the report says, adding that the support received after treatments was insufficient compared to the systems that pushed the life-altering decisions. “Soren’s experience reflects the imbalance of care for cases like hers,” the report reads. “While her pathway into sex rejection medicalization involved coordinated referrals, approvals, and interventions across multiple providers, the pathway out involved no comparable system of support.” Healy was just 10 years old when he first learning of an online community where adults discussed transgender identities, according to the HHS report. Within three years, Healy says he came to identify as a girl. After discussing the issue with his parents, Healy was taken to a counselor to talk about it. “The only people who seriously asked what might have caused his distress were his parents,” the report reads. “Meanwhile, institutional figures … treated his new identity as settled and moved quickly to affirm it.” “Luke’s parents refused to consent to puberty blockers or hormones while he was still a minor,” the report added. “Luke now describes their refusal as one of the bravest things they ever did.” Still wanting to be a girl at 18, Healy began pursuing transitioning treatments. Healy started with estrogen and began receiving consultations for surgical treatments before slowly starting to realize that the treatments were not easing psychological stress. JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT “Each intervention led to pressure for further intervention,” the report reads. “In his view, the model was built around escalation rather than resolution.” Healy eventually began to question the procedures doctors were recommending. “One doctor quoted him approximately $200,000 for facial feminization surgery. Another, he says, spoke to him like a car salesman while encouraging tracheal shave,” the report said. “Luke came to realize he was being sold procedures, not psychological help.” Rather than continuing the efforts to become a girl, Healy focused on battling the substance abuse problems developed during the process, quitting drinking and drugs. “He recognized the same obsessive, destructive pattern in gender ideology that he had seen in addiction,” the report reads.
White House exposes ‘Transshipment Scam’ costing US up to $26B, points finger at China
Concerns are growing that foreign exporters are routing goods through third countries to evade U.S. tariffs, according to a new White House report released Thursday. As well as China, Panama, Mexico and Colombia are among more than 40 countries identified as posing a high transshipment risk, together with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Transshipment can involve routing goods through an intermediary country before they enter the United States under a different country of origin, potentially qualifying for lower tariffs. TOP TRUMP AGENCY PURGES OVER 20 SUSPECTED CHINA-LINKED PRODUCTS FROM FEDERAL MARKETPLACE The 25-page report, titled “The Great Transshipment Scam,” was produced by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which is led by trade adviser Peter Navarro. The report says China offers the most developed historical example of transshipment. Following the imposition of Section 301 tariffs on China in 2018, the direct U.S. trade deficit with China fell in 2019 and 2020. “After their imposition, Chinese exporters increasingly routed goods through third countries,” the report says, with goods that previously moved directly from China to the United States instead being shipped through jurisdictions where limited assembly, finishing, repackaging, relabeling or documentation changes could create the appearance of a different national origin. PETER NAVARRO: TRUMP’S ARTEMIS VISION IS NOW FLYING — AND CHINA IS PAYING ATTENTION “Over time, these practices contributed to the development of a global network of production hubs, logistics platforms, free-trade zones, bonded warehouses, processing corridors, and re-export centers,” the report said of the transshipment practice. The report also estimates tariff-avoiding transshipment costs the U.S. Treasury between $19 billion and $26 billion in revenue annually. “The Trump administration has taken steps to strengthen transshipment enforcement.” “For years, the great transshipment scam has let communist China launder its exports,” Navarro said, according to The Associated Press. TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH Navarro also said countries such as India could also use transshipment to avoid tariffs and that new trade frameworks pursued by the Trump administration will include provisions to penalize trading partners that engage in the practice. The report cites government and private-sector estimates putting the value of goods transshipped to avoid tariffs at roughly $34.2 billion to $303 billion annually. Navarro said U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun using artificial intelligence in a prototype program to detect transshipment. He also said importers found to have falsified a product’s origin can face tariffs applied retroactively for roughly a year. The report comes ahead of a planned September visit to Washington by Chinese President Xi Jinping, following President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Marco Rubio gets 68 new jobs in epic White House birthday gift inspired by viral meme
