American soccer star Folarin Balogun has been cleared once again to suit up on Monday night against Belgium as the European country&#8217;s effort to keep the U.S. striker sidelined was shot down by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
The FIFA committee ruled that Belgium&#8217;s appeal of the decision to overturn Balogun&#8217;s one-game suspension was &#8220;inadmissible&#8221; since Belgium was &#8220;not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,&#8221; The Athletic <a href="https://x.com/AdamCrafton_/status/2074172435750850880">reported</a>. Belgium said it could still pursue other actions to contest Balogun&#8217;s eligibility for Monday night&#8217;s round of 16 showdown, but for now, the Belgians will have to accept the reality they&#8217;ll likely be facing America at full strength.
“The [Royal Belgian Football Association] has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open,&#8221; Belgium&#8217;s soccer bosses wrote after the appeal was rejected.
The Royal Belgian Football Association also complained that it &#8220;has still not received any grounds for&#8221; FIFA&#8217;s decision to overturn Balogun&#8217;s one-game suspension. The U.S. star was given a red card during Team USA&#8217;s round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina when he collided with an opposing defender and his cleats caught the back of the defender&#8217;s ankle. The referee did not dish out the red card until after he used replay assist to revisit the incident. With a red card, Balogun was also ruled ineligible to play in America&#8217;s round of 16 game, according to FIFA rules.
Shortly after a phone call between President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, however, FIFA overturned Balogun&#8217;s suspension on Sunday, sparking outrage among European soccer elites.
“I didn’t tell [Infantino] what to do,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-describes-his-call-with-fifa-president-before-last-minute-decision-on-u-s-suspension?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Describes+His+Call+With+FIFA+President+Before+Last-Minute+Decision+On+U.S.+Suspension">said</a> on Monday. “I can’t tell him what to do, and I don’t believe he made the decision. I believe it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.”
The referee who gave Balogun a red card is suspected of using replay assist improperly and slowing down the speed of the video that showed the collision between the U.S. star and the player from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The White House put together a team of elite lawyers to look into challenging soccer officials’ use of replay review, OutKick founder Clay Travis reported.
European soccer leaders blasted FIFA after the suspension reversal, claiming the decision hurts the &#8220;integrity&#8221; of the game.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,&#8221; the Union of European Football Associations wrote. &#8220;Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.”
The United States takes on Belgium at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday.

USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Round Of 32 – FIFA World Cup 2026

Belgium Shot Down On Appeal To Keep U.S. Star Sidelined As Europe’s Tantrum Falls Short

Belgium

Soccer

U.S.

World Cup

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he &#8220;relayed&#8221; to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that there would have been &#8220;a big stain&#8221; on the World Cup if U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun was forced to sit out of the team&#8217;s game on Monday.
During a gaggle with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump went into more detail about his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-thanks-fifa-for-reversing-great-injustice-as-european-rivals-rage-at-world-cup?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Thanks+FIFA+For+Reversing+%E2%80%99Great+Injustice%E2%80%99+As+European+Rivals+Rage+At+World+Cup">phone call</a> with Infantino, which took place just before FIFA announced that Balogun could suit up for Team USA&#8217;s Monday night round of 16 match against Belgium.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t tell [Infantino] what to do,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t tell him what to do, and I don&#8217;t believe he made the decision. I believe it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.&#8221;
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled,&#8221; Trump said of the on-field incident last week that resulted in Balogun&#8217;s red card, which was only handed out after a video review.
Balogun was handed a red card and one-game suspension after he made contact with a defender for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the U.S. star’s cleat scraped the back of the defender’s ankle. &#8220;That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different,&#8221; Trump added.
&#8220;I think the referee&#8217;s call was horrible,&#8221; the president continued. &#8220;Nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it&#8217;s fine. The referee&#8217;s decision to red card — I didn&#8217;t know what the hell a red card was — when I found out I said you&#8217;ve gotta be kidding. &#8230; Okay, your best player is not going to play next game. I said, wow that&#8217;s a lot of power. That&#8217;s terrible.&#8221;
FIFA&#8217;s decision on Sunday to overturn Balogun&#8217;s suspension caused outrage among European soccer elites, including from Belgium. The country&#8217;s soccer officials said they were &#8220;astonished&#8221; by the reversal, and Belgium&#8217;s coach Rudi Garcia blasted FIFA. Belgium also <a href="https://x.com/BrentScher/status/2073898775257530664" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> “lawyered up” to fight FIFA’s decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension, and on Monday, Belgium was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/seeing-red-belgium-granted-appeal-after-europe-cries-over-american-suspension-reversal">granted</a> the right to appeal FIFA&#8217;s decision to allow the U.S. star to play.
A decision on Belgium’s appeal could be handed down before the game between the United States and Belgium starts at 8:00 p.m. ET, but Belgium was not guaranteed that a ruling would come from FIFA before the game, The Athletic reported.
FIFA reversed Balogun’s suspension after the White House put together a team of elite lawyers to look into challenging soccer officials’ use of replay review in determining Balogun’s red card last week, Outkick founder Clay Travis reported.
The United States is looking for just its second berth into the World Cup quarterfinals in its history with a win against Belgium.

Donald Trump/U.S. Soccer

Trump Describes His Call With FIFA President Before Last-Minute Decision On U.S. Suspension

Donald Trump

The Belgian national team on Monday morning was granted the right to appeal FIFA&#8217;s last-minute decision to reverse a one-game suspension that had been imposed on U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun after he received a phantom red card in America&#8217;s round of 32 victory.
FIFA&#8217;s decision to overturn Balogun&#8217;s suspension on Sunday, which came after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-thanks-fifa-for-reversing-great-injustice-as-european-rivals-rage-at-world-cup?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Thanks+FIFA+For+Reversing+%E2%80%99Great+Injustice%E2%80%99+As+European+Rivals+Rage+At+World+Cup">phone call</a> between President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, outraged the soccer elites of Belgium and other European nations. Belgium&#8217;s soccer officials <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/belgium-astonished-folarin-balogun-ruling-investigating-potential-options">said</a> they were &#8220;astonished.&#8221; Belgium soccer coach Rudi Garcia also took a shot at FIFA after the reversal.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know that in the FIFA offices the 5th of July corresponded to the 1st of April &#8230; it was a discovery for me,&#8221; Garcia <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/watch-vertical/fmc-8t88x881kprva0ge">said</a>.
Belgium also <a href="https://x.com/BrentScher/status/2073898775257530664">reportedly</a> &#8220;lawyered up&#8221; to fight FIFA&#8217;s decision to overturn Balogun&#8217;s suspension. After the outrage, Belgium was granted an appeal, which will ultimately leave it up to one member of the FIFA appeals committee to decide whether Balogun&#8217;s suspension should be upheld. A decision on Belgium&#8217;s appeal could be handed down before the game between the United States and Belgium starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, but Belgium was not guaranteed that a ruling would come from FIFA before the game, The Athletic reported.
The appeals committee member selected to hear the appeal is not a member of the European soccer association, UEFA, or of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football to ensure the appeals process is unbiased. The UEFA released a statement Monday morning, siding with Belgium, and blasting FIFA&#8217;s decision to allow Balogun to play Monday night.
&#8220;Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,&#8221; UEFA wrote in a statement, adding, &#8220;When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.&#8221;
Norway&#8217;s coach Ståle Solbakken, whose team advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday, also <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/05/sports/norway-coach-blasts-fifas-really-bad-folarin-balogun-decision/">ripped</a> FIFA over the decision.
“I think it is not a great conclusion. [Balogun] got a red card and the VAR concluded that it was a red card. He was sent off. That means you are suspended for one game,&#8221; Solbakken said. “I think what is really bad about that situation is it will be [hanging] over the United States now. Because if they beat Belgium, it will always have that extra thing about it. Maybe he scores a goal, maybe he plays a good game, and the Belgians will be furious.”
FIFA reversed Balogun&#8217;s suspension after the White House put together a team of elite lawyers to challenge soccer officials&#8217; use of replay review in determining Balogun&#8217;s red card last week, Outkick founder Clay Travis reported. Balogun was given a red card for his contact with a defender for Bosnia and Herzegovina after the referee used video replay to determine that the U.S. star&#8217;s cleat scraped the back of the defender&#8217;s ankle.
Trump also called FIFA&#8217;s president to better understand why a red card had been issued, but Trump did not push FIFA to overturn the suspension, according to Axios. During that phone call, Infantino informed Trump that a review of the red card had already begun.
America&#8217;s star player, who leads the team with three goals so far in the tournament, is preparing to play Monday night as the United States looks to advance to its second-ever quarterfinals. Team USA was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-team-lit-after-red-card-reversal-news-thought-it-was-ai-at-first?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=U.S.+Team+%E2%80%98Lit%E2%80%99+After+Red+Card+Reversal+News%3A+%E2%80%98Thought+It+Was+AI+At+First%E2%80%99">ecstatic</a> on Sunday after hearing the news that Balogun could play.

Seeing Red: Belgium Granted Appeal After Europe Cries Over American Suspension Reversal

Europe

A heat dome affecting much of the United States has turned the nation&#8217;s capital into one of the hottest places on earth as Americans gather to celebrate the Semiquincentennial.
On Friday, only the Sahara Desert, China&#8217;s Gobi Desert, parts of the Middle East, and parts of America&#8217;s Desert Southwest will reach higher temperatures than America&#8217;s capital, Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll <a href="https://x.com/bennollweather/status/2072681704456638543?s=46">reported</a>. Temperatures in D.C. are expected to reach 102 degrees, with the heat index potentially hitting a blistering 110.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
D.C. will be hotter than 99 percent of the planet on Friday.
Only parts of Africa&#8217;s Sahara Desert, the Middle East, China&#8217;s Gobi Desert and a few spots in the Desert Southwest will be hotter. <a href="https://t.co/GGedfFhpr4">pic.twitter.com/GGedfFhpr4</a>
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) <a href="https://x.com/BenNollWeather/status/2072681704456638543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Great American State Fair on the National Mall temporarily closed Friday afternoon due to the extreme heat. The fair is expected to reopen at 5:00 p.m. ET.
&#8220;The safety and well-being of our guests, volunteers, performers, vendors, and staff is our highest priority,&#8221; Freedom 250 said. &#8220;Conditions are expected to improve later this afternoon, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back at 5:00 p.m. as preparations continue for this evening’s festivities.&#8221;
The major heat has also resulted in some parade cancellations on the East Coast on Friday, including the massive Philadelphia Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade. Parade organizers in Philadelphia said they made the decision to call off Friday&#8217;s parade for the safety of participants and would-be parade watchers, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/philadelphia-4th-of-july-parade-canceled-heat/">reported</a>.
The historic town of Leesburg, Virginia, also <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/live-updates-extreme-heat-temps-over-100-in-dc-area-disrupt-july-4-celebrations/4125412/?cardId=1:14:4125495">canceled</a> its parade planned for Saturday and moved its concert and fireworks show back one hour.
The heat wave will continue in D.C. on Saturday during the Fourth of July celebrations, with temperatures expected to reach 99 degrees and the heat index rising to 113. A potential afternoon thunderstorm could also throw a wrench in the celebrations, according to AccuWeather.
&#8220;Dangerous heat [and] storms that can bring damaging winds and downpours may disrupt outdoor holiday plans,&#8221; AccuWeather noted.
The heat wave is not stopping President Donald Trump&#8217;s massive celebrations, however, as numerous events on the National Mall scheduled for Friday and Saturday are still moving forward. Americans who brave the high temps get to take in hours of military flyovers for Trump’s “Salute to America 250” celebration, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hundreds-of-military-aircraft-to-roar-over-d-c-for-trumps-fourth-of-july?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Hundreds+Of+Military+Aircraft+To+Roar+Over+D.C.+For+Trump%E2%80%99s+Fourth+Of+July">reported</a>. The flyovers feature historic and modern aircraft from every branch of the military.
The &#8220;Salute to America&#8221; live programming will begin on the Washington Monument grounds at 7:00 p.m. ET, and President Trump will deliver his address at 9:45 p.m. before the &#8220;World&#8217;s Largest Fireworks Display.&#8221;
D.C.&#8217;s annual &#8220;A Capitol Fourth&#8221; concert is also moving forward on Friday night, but entry into the event will be delayed until 7:00 p.m., just one hour before the start time.

Heat Dome Settles Over US Bringing Hot And Humid Conditions To Millions Of Americans

Only Four Places On Earth Are Hotter Than D.C. As Temps Soar During America 250 Celebrations

America 250

Heat wave

Washington D.C.

A Somali flag that Buffalo, New York, city officials raised in Niagara Square earlier this week to celebrate the foreign country&#8217;s independence was cut down in the dead of night on Wednesday. The flag robbery took place one day after city officials canceled Buffalo&#8217;s Fourth of July fireworks celebration.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said &#8220;unknown vandals&#8221; removed the Somali flag at some point late on Wednesday night, <a href="https://www.btpm.org/local/2026-07-02/somali-flag-cut-down-and-stolen-from-niagara-square-amid-city-fireworks-outrage">according</a> to Buffalo-Toronto Public Media. Ryan added that the Buffalo Police Department is investigating the incident. The Somali flag has been raised in Niagara Square for the past four years on July 1 to celebrate Somali Independence Day.
“Buffalo is a proud, diverse city, and our administration remains committed to honoring and celebrating the many cultures that make our community stronger,” Ryan added.
The Somali flag-raising has stirred controversy in the city, especially since it falls so close to the Fourth of July and the celebration of America&#8217;s 250th anniversary. As they raised the Somali flag in the city square, Buffalo city officials were also blasted for scrapping the Fourth of July fireworks celebration.
&#8220;City Hall canceled its downtown fireworks display, leaving Buffalo as one of the only cities in Western New York without a public Fourth of July celebration, and instead raised the flag of Somalia outside City Hall,&#8221; Erie County, New York, GOP Chairman Michael Kracker said. &#8220;No one is questioning the contributions of Buffalo&#8217;s immigrant communities. But this week belongs to all of us, as Americans.&#8221;
Mayor Ryan announced in early June that the city planned to revive its patriotic fireworks display for America&#8217;s 250th birthday. Buffalo hasn&#8217;t put on a Fourth of July fireworks show in decades as the city focuses on a big New Year&#8217;s Eve fireworks display. This week, however, Ryan said the patriotic show wouldn&#8217;t take place.
&#8220;After exploring potential locations, an appropriate site could not be identified that would provide a safe and widely accessible viewing experience for residents. As a result, the City will not be hosting a downtown fireworks display this year,&#8221; he said.
Buffalo isn&#8217;t the only American city to raise the Somali flag on government property to celebrate the foreign country. Columbus, Ohio, which is home to the second-largest concentration of Somalis in the United States, also announced that it would hoist the Somali flag on July 1, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/on-americas-250th-red-states-capital-city-flies-somali-flag?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=On+America%E2%80%99s+250th%2C+Red+State%E2%80%99s+Capital+City+Celebrates%E2%80%A6+Somalia">reported</a>.
The Columbus Parks and Rec Department deleted the post announcing the Somali flag raising moments after The Daily Wire asked about it.

Somali Flag Buffalo

Patriots Rip Down Somali Flag In American City Square After Officials Cancel July 4 Fireworks

Buffalo

Fireworks

Fourth of July

New York

Somalia

President Donald Trump joined second lady Usha Vance for a special edition of &#8220;Storytime with the Second Lady&#8221; on Thursday and read about the favorite pastimes of America&#8217;s presidents.
Trump, sitting beside Usha Vance in the Oval Office, stayed true to his comic nature as he read from the book &#8220;Presidents Play!&#8221; by author Jonathan Pliska and illustrator John Hutton.
&#8220;With so much going on in the world, it&#8217;s really kind of you to take a moment to read,&#8221; the second lady said. &#8220;And I know that you have 11 grandkids, so hopefully some of them will tune in and watch you read as well.&#8221;
&#8220;Well I&#8217;ll make sure they will,&#8221; Trump replied. &#8220;I&#8217;ll make it mandatory. That won&#8217;t mean anything. That means they still won&#8217;t do it, but I&#8217;ll make it mandatory.&#8221;
Trump went on to read &#8220;Presidents Play!&#8221; — which colorfully dives into the favorite playtime activities of former presidents. During his reading, Trump took a couple shots at President Barack Obama&#8217;s basketball and golf games.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if he was a good basketball player. I tend to doubt it,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Actually, his favorite sport is golf, but he won&#8217;t be in the Masters anytime soon.&#8221;
The book begins with describing the activities of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan.
&#8220;I think the presidents all work hard, but sometimes they take a break to have fun and exercise like Ronald Reagan. He was in very good shape,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Lyndon Johnson wasn&#8217;t in shape, but he was a very tough cookie, a real great politician.&#8221;
The book then describes how President Bill Clinton had a track built on White House property so he could keep up his running habit.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll ever do that,&#8221; Trump commented. &#8220;I don&#8217;t see myself doing that. I don&#8217;t know. But he actually was a nice guy. I like Bill Clinton a lot, still do.&#8221;
President Abraham Lincoln, the book explains, often rode horses around the White House.
&#8220;And that&#8217;s great. I&#8217;d like to ride horses too,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;In fact, it gives me an idea, but when you fall off a horse, I&#8217;ve seen too many bad things happen. Falling off a horse is not good. So we&#8217;ll get a nice old horse that&#8217;s extremely slow, lazy and maybe ride it.&#8221;
On President Gerald Ford&#8217;s love for swimming in the White House&#8217;s outdoor pool, President Trump said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;d look good in a bathing suit. I haven&#8217;t had a bathing suit in a long time.&#8221;
The book also shows President William Howard Taft throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game, but Trump couldn&#8217;t help but mention Taft&#8217;s weight. The former president, who also served on the Supreme Court, weighed over 350 pounds.
&#8220;He was a large man, very large, and he loved baseball. He would go to baseball games, loved the hot dogs at the baseball games,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He was our heaviest president, and I have to be careful because I don&#8217;t want to supersede his record. And a thing like that would be possible if I allowed it to happen.&#8221;
&#8220;For all of you out there watching, keep yourself in good shape,&#8221; he added.
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Donald Trump Story Time

Trump Entertains In Hilarious Reading Of Children’s Book On Presidential Pastimes

Children's Books

Usha Vance

A small plane slammed into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing on Friday, hitting the building before falling to the street below.
The plane, which was described by one <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3358555/small-aircraft-hits-beijings-tallest-skyscraper-prompting-evacuations">report</a> as a &#8220;light sport aircraft,&#8221; crashed into CITC Tower and caused evacuations in the business district of China&#8217;s capital.
Video posted on social media shows debris from the plane falling onto the street after the crash. A large hole in the building was also visible.
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  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/xyq02wFLHQjl6SEbPwly01u1rXdm9X9iRi?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=784653aa-2bc6-4da8-afee-09b4c74a5749&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-06-26%20A%20plane%20crashed%20into%20Beijing's%20tallest%20skyscraper&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2Fef216927-1466-42f8-ab8f-271952bce0e3.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Credit: @visegrad24 via X
</div>
It remains unclear if the pilot purposely flew into the skyscraper. It&#8217;s also unclear if anyone in the building was injured. The plane took off from an airfield in the eastern part of Beijing and circled the area before it flew into the building, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/asia/china-plane-crash-beijing.html">reported</a>, citing FlightRadar, a flight tracking website.
“This aircraft is normally used for pilot training east of Beijing,” Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for FlightRadar, told the Times.
The CITC Tower is 108 stories tall and serves as the headquarters for the state-owned CITC Group, which holds one of the largest collections of foreign assets in the world.
Police rushed to the scene and tried to prevent people from taking photos and videos, Reuters reported. As authorities moved people away from the building, they told them to delete any photos they had taken on their phones.
More information on the plane crash could be difficult to obtain as China&#8217;s government controls nearly every aspect of the media and often censors news that could be viewed as negative for the communist regime.
This is a developing story.

plane building

Plane Crashes Into Beijing’s Tallest Skyscraper

Airplane crash

China

President Donald Trump took a shot at the far-Left wing of the Democratic Party on Thursday and sent a message to &#8220;communists&#8221; after radical candidates won multiple elections in New York earlier this week.
Trump suggested that he wasn&#8217;t surprised to see far-Left candidates, such as Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander, win their primaries for the U.S. House. Valdez, Chevalier, and Lander are all backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — and Chevalier and Lander defeated Democratic incumbents.
&#8220;The Communists are finally making their move,&#8221; Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116813173401388945">Truth Social</a>. &#8220;I’ve been waiting and preparing for this for a long time. It’s easy to be a Communist — All you have to do is say, &#8216;I’ll give you everything,&#8217; but that means you’re taking it away from others that have earned it. Over thousands of years, that Ideology has not worked once. The game is on. Enjoy watching!&#8221;
While the New York radicals who won their primaries identify as &#8220;democratic socialists,&#8221; they have been accused of pushing ideas that are indistinguishable from communist talking points. Chevalier was even asked recently to respond to people describing her as a communist, and she refused to address it.
&#8220;You know, I think that framing is one that I&#8217;ve been very proud to say that I don&#8217;t respond to, one in which I have been very intentional to say I won&#8217;t be reactive,&#8221; Chevalier told MS NOW anchor Ali Velshi. &#8220;We are presenting a vision of what we&#8217;re fighting for, and I think that for far too long, we have had politics that is reactive to what Republicans are doing. What we need is Democrats who are actually going to present a positive vision, one that sets the tone for what we should be talking about, which is the issue of affordability.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Velshi: &#8220;How do you respond to allegations that you&#8217;re a communist?&#8221;
Darializa Avila Chevalier: &#8220;For far too long, this reactive conversation of what we should be afraid of has prevented us from being able to have a politics Democrats can identify win.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/sAKGmQcYju">pic.twitter.com/sAKGmQcYju</a>
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://x.com/greg_price11/status/2069995578100998577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Along with calling for the government to seize private property, Chevalier has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-newest-pick-is-their-most-radical-yet">called</a> to abolish police and borders, disparaged the American flag, and refused to condemn Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Valdez and Lander have also pushed leftist economic views, such as rent freezes, a policy being actively pursued by Mayor Mamdani in NYC. Valdez, meanwhile, has called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, expanding universal healthcare, increasing taxes on higher earners, and strengthening labor unions.
Shortly after New York democratic socialists won on Tuesday night, Trump said, “America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!!”

trump_Mamdani

Trump Declares ‘Game On’ As America’s Communists Make Their Move

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Zohran Mamdani

The death toll from the massive back-to-back <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-devastated-by-back-to-back-earthquakes-trump-takes-action?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Venezuela+Devastated+By+Back-To-Back+Earthquakes%2C+Trump+Takes+Action">earthquakes</a> that struck Venezuela on Wednesday has climbed to at least 235 people as search and rescue teams continue to comb through the rubble, according to the latest report from authorities. More than 4,300 people were also injured in the disaster.
Caracas and the surrounding area were rocked Wednesday evening by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that was followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake just 40 seconds later. The devastating earthquakes were unusually close together and instantly leveled large buildings, including homes and apartment complexes.
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<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/BAaToDMxZyhcgQEMid8c4HVRhYKFFp38?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=f39dc36d-7354-4da9-a648-5c460ead2058&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-6-25%20Venezuela%20earthquake%20buildings%20collapse%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F95218f19-c7a6-4e4a-8c22-a5a76ccfbcb1.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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The Venezuelan government believes that around 50,000 people are still missing after the earthquakes, and the death toll is expected to climb much higher. The U.S. Geological Survey has predicted more than 10,000 deaths, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/rescuers-comb-venezuelan-quake-rubble-thousands-reported-missing-2026-06-26/">reported</a>.
Rescue teams are working against the clock as they seek to find survivors within the &#8220;golden window,&#8221; the 48- to 72-hour time period to reach people buried under rubble before their chance of survival greatly diminishes. As of time of publication, it has been over 60 hours since the twin quakes. Many search and rescue teams also follow a &#8220;rule of fours,&#8221; which states that trapped survivors can last four minutes without air, four days without water, and four weeks without food, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/world/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-hnk?post-id=cmqud1pu300043b6rpgjce4vi">CNN</a>.
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<div id="attachment_1123767" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1123767" class="wp-image-1123767 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rescue workers carry a person on a stretcher out of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. (Photo by Juan Barreto / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Search teams have successfully rescued some people from collapsed buildings as video footage has shown emergency workers moving bloodied people out of the wreckage, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/latin-america/venezuela-eartquake-death-toll-trapped-rcna351884">reported</a>. Rescue teams from Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Switzerland have joined Venezuelan authorities in the search effort. Numerous other countries have also offered their assistance, including the United States.
A senior U.S. Southern Command official has already arrived in Caracas to view the damage and prepare America&#8217;s efforts to help Venezuela. President Donald Trump said late Wednesday night, &#8220;The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.&#8221;
Venezuela confirmed that 250 buildings have been damaged, including at least eight hospitals.

Rescue Efforts Continue In Venezuela After A Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Struck The Country

Death Toll Climbs From Twin Earthquake Disaