NationalWatch

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.”

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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.

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“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?”

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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.

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“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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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.

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“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.

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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.”

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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.

President Donald Trump marked the eve of America’s 250th anniversary with a sweeping patriotic address at Mount Rushmore on Friday, declaring the United States the “most exceptional nation ever to exist” and vowing that it would “never be a Communist country.”

Speaking beneath the granite likenesses of four of his predecessors — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt — Trump touted American exceptionalism as festivities marking the nation’s 250th anniversary ramped up across the country.

“In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one,” Trump told the crowd.

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“At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on earth,” he continued. “We are the freest people on earth. We have the most righteous and enduring Constitution on earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on earth. And by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.”

Trump praised the nation’s history and argued that no other country had achieved as much as the United States.

“The birth and survival of the American nation under God is, quite simply, the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands, ever,” he said. “No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America.”

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Before Trump took the stage, the new Air Force One flew over Mount Rushmore as spectators cheered. After his remarks, the president stayed to watch a fireworks display over the Black Hills.

Trump argued the country was facing what he described as a growing communist movement that sought to undermine America’s “exceptional character” and “alienate us from our history.”

The president said the movement had raised the question, “What does it mean to be an American?”

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Trump described communism as “the greatest threat” facing the United States.

“It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor, or even 9/11,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen, because communism is the enemy of free people.”

“Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — it is death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,” he continued.

“But we will not let them win,” he added. “They have no chance against us.”

Trump issued a clear directive: “You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”

As Americans face those choices, Trump pointed to the nation’s past sacrifices as a guide for its future.

“Our American ancestors did not shed their blood at Concord and Trenton, Gettysburg and Shiloh, Midway and Normandy, just so that a band of thieves, radicals and lunatics could come in and loot, pillage our nation,” he said.

Trump also highlighted the four presidents carved into the mountain behind him, saying they represented America’s founding ideals.

“They were men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence,” he said. “Above all, they were great men of history. Tonight, on the threshold of our 250th year, we stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people. And we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants.”

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Trump is scheduled to deliver another speech Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a fireworks display celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“We know that this is not an ending,” Trump said. “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.”

President Donald Trump on Friday announced full executive pardons for six 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!”

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.

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“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 is seemingly linked to a 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.

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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.

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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.

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The Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney website has not yet been updated to list the people granted clemency by the president on Friday.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, who is credited with killing Usama bin Laden, reflected on America’s 250th anniversary, praising opportunities for those willing to work hard while urging Americans to preserve the nation’s values amid what he described as a growing hatred of its history.

“As we come up on our 250th anniversary of being the greatest country ever, it’s just the opportunity here from my personal experience that reminds me, and I almost get to a point where I’m jealous of younger men that were my age when I joined because they literally have the world at their fingertips,” O’Neill told Fox News Digital.

“You can do anything, seriously, in this country.”

O’Neill, who served with SEAL Team 6 during Operation Neptune Spear, the 2011 raid that killed the al Qaeda mastermind and chief, encouraged more young people to step outside their comfort zones and contribute to America’s success.

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“I’m able to attribute a lot of my successes in life simply because I left the house,” he said. “I went to join the military, and I did. In this country, I just proved you can do anything by not doing one thing. I just didn’t stop. I never quit.”

Looking back on his service, O’Neill said it was a “great honor” to leave home, rise through the ranks on merit, and earn a place on a team chosen solely on ability, calling his experience an example of “the greatness of the country.”

“That team was proof of equal opportunity,” he said. “You have an equal opportunity to try out, but you’re gonna be tested every day, and if you don’t pass, we’re just gonna get rid of you. But the team was built because of this country, and the country has the ability to do that over and over again.”

As millions prepare to celebrate the anniversary, O’Neill acknowledged that not everyone views the milestone positively, blaming a growing “victimhood” mindset for turning people away from the nation’s history.

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“Part of the issue is we stop teaching our kids the past, and we’re actually raising a lot of victims,” he said. “I don’t know why the victimhood is here. Maybe it’s because the country is so great, we have to look back on the past and invent problems, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

A driving force behind this growing disdain is “institutional cowardice,” according to O’Neill, who warned that “if we keep importing the enemy and won’t call it what it is,” the country risks deeper political division and, ultimately, “civil war.”

“We’re at a place right now of institutional cowardice where we’re importing people based on untruths because people in political positions know that they’ll vote for them if they keep doing what they’re doing,” he said.

“Once that base starts growing, they’re going to get rid of what was referred to by communists as the ‘useful idiots.’ It’s growing right now. I mean, it’s almost ironic that we can look over the ocean at Great Britain on an anniversary from a country where we gained independence, and it’s not like looking at another nation. We’re looking at a glimpse into our future.”

O’Neill said the nation loses its strength despite its ability to “win anything with force,” arguing America would need to “import the enemy in order to lose.”

“We’re seeing right now that we can win anything with force, but we need to import the enemy in order to lose,” he said. “What I mean by that is if we get infiltrated, pound for pound, we’re never gonna lose a fight. Instead of telling the truth, we just try to appease. That’s what we’re seeing right now. We win the wars that we’re in until we involve too many laws that we make up ourselves.”

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But O’Neill said America can continue to succeed if it preserves its founding values, saying the country is “fragile” as “it’s still an experiment.”

Pointing to the British, Persian, and Ottoman empires as examples of powerful nations that eventually declined, O’Neill said America’s 250-year run does not guarantee its future and people “need to reflect on our great nation and how it’s very important that we keep it that way.”

“We gotta realize that the American project, the experiment that it is, it’s still worth continuing, and it’s good to see that we made it 250 years, but also keep in mind, that’s usually the lifetime of most empires,” he said.

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O’Neill said people should not take the country’s freedoms and opportunities for granted, saying he has seen “true poverty and real dictators” and that “it’s a blessing” to be here.

“We need to realize that we have been padded by two oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic, and you don’t want to do the whole ‘don’t know what you got until it’s gone,’ because this country is great,” he said.

Shortly after urging city residents to scale back their air conditioning use to reduce strain on the power grid, socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned older residents to be mindful of prolonged summer heat.

“If you have an older loved one, friend or neighbor, check in with them today. Make sure they’re staying hydrated, spending time in the air-conditioned spaces whenever possible and know where to find the nearest cooling center,” Mamdani wrote in a post to X.

It didn’t take long for the reactions online to point out the clashing sets of instructions.

“You just told old people to keep their air at 78. Are you on drugs?” Gina Milan, a conservative media personality, wrote in a post to social media.

“Mamdani: Older adults are at greater risk for heat-related illness, especially during prolonged periods of extreme heat. Also Mamdani: set your AC to 78 degrees,” another observer wrote.

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“How does he expect these older adults to stay cool if he wants them to keep their thermostat at 78?” another user wrote.

Social media users continue to monitor Mamdani’s online directives and his policies as the self-proclaimed socialist navigates the realities of implementing many of his campaign promises.

In the lead-up to his mayoral victory in November, Mamdani claimed that quality of life could not be separated from reactions to climate change.

“Climate and quality of life are not two separate concerns. They are, in fact, one and the same,” Mamdani said in an interview with the Nation last year, proposing new school infrastructure that would serve as shelters during extreme heat waves.

However, Mamdani noted earlier this week that the city’s existing infrastructure was struggling with capacity, asking residents to cap their AC units at 78 degrees.

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“New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool,” Mamdani posted on X.

The request is a part of a series of other measures the city is deploying to counter the heat, including Cooling Outreach On-Location (COOL) vans, extending pool hours and an additional eight cooling centers through sites such as libraries.

“Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can. Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment. A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together.”

Conservatives expressed skepticism of the plan.

“Show us your thermostat, commie,” reality TV star and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted on X.

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Notably, one observer on X pointed out that Republican New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had issued similar instructions in 1999, citing an archived press release.

According to the New York Mayoral Office, the city is predicting a heat wave that could reach up to 112, calling it “historic,” in a press release on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump targeted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), venting frustration about the alliance in Thursday social media posts.

“The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing: U.S. 999 Billion Dollars, United Kingdom, 90.5 Billion Dollars, France, 66.5 Billion Dollars, Italy, 48.8 Billion Dollars, Poland, 44.3 Billion Dollars. Others, including Germany, are MUCH LOWER. (2014-2025) Ridiculous!” the president asserted in a Thursday morning Truth Social post.

A NATO release, which explains that the “cut-off date for information used in this report was 3 June 2025” and that “figures for 2024 and 2025 are estimates,” listed the estimated 2025 U.S. defense expenditure as $980 billion, the United Kingdom’s as $90.508 billion, France as $66.531 billion, Italy as $48.8 billion, and Poland as $44.314 billion.

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America’s commander in chief also called out NATO in a post on Thursday night.

“Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!” Trump exclaimed in the post.

The president’s vocal complaints about NATO came ahead of the alliance’s upcoming summit in Ankara, Turkey, next week. Trump is scheduled to attend.

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Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House last month.

Trump has been critical of NATO amid the U.S. war with Iran.

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“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!” Trump asserted in a mid-April Truth Social post.

A patriotic woman from Massachusetts took matters into her own hands after leaders in her state decided to boycott the Great American State Fair out of anger at President Donald Trump — and she showed no mercy to those who made that decision.

“I came here to represent Massachusetts because I didn’t want the public to walk into an empty room. I wanted somebody to be there,” said Donna Festinger, who paid her own way from the Bay State to the nation’s capital to celebrate 250 years of American independence.

Festinger is manning her state’s booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, part of the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 event that began on June 25 and ends on July 10.

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She had a clear message for Massachusetts leadership, along with the leadership of other states who also declined to participate in the celebration.

“I’m very disappointed that Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts decided — their governments decided not to support this effort to celebrate our American heritage,” she said. “It’s actually shameful.”

“It makes me feel like they really don’t love America or Massachusetts — my governor,” she said of Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who has had some very public spats with Trump.

Festinger, a former teacher who paid her own way to the event in Washington, D.C., and arrived at the beginning of the celebration, says she plans to stay through the entire 16-day event.

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She told Fox News Digital that she thinks the state boycotts are actually a point of unity for the American public, “because most people are upset about it and do not understand why a governor would do that.”

“And so that’s actually uniting people, Democrats, Republicans, independents, and agreeing that every state should be proud of our country,” Festinger speculated.

She added: “I think the Trump administration is working hard to bring the country together.”

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Meanwhile, Healey, known for her rabid anti-Trump streak, mocked the fair in an interview with Boston Public Radio.

Asked whether she would welcome Trump if he visited the state, she reportedly said the president is “too busy with his Great American State Fair down there that everybody’s bailing on.”

She also claimed, without evidence, that Trump is using the fair to “get money into his own pocket,” and falsely claimed that states were being charged to participate in the fair.

Festinger also recently garnered some backup at the Massachusetts booth.

Judith Kalaora, a Boston resident, stood at the state’s stand dressed to the nines in a Revolutionary War uniform to honor Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man to fight the British.

“I’m hopeful that my being here will unite folks to realize that Boston and Massachusetts have a great spirit, and that that spirit can unite the United States through our nation’s heritage and through our military history,” said Kalaora.

“I believe that the United States, in 250 years, has accomplished many more achievements than other nations have accomplished in 400 and 500 years,”

Eleven states, all run by Democrats, decided to skip the fair.

Some had explicitly anti-Trump reasons for declining to participate, like Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker, citing what he said is Trump’s “politicization of America 250 activities.”

Oregon’s leadership expressed a similar sentiment, though did not mention Trump by name.

“The State of Oregon will not be participating in the Great American State Fair due to both the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented,” Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said in a statement.

Kalaora, however, remains optimistic.

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“Times change, and emotions change, and that’s okay, as long as we still remember that we’ve done great things,” she said.

“I’m happy to be here.”

President Donald Trump will open America’s 250th Independence Day weekend with a return to Mount Rushmore, reviving one of the most symbolic scenes of his first administration as the White House stages a week of patriotic events across some of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.

Trump last attended a Mount Rushmore fireworks display in 2020, when the landmark hosted its first official fireworks show since 2009. 

Trump issued a presidential action in January to honor the history of America, ordering “a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026.” On both a federal and state level, the nation has thrown a line up of events this summer including the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall.

WORLD CUP SOCCER FANS ARE DISCOVERING AMERICA’S GREATNESS. IT’S TIME AMERICANS DID, TOO

Trump kicked off the fair on June 24 by hosting a rally the night before the beginning of the fair.

He will return Saturday for the “Salute to America” event, where he is expected to take the stage. 

Washington, D.C., has been placed under an “Extreme Heat Alert” until Sunday morning with temperatures predicted to feel like 105°F or hotter, according to DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

TRUMP TAKES INAUGURAL FLIGHT ABOARD NEW AIR FORCE ONE AHEAD OF LIBRARY DEBUT HONORING FAMED OUTDOORSMAN

Trump’s remarks are expected to begin around 9:00 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.

The National Mall has garnered special attention this year after 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. 

Earlier this week, Trump attended the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, North Dakota, on Wednesday.

Roosevelt was known for his passion for the outdoors – dramatically expanding federal protection of natural resources and public lands. He established national parks, created national monuments and strengthened the U.S. Forest Service.

BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP TO RESTORE SLAVERY, CLIMATE CHANGE REFERENCES AT NATIONAL PARKS

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Trump signed the “Great American Outdoors Act Reauthorization,” which centers on previous legislation signed by the 45th and 47th president but renews funding in honor of America’s 250th birthday.

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., a swing-district Democrat who touts herself as a bipartisan dealmaker, told a liberal audience she wants to “work across the aisle” before saying moments later that watching Pete Hegseth testify made her want to “beat the s— out of him.”

Lee made the remarks during an appearance last month before the Sun City Liberal Club in Las Vegas while discussing rare earth minerals and her work supporting MP Materials, a Las Vegas-based company involved in U.S. critical minerals production. The comments come as she seeks re-election in Nevada’s closely divided 3rd Congressional District.

“I want to be bipartisan. I want to work across the aisle,” Lee told the crowd, according to video of the remarks. But moments later, while discussing Hegseth appearing before her committee, she said, “Now listen, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. Like you just wanna beat the s— out of him.”

SWING-DISTRICT DEMOCRAT FACES BACKLASH AFTER VULGAR LATE-NIGHT POST TARGETING TRUMP, DOUBLES DOWN

“But you got to bite it,” Lee said of wanting to “beat the s—” out of Hegseth.

The Hegseth remark is not the first profanity-laced comment to draw scrutiny for Lee. In April, Fox News Digital reported that Lee deleted an expletive-filled late-night social media post targeting Trump after online backlash, then defended her remarks by saying her “nerve was touched” by what she described as attacks on the Constitution.

“Secretary Hegseth has made life less safe and more expensive for Americans. The war of choice that he and President Trump started has placed more burden on working families by increasing the cost of gas and groceries. And despite promising to immediately review Congresswoman Lee’s request to get Nevada Test and Training Range veterans the health care they need, Secretary Hegseth has dragged his feet for nearly two months,” a spokesperson for Lee told Fox News Digital. “Clearly, there are many areas in which Congresswoman Lee does not see eye to eye with the Secretary.”

Lee’s comments about wanting to beat up Hegseth came while she was teeing up a story to the Sun City Liberal Club about pressing the Secretary of War during a hearing on the Pentagon’s decision to invest in an Australian company while supposedly leaving a U.S.-based one out to dry. Lee said she appealed to Hegseth by telling him she believed in “made in America” and questioned why the Pentagon had invested more heavily in a different Australian company as opposed to MP Materials, an American one. 

“Now listen, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. Like you just wanna beat the s— out of him. I mean yea, but you just got to bite it. So this is what I did – he came in front of my committee twice,” Lee said as she told the story about the rare earth investments.

“You got to lay on their ego, right?” she continued. “Well, three weeks later, they announced a $2 billion investment in MP Materials, okay? I didn’t want to be sweet with Hegseth, okay, I didn’t. But, you know, you got to do what you got to do to get s— done, right?”

“Congresswoman Lee set aside [her differences with Hegseth] on behalf of her constituents to secure an investment in a Nevada-based employer that will create hundreds of jobs in southern Nevada,” Lee’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “She will continue putting politics aside and working with anyone — regardless of party — to lower costs, create jobs, and make life better for her constituents.” 

But Republicans took aim at the remarks as evidence that Lee’s bipartisan brand is at odds with how she talks about Trump administration officials behind closed doors.

DEM REP WHO WENT ON EXPLETIVE-LADEN ANTI-TRUMP RANT WINS PRIMARY

“It’s unfortunate for our Republic, near our 250th birthday of this great experiment we call America, that town hall comments like this reveal the truth, and Republican voters should be warned that Democrats, if they take over the majority, will simply spend their time going after President Trump and his administration,” said Mark Bednar, former head of communications for former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

Republicans also took issue with Lee’s claim that her exchange with Hegseth helped spur a major Defense Department investment in MP Materials, accusing the Nevada Democrat of overstating her role while using the story to burnish her bipartisan credentials.

“Either Susie Lee believes her words contain the persuasive power of the word of God, or she’s making stuff up and being completely unhinged to boot,” said Republican National Committee spokesperson Nick Poché. “Nevadans deserve a leader who will work to deliver for them, not posers whose only objective in office is to improve their stock portfolios like Susie Lee.”

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MP Materials eventually signed a major agreement with the Defense Department, including a $400 million Pentagon investment that made the federal government the company’s largest shareholder and other commitments aimed at strengthening the U.S. rare earth magnet supply chain.

As Americans gather in the nation’s capital to celebrate the Fourth of July and kick off the nation’s 250th anniversary festivities, Fox News Digital asked attendees at the Great American Fair on the National Mall whether the economy will influence how they vote in November.

While most respondents gave the U.S. economy a passing grade — most commonly a “B” — many said their ballots won’t hinge on inflation, jobs or economic growth alone. Instead, they pointed to values, leadership and party affiliation as the factors that will ultimately decide their vote.

The responses offer a snapshot of how some voters are weighing one of the nation’s top political issues ahead of the 2026 midterms.

TRUMP’S MANUFACTURING PROMISE IS DELIVERING IN ONE OF AMERICA’S OLDEST FACTORIES

Although respondents expressed cautious optimism about the economy’s direction, several said improving conditions would not be enough to change their political preferences, underscoring the role that broader ideological and cultural issues continue to play in shaping voter decisions.

“I would probably give the economy, compared to what it was, I would give it a B for sure,” Jay Miller of Lafayette, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital. “I think we are on the verge of an economic boom like we’ve never seen in our nation. And I’m glad that I’m living at this point and this time to witness it firsthand.”

Miller said he believes lawmakers should work more closely with President Donald Trump to advance the administration’s agenda, arguing that doing so would help unlock further economic growth.

Donna Festinger from Greenfield, Massachusetts, also gave the economy above average marks, grading it a “B-plus.”

“I think it’s on the rise and we’re getting more and more jobs, which I think really helps everyone in America,” the retired schoolteacher told Fox News Digital. “I think this administration is working hard to help everybody earn more money and to be able to save more money, which will circle back into a better economy.”

But not everyone in Washington, D.C. this week was as upbeat.

FOX NEWS POLL: MOST RATE THE ECONOMY NEGATIVELY, INCLUDING HALF OF REPUBLICANS

Bonnie from Hollister, California gave the economy a “C,” citing ongoing concerns about prices, but said she’s hopeful conditions will continue improving.

“I don’t think it’s great right now,” she said, citing high gas prices in her home state of California. “I would say maybe a C, but I’m hopeful that it’s going to turn around and be getting up to a B soon.”

Dan Cuda, 72, landed somewhere in the middle, saying the economy still has “a lot of upside potential” despite inflation.

“Groceries are pricey. I’m an Air Force veteran, and I’m still shopping at the military commissaries, and it’s noticeably up,” Cuda, a Maryland resident, told Fox News Digital.

Military commissaries are grocery stores on military installations that offer discounted prices to eligible service members, veterans and their families.

Despite higher food costs, Cuda still said, “I’d call it a… B economy.”

TRUMP VOTERS SAY COSTS ARE CRUSHING THEIR WALLETS — BUT LOOK PAST PRESIDENT FOR BLAME

When the conversation shifted from the economy to politics, several Americans said economic conditions weren’t the deciding factor in how they plan to vote.

“It doesn’t really factor into my vote,” Cuda said, adding “I’m voting R no matter what.”

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Miller echoed that sentiment, saying character and values outweigh economic performance when it comes to casting his vote at the ballot box.

“Give me good people,” he said. “Give me conservatives. Give me somebody with a little faith, a little family, a little value. And that’s got my vote.”

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Bonnie also said the economy matters, but won’t change her support for her preferred candidate.

“It does matter, but it’s not gonna keep me from voting for who I wanna vote for,” the Californian said.

James Carville, the architect of President Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory over President George H.W. Bush and industrialist H. Ross Perot, said this week that President Donald Trump has forced him to break with the catchphrase that many believe helped win that election and made him a political household name.

Carville originally coined “It’s the economy, stupid,” as an internal reminder to campaign staff at Clinton’s Little Rock headquarters to stay on-message amid Bush’s rising approval ratings connected to his handling of the Gulf War.

But this week, Carville suggested allegations of corruption involving President Donald Trump have supplanted the idea that the economy should remain top of mind during election season.

During a discussion on his “Politicon” podcast network, former Mount Holyoke dean Joseph Ellis mentioned “It’s the economy, stupid” before the Ragin Cajun cut him off.

FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH

“So, professor, I thought about that recently – about ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ – it’s a great catchphrase. It’s maybe one of the most oft-repeated things in politics,” Carville said.

“I now have come to detest the fact I said that.”

Without mentioning Trump by name, Carville — who has repeatedly accused the incumbent of corruption in recent months — compared him with the more genteel Bush.

“I’ll listen to people who say, ‘people don’t care about corruption, they care about the economy — As long as their incomes are up, they don’t care what he does’ – and I’m afraid that’s right.”

JAMES CARVILLE SAYS SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT SHOULDN’T BE IN THE PARTY, CALLS HER VIEWS ‘A BRIDGE TOO FAR’

“But I said it in 1992, and say what you want about George H.W. Bush, he was not… a corrupt man at all; decent man too. We have now the breathtaking, staggering — I understand if people say, ‘Yeah, you know, you’re right, that’s all people care about is the economy, and I won’t do it, I don’t say anything, I’m nice’,” he said, appearing to envision voters preferring to focus on the economy over other personality issues.

“I want to punch him in the f—ing face. OK? Yes. I’m serious… Because the phrase actually haunts me today.”

Asked about the invective, White House spokesman Davis Ingle called the Ragin’ Cajun a “stone-cold loser.”

“[Carville] suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome, and it has rotted his peanut-sized brain,” Ingle said.

During an earlier discussion with his co-host, former Wall Street Journal Washington bureau chief Al Hunt, Carville said that “we are drowning; we’re suffocating in corruption” before accusing Trump of increasing his net worth by $2 billion since becoming president.

“I’m just really fearful for the United States,” he added.

In February, Carville directed one of his segments at Trump as though the president were watching, telling the president that his inner circle “hates” him and that he is a “fat, sorry, sack of s—.”

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Since then, he has continued criticizing the president and recently said he is proud to have proverbial “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

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Carville has been a mainstay in Democratic politics ever since helping engineer Clinton’s 1992 victory, alongside other notable campaign aides, including ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, whom Trump also spars with on occasion.

Clinton’s 1992 campaign produced several enduring touchstones, from Carville’s “It’s the economy, stupid,” to Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Don’t Stop,” which became the de facto theme song for his successful bid.

Carville’s comments about his old slogan also come as he recently rebuked socialist nominees taking over his party.

Fox News Digital reached out to Carville via his Politicon podcast for further comment.

The far left is taking its political playbook nationwide, moving from high-profile primary wins in New York City and Colorado to a string of upcoming Democratic contests in Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida.

After far-left and socialist-aligned candidates scored ballot-box victories over establishment-backed contenders in congressional primaries in New York City and Colorado the past two weeks, the left is taking aim at the Midwest.

Hours after Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) backed challenger and first-time candidate Melat Kiros toppled 15-term Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Tuesday’s primary in Denver’s deep blue 1st Congressional District, former Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri pledged on social media, “On August 4th, St. Louis will do the same.”

Kiros’ victory, coupled with wins a week earlier by three far-left congressional candidates heavily supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is emboldening progressives as they try to turn isolated blue-city upsets into a national pressure campaign against the Democratic Party. 

VICTORIES BY MAMDANI-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES SPOTLIGHTS GROWING RIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

“Only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US. Our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class — not for crumbs,” the DSA proclaimed in a social media post on Wednesday.

In Missouri, the DSA-backed Bush is running to win back her seat in the state’s St. Louis-anchored 1st Congressional District.

Bush, a nurse, pastor and Black Lives Matter activist, first ran against Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay in 2018 before ousting him in the 2020 Democratic primary. But two years ago, she lost renomination to St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who was backed by millions in outside money, including pro-Israel groups opposed to Bush’s position on the war in Gaza.

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Fast forward to today, and Bush and Clay are locked in an expensive and combative rematch.

The far left is also training its firepower on the crucial Great Lakes battleground of Michigan, which holds its primary on the same day as Missouri.

Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for governor eight years ago as an insurgent, is one of three major candidates trying to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, D-Fla.

Backed last year by far left champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, El-Sayed on Thursday was endorsed by progressive rockstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

THESE MIDTERM RACES WILL DETERMINE WHETHER REPUBLICANS HOLD THEIR SENATE MAJORITY

“AOC has changed the trajectory of American politics and inspired a generation to believe that government really can work for working people,” El-Sayed wrote on social media. “Together, we’re proving that even in the face of unprecedented outside spending, a movement powered by the people can win.”

One week later, on Aug. 11, Wisconsin holds primaries.

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong is on the rise among a crowded field of candidates in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

“It’s a great day to be a democratic socialist,” the DSA-aligned Hong posted on X last week after the progressive victories in New York City, in which two Democratic congressional incumbents lost renomination. “Wisconsin is next!”

A week later, the spotlight will shine on Florida, where DSA-backed Oliver Larkin is challenging two-term Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., in the state’s 25 Congressional District, which includes portions of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

“Tonight, @MelatKirosCO, tomorrow @OliverALarkin. The movement moves from New York to Colorado to FLORIDA!,” the DSA wrote on X hours after Kiros’ victory.

Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, was also backed by Justice Democrats, the nearly decade-old political group known for heavily supporting “Squad” members Ocasio-Cortez, and Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib as they toppled entrenched incumbents in their initial elections to Congress. 

Hasan Piker, the controversial far-left streamer who attended Kiros’ primary night event in Denver, told Fox News, “I think progressive politics, left populism, a politics that centers the needs of the working class, can work in every district, in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you.” 

Progressives also scored an impressive victory in the neighboring 8th Congressional District, a crucial swing seat which stretches along the I-25 corridor north of Denver.

State Rep. Manny Rutinel tallied a convincing double-digit victory over former state Rep. Shannon Bird, a more moderate candidate. Rutinel will now take on Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat in the 2024 cycle.

The race is considered one of two or three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital that “it is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo.”

While plenty of mainstream Democrats have racked up primary victories in recent weeks, it is the far left’s wins that are grabbing the media spotlight.

And that is giving Republicans who are facing a rough political climate as they work to hold their slim House and Senate majorities, more ammunition as they portray all Democrats as radicals.

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of a “communist” threat.

Vice President JD Vance argued Tuesday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that Democrats have “a view that the United States is an evil country that must be dismantled from the ground and then built back up. That’s communism at its core, and you see more and more momentum in that direction from the Democrat Party.”

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill had split reactions to the Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, further allowing children born in the United States to be recognized as U.S. citizens.

“It’s a terrible decision,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital.

“Regulate folks before they come in — in terms of not coming here just to have a baby and leave,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said.

“In terms of the immigration process coming in, there should be regulation. Not that once you’re born here that we’re going to denaturalize you,” he continued.

REPUBLICAN ACCUSES SCOTUS OF BETRAYING US, PUSHES BILL RESTRICTING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, PREGNANT VISITORS

The case, which left many Republicans and Democrats divided, challenged Trump’s executive order to detach birthright citizenship from the 14th Amendment. Most Democrats who Fox News Digital spoke to argued that if the ruling had gone the other way, it would have been considered unconstitutional.

“I think they got it right,” Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas said. “The Supreme Court said that the Constitution says what it says. That if anybody even has a question about what the 14th Amendment says, I think it’s a little embarrassing. So I’m glad they got it right.”

TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

“I believe in the Constitution,” Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said when asked about the ruling.

“The Constitution is the Constitution. If you don’t like the Constitution, you can try to change it,” Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said. “But honestly, I think we’ve got much bigger problems as a country than Americans trying to live their lives as birthright citizens.”

The 6-3 decision highlights a significant loss for Trump’s immigration agenda as he has criticized birthright citizenship as a “magnet for illegal immigration.”

ICE SURGES ENFORCEMENT, MAKES 10,000 ARRESTS IN FIVE DAYS AMID SUPREME COURT BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DECISION

“I think the president has an obsession with immigrants in this country,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., said. “He’s hell bent on making it as uncomfortable as possible. We’ve seen that time and again with ICE, we’ve seen this with an attack on the 14th Amendment .”

Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Samuel Alito were the three to dissent — arguing the 14th Amendment does not guarantee birthright citizenship to all children born to parents who are unlawfully and temporarily in the country. Alito cited that the ruling fails to recognize the rise of “birth tourism,” the concept that foreigners come to America just to give birth, potentially opening the door to national security threats.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., declined to comment on the ruling to Fox News Digital.

“Americans should be happy, because the Constitution means more than one guy’s opinion,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said.

An appeals court on Thursday ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot detain immigrants for more than 90 days without giving them an opportunity to seek release on bond while their deportation proceedings are pending.

In a 2-1 ruling, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided against the administration, potentially affecting thousands of immigrants who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in states within the court ‘s jurisdiction, including Texas and Louisiana.

Judge Leslie Southwick, writing for the majority, said the U.S. Supreme Court found in 2001 that the due process clause protects everyone, including two Mexican citizens and one Honduran whose cases were at issue in this case.

“It is part of the historic majesty of this long-ago founding charter that it makes no exceptions in providing basic rights to those within our boundaries, including a right to be heard when personal liberty is taken,” Southwick wrote.

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP MASS DETENTION POLICY FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Cory Wilson said the majority “marginalizes the Constitution’s express grant of plenary authority over immigration matters to Congress.”

A different panel of the same court had previously been the first in the country to side with the administration’s novel interpretation of a federal immigration statute allowing mandatory detention of non-citizens living in the U.S.

However, that ruling in February did not address whether the due process protections of the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment require giving the immigrants an opportunity to seek release on bond by appearing before an immigration judge.

Rebecca Cassler, a lawyer for the migrants at the American Immigration Council, said in a statement to Reuters that the group is “delighted that the panel recognized the core constitutional principle that the due process clause does not allow the government to lock them away indefinitely.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to the outlet that it disagrees with the ruling, adding that it is “confident in its legal position regarding mandatory detention.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the department for comment.

Last week, the administration had asked the Supreme Court to review a similar ruling by a different appeals court.

Federal immigration law states that “applicants for admission” ​to the country are ​subject to mandatory detention ⁠while their cases proceed in immigration courts, making them ineligible for bond hearings.

BIDEN JUDGE OVERRULED ON KEY TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY

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Despite a long-standing interpretation of immigration law, the Department of Homeland Security claimed last year that non-citizens who are already in the U.S. qualify as “applicants ​for admission” subject to mandatory detention, rather than only people arriving at the border.

The Board of Immigration Appeals, which is part of the Justice Department, announced in September ​that it had adopted the Department of Homeland Security’s interpretation.

Immigration judges employed by the ​department began ordering mandatory detention across the country.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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.

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“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.”

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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.”

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.

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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.

The 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 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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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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 to Fox News Digital, calling the insinuation that the Trump brothers had involvement in the tungsten deal to Cove Capital “categorically false, misleading and libelous.”

The statement addresses the timeline of events and reiterates that the Trump brothers had no control over Cove Capital, its affiliates or Skyline Builders.

“Of course, all of these facts are readily ascertainable and could have easily been verified had anyone from the New York Times or any other publication that republished this supposed story performed even the slightest amount of due diligence before proceeding with such reckless and unfounded assertions,” the statement said.

The White House also weighed in.

“The only special interest guiding the Trump administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Securing and reshoring America’s critical supply chains has been a top priority for President Trump, and Secretary Lutnick along with the rest of the Administration continue to take historic action to safeguard America’s national and economic security.”

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The Commerce Department did not return a request for comment on the deal or allegations that Lutnick’s two sons improperly benefited from the agreement.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

No one will struggle to keep warm amid an historic heat wave gripping the eastern U.S.

But how about keeping “your comrade warm?”

No. You’re not back in the USSR.

But you might be in the Democratic party.

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“You deserve to make sure that your international comrades are actually working with you and getting the benefits that you that you all deserve,” said Democratic New York House nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier at a union rally in New York City.

“Half of the people here are strangers to you all. But now you have comrades,” said Colorado Democratic Congressional nominee Melat Kiros who defeated Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) Tuesday.

“I’ve got to give a shout out to my comrades,” said Missouri Democratic Congressional candidate Hartzell Gray on a podcast interview.

To Democratic Socialists, you don’t know how lucky you are.

“You have the solidarity of the entire labor movement. And you have my solidarity, too,” said Democratic New York House nominee Claire Valdez.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) didn’t endorse either Avila Chevalier nor Valdez. However, he did congratulate them. Jeffries naturally needs Avila Chavalier, Valdez and Democratic New York House nominee Brad Lander to win. They probably will this fall. But when asked about progressives who prevailed in the New York primary – who he didn’t endorse – Jeffries delivered a nuanced answer.

“I will support every single Democratic incumbent in the New York Congressional delegation and beyond,” said Jeffries.

CNN resuscitated a set of old tweets from Avila Chevalier. Some praised communism. Others called for more Marxist literature in libraries. Yours truly pressed Jeffries about whether he should call out Avila Chevalier for some of her old social media postings.

“Should she apologize or clarify some of these very inflammatory tweets that she sent?” I queried.

“That’s a question you’re going to have to ask her,” answered Jeffries.

“But as Leader, is that a problem?” I followed up.

“I’ve spoken to this issue. I’ve expressed my position as it relates to many of the things that she has said in the past over Twitter. my statement speaks for itself,” answered Jeffries.

Then the 29-year-old Melat Kiros whipped 29-year House veteran Diana DeGette in Colorado. Kiros’s victory demonstrated that the Democratic Socialist message didn’t just resonate in the urban canyons of lower Manhattan. But in the Rocky Mountains, too.

“What we are fighting for is Medicare for all. Universal child care. Abolishing ICE. And ending the genocide in Gaza,” said Kiros.

These are core subjects for the left.

“They’re winning on platforms like Medicare for all. Universal health care. Universal childcare. Raising the minimum wage,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “These ideas, whether you call it socialism or not, they are very popular across the country.”

Progressive influencer Hasan Piker believes victories by these candidates in New York and Colorado are just the beginning.

“Progressive politics, left populism. It can work in every district in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you,” said Piker.

But not everyone is on board.

“Will Democrats continue to defend crazypants?” asked Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Fox.

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) is another. He’s a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat in a battleground district in which President Trump carried in 2024.

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“My folks want really normal folks. Democrats, Republicans, just people who are going to get things done. And so they see this because this is what gets attention,” said Landsman. “I hope the party doesn’t go in that direction. Having a diversity of opinions is one thing. But some of what some of them think is beyond the pale. It’s just outrageous.”

Landsman wished Democratic leaders would speak out against controversial candidates and nominees.

“The fact that they won’t even call it out, I think is an underlying current within the Democrat Party that they’re scared of their own base,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC).

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) is retiring after 32 years in Congress. She’s not aligned with her likely successor, Claire Valdez.

“So what do you make of some of the controversy about your prospective successor? And is that driving a wedge through the party?” yours truly asked Velazquez.

“Look, we are celebrating the outcome of this Supreme Court decision that reaffirm the fundamental principle of the Constitution that anyone born in this country is an American citizen,” answered Velazquez, trying to change the subject.

“But do you have but did you not see things eye to eye with your prospective successor here?” I followed up.

Velazquez sighed.

“Look, she won and I wish her well. And I offered myself to sit down with her and discuss the transition. But this is how democracy works,” said Velazquez.

Still, other Democrats believe the party can operate under a “big tent” and court voters.

“There’s room for conversations about where we go. But we’re not the party of one person or coalition and there’s going to be those discussions about where we move forward,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL).

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) asserted that wins by Democratic Socialists in New York City carried outsized weight. She also said that it was natural for the press corps to capitalize on possible divisions in the party.

“I think that you all try to stir it up. Stir up this language. Try to pit people against each other,” said Dingell.

I asked Dingell about “controversial things” which Avila Chevalier peddled over the years.

“I don’t have to agree with everything that she said. The Republicans are putting kerosene on the fire,” said Dingell.

“Didn’t she pour kerosene on it to start with?” I asked.

“Look, I wouldn’t have said some of the things that she said. But I don’t vote in New York. They do,” answered Dingell.

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Republicans are adamantly opposed to socialism. But in a weird way, the Democratic lurch left might actually help the GOP beat the historic odds and hold the House.

“They’re a complete socialist party now,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). “They’ve got to either own it or disassociate themselves from it.”

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When the Beatles released Back In the USSR, American conservatives and right-wing reactionaries said this proved that the group harbored communist sentiments.

Now the American right says the Democratic party has turned to the left. Republicans say listen to the rhetoric of Democratic Socialists espousing their views. And to hear the GOP tell it, those candidates may as well be back in the USSR.