Marco Rubio has a lot of jobs. Now, he has 68 more. The White House gave the secretary of state a gold-framed collage for his 55th birthday featuring dozens of versions of the viral “Rubio realizing” meme that has transformed President Donald Trump’s top diplomat into everything from an Iranian ayatollah to an astronaut. At the center of the 68-panel mosaic is the original, unaltered photograph of Rubio slumped on a couch in the Oval Office earlier this year, signed by Trump in gold ink with a presidential endorsement: “You are great.” WHAT RUBIO’S RISE AS THE INTERNET’S ‘FIXER’ TELLS US ABOUT TODAY’S POLITICS Around it is a resume that rivals Barbie’s. There’s Rubio as Robocop, Rubio as an astronaut, Rubio as the White House Easter Bunny, Cardinal Rubio preparing for a papal conclave, Rubio bundled up as the leader of Greenland and one where Rubio holds up a sign that says, “Please stop making memes about me.” The White House presented Rubio with the collage in May, but the gift only came to wider attention this week after Axios reporter Marc Caputo shared a photo of it on X. While nearly 70 imaginary gigs may sound excessive, the joke lands particularly well for a Cabinet official who has already accumulated an unusually high number of real roles. VANCE, CRUZ, HEAD TO IOWA ON 2026 MISSIONS AS 2028 GOP RACE TO SUCCEED TRUMP HEATS UP Rubio serves as secretary of state and acting national security advisor and previously pulled double duty as acting archivist and acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The internet also appears to have decided Rubio could handle a few more. The meme began with a decidedly more serious moment on Feb. 28, 2025, when Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Rubio and other administration officials met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. A photograph from the contentious meeting captured Rubio sitting low on a couch, his hands interlocked and an expression on his face that the internet quickly interpreted as a man coming to an uncomfortable realization. HOW MARCO RUBIO IS RIDING LAUGHTER AND MEMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANCE Then came the heavily-Photoshopped memes. As major jobs opened, in reality or otherwise, Rubio kept getting hired. When Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was captured, meme Rubio appeared dressed to take over the country. When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek re-election, Rubio turned up in blaze orange hunting gear, shotgun included. Rubio has acknowledged he wasn’t initially thrilled with the photograph that launched it all. “The meme thing, you know, was interesting, ’cause when it first came out, I hated that picture,” Rubio recently told Lara Trump on Fox News’ “My View.” MARCO RUBIO SPOTTED IN NIKE TRACKSUIT ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE DURING TRIP TO CHINA, IGNITING MEMES ONLINE Rubio explained that the Oval Office couch was partly to blame. “If you don’t have a pillow behind your back, you kinda sink,” he said. But the secretary of state eventually surrendered to the court of public opinion. “And then it turned into this other thing, and it was fine. And it’s funny,” Rubio said. He also revealed that Scavino had turned the online frenzy into something framed forever. “Dan Scavino made a nice board for me,” Rubio said. “And even since he made that board, we had to update it.” Which raises an obvious problem. Rubio may already need a bigger frame. The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Gun rights groups capitalize after judge reverses decades-old restrictions: ‘Monumental’
Gun rights advocates are wasting little time putting a “huge” federal court victory into action after a judge struck down decades-old firearms restrictions as unconstitutional. Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Silencer Shop, a federal firearms licensee covered by the ruling linked to the sale and transfer of silencers, notified the Trump administration Thursday they planned to begin transferring gun silencers without going through the National Firearms Act registration and approval process that has governed such transactions for decades. Just after midnight Thursday, two gun owners walked out of a Texas firearms dealer with silencers without first completing the federal registration and approval process that has governed such transfers for generations, according to Gun Owners of America. INSIDE TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED BATTLE PLAN TO EXPAND SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THROUGH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GOA said Brandon Herrera and Texas state Rep. Wes Virdell acquired the suppressors from Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas, in what the gun rights group called the first lawful transfers without National Firearms Act registration since the law was enacted in 1934. “This is the first time in 92 years that any gun owner has been able to do this,” Aidan Johnston, Gun Owners of America’s director of federal affairs, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Previously, this would have been punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine per violation. So, this was a big federal law. We took a really big bite out of it.” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who attended the midnight transfers and helped write the legislation that set the stage for the ruling, called it “literally, the greatest Second Amendment win in the history of our country,” adding that it marked “a monumental day for the country and a monumental day for the Second Amendment.” The ruling also appears poised to stand without a challenge from the federal government. Clyde said Wednesday he had received confirmation from the Trump administration that the Justice Department would not appeal the decision. “GOA fought to crush the NFA’s unconstitutional restrictions through the One Big Beautiful Bill, but we didn’t stop there. We promised to keep fighting until these restrictions were gone, and now our members are putting the historic victory into action,” said Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America. “The era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end.” CLARENCE THOMAS’ CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT AGAINST FEDERAL GUN LAW GETS FIRST MAJOR COURT TEST The legal fight traces back to Republicans’ 2025 reconciliation package, which initially included broader efforts to roll back National Firearms Act restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled firearms. After the Senate parliamentarian blocked portions of the deregulation push under reconciliation rules, the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump instead reduced the NFA’s longstanding making and transfer taxes to $0 for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and certain other weapons, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Gun rights groups seized on that change almost immediately. The same day Trump signed the law, Gun Owners of America, the Silencer Shop Foundation and other plaintiffs sued the federal government, arguing the NFA’s registration and approval requirements could no longer constitutionally stand for weapons on which Congress had eliminated the underlying tax. Fifteen states later joined the challenge. The Justice Department countered that the remaining regulations could still be supported by other NFA taxes and Congress’ authority over interstate commerce. “Congress didn’t fully repeal the law. They just reduced this 1934 tax from $200 to $0,” Johnston told Fox News Digital. “And I think all of us could understand there’s no such thing as a $0 tax. It doesn’t raise any revenue. It’s not a tax.” U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, sided with the challengers Aug. 5, ruling that once Congress eliminated the making and transfer taxes, the regulations that had existed to help collect those taxes lost their constitutional footing. Hendrix permanently blocked federal officials from enforcing the challenged requirements against the plaintiffs and, where applicable, their members and customers, while declining to issue a nationwide injunction. However, while the plaintiffs had separately argued that the NFA’s registration and approval requirements violated the Second Amendment, Hendrix said that “Efforts to render the NFA constitutional must come from Congress, not this Court.”
Federal appeals court restores Texas mail ballot ID requirements in major election integrity ruling
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored key parts of Texas’ election law Wednesday, handing the state a major win after repeatedly reversing the lower court during a five-year legal fight. The 11-page ruling overturned a lower court decision that blocked nine parts of Senate Bill 1, a 2021 law that changed Texas’ rules for mail-in voting and voter assistance. The appeals court pointed to its repeated reversals in the case, noting that it has “reversed the district court on everything” during roughly five years of litigation. JUDGE HANDS TRUMP MAIL-BALLOT WIN FOR NOW AS DEMOCRATS’ NEXT MOVE LOOMS “The bulk of the plaintiffs’ claims fail for lack of standing. One fails on the merits. But none justifies interference with the State Legislature’s efforts to prevent voter fraud and to protect election integrity,” Judge Andrew Oldham wrote in the opinion. The restored rules include requirements for Texans voting by mail to provide an identification number or Social Security number on ballot applications and for that information to match state records. The law also lays out a process for voters to fix defective ballots and requires voters and people helping them fill out ballots to sign an oath stating they did not coerce the voter. A district judge blocked the rules in March 2025 after several lawsuits challenging the law over accessibility concerns were combined. The plaintiffs argued the requirements made voting too difficult for some voters with disabilities and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Texas allows several groups to vote by mail, including voters who are 65 or older and those who qualify because of a disability. MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS JOHN CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR The appeals court found the groups did not have legal standing to bring most of their challenges and rejected another challenge outright. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a defendant in the lawsuit, celebrated the ruling on social media, calling it a “major victory.” Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys and organizations representing the plaintiffs for comment. Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1 in 2021 after a contentious fight over election rules. The law targeted in part voting initiatives Harris County used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic lawmakers, civil rights organizations and voting advocacy groups opposed the measure, and Texas House Democrats broke quorum in an unsuccessful attempt to stop it. The appeals court also noted that the share of mail-in ballot applications or ballots rejected because of identification-number errors fell from 11% to 2.7% after the law took effect.
Mamdani’s luxury-home tax gets new life as appeals court lifts roadblock in homeowner fight
Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial luxury-home tax rollout is back on track, at least for now, after a New York appeals court on Thursday lifted the roadblock that had stopped the city from moving ahead. Judge Philip Hom temporarily lifted the order blocking the city from moving ahead with the rollout, allowing the surcharge process to resume while the legal battle continues. Randy Mastro, the attorney representing the homeowners challenging the rollout, blasted the administration in a statement to Fox News Digital. MAMDANI’S LUXURY-HOME TAX ROLLOUT DERAILED FOR NOW AS JUDGE DELIVERS WIN TO NYC HOMEOWNERS OVER MASSIVE LIST “It is a shame that the City can’t own up to its own mistakes and admit that it has badly botched the rollout of this surcharge,” Mastro said. “Instead, the administration is doubling down, going to court to ensure that it can continue harassing and threatening New York City homeowners who clearly are permanent residents — something the City would know if it would only do its homework.” Mastro accused Mamdani of pushing ahead with thousands of surcharge notices he called “blatantly illegal.” “It is, quite frankly, outrageous that this Mayor is so desperate to further his agenda that he’s continuing to try to enforce thousands [of] surcharge ‘notices’ that are blatantly illegal,” Mastro said. “We remain confident that when we are back in court in a mere 18 days, the thousands of New York City homeowners who are now illegally burdened with the responsibility of proving they do indeed live in their own homes will finally get the permanent relief they deserve,” he added. MAMDANI’S PROPERTY TAX DUBBED ‘DANGEROUS’ AND ‘A LITTLE WEIRD’ BY COMEDIANS AFTER LIST WAS PUBLISHED Mastro’s office also confirmed to Fox News Digital on background that Thursday’s development was procedural, allowing the city to move forward with its appeal while staying the temporary restraining order. The homeowners are expected back in court Aug. 31, when they will seek permanent relief from the original judge. The appellate order came after a sharp dispute over whether the city’s decision to appeal had automatically put Judge Wayne Ozzi’s entire order on hold. In an Aug. 11 letter to Ozzi, Mastro argued that most of the judge’s restrictions remained in effect and warned the city against pressing ahead with the surcharge. PROPERTY OWNER ADVOCACY GROUPS PUSH BACK ON MAMDANI’S ‘RENTAL RIPOFF REPORT,’ PUBLIC DATABASE OF LANDLORDS Thursday’s order removed that immediate uncertainty by staying Ozzi’s temporary restraining order while the city’s appeal moves forward. The latest turn comes just three days after Ozzi slammed the brakes on the city’s rollout of the surcharge, which targets certain high-value properties that do not serve as primary residences. Ozzi ordered the city to remove a disputed supplemental property roll from its website and temporarily blocked officials from taking further action based on the roll or notices sent to homeowners. He also stopped the city from enforcing deadlines contained in those notices, including the Sept. 18 deadline to file an administrative appeal. CLINTON, OBAMA-ERA DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS PENN AND EMANUEL RIP NYC’S MAMDANI OVER TAXES, ISRAEL, BLAST DSA The lawsuit was filed by New York City homeowners Rachel O’Brien, Carmine Morano and Simon Hedley, who are not challenging the surcharge itself but rather how the Mamdani administration implemented it. The homeowners argue the city improperly put the burden on New Yorkers to prove they live in their properties rather than first determining which homes actually qualify for the surcharge. Their lawsuit also takes aim at the city’s publication of a supplemental property roll containing information on more than 900,000 homeowners. The plaintiffs allege the publication caused “mass confusion” and subjected homeowners to unwanted public scrutiny. During Monday’s hearing, Mastro repeatedly accused the administration of failing to do its homework before launching the program. NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CALLS THREAT OF RICH PEOPLE LEAVING NYC OVER TAXES ‘IMAGINED’ “The city screwed this up… got it wrong… stop the train and make them do it over,” Mastro told the court. “The city is to bear the burden,” he argued. “They didn’t do their homework.” The city quickly fought back. In appellate papers filed Thursday, the city asked the court to confirm that Ozzi’s entire temporary restraining order was automatically stayed under state law or, alternatively, grant a stay while its appeal proceeds. The city also sought permission to appeal if necessary. PROGRESSIVES WANT TO TAX BILLIONAIRES FIRST, AND YOU’RE NEXT ON THE LIST City attorneys argued that filing a notice of appeal and an affirmation of its intention to seek permission to appeal triggered an automatic stay. The city also argued that Ozzi’s order disrupted the status quo and threatened to derail the Department of Finance’s implementation of the surcharge under an already tight timeline. According to the city’s filing, the Department of Finance sent initial determination notices to approximately 17,000 property owners. City officials have maintained that inclusion on the much broader supplemental roll did not mean a property owner would ultimately be subject to the surcharge. The city warned that leaving the lower court’s order in place could interfere with property tax bills scheduled to be mailed Nov. 15 and potentially jeopardize revenue from the surcharge. The city comptroller has projected the tax will generate at least $500 million through fiscal year 2028, according to the appellate filing. NEW YORK CITY LANDLORDS WARN AMERICAN DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY UNDER SOCIALIST RENT POLICIES The city has also argued that the administrative appeals process gives homeowners a straightforward way to establish that a property is a primary residence and that officials may not have access to all of the information necessary to make that determination without additional documentation from owners. The homeowners dispute that argument, saying state law required the city to make an individualized initial determination before sending the notices in the first place. One plaintiff, Hedley, ultimately received approval after submitting documentation showing that his property was his primary residence. Mastro has argued that Hedley’s experience demonstrates how easily the city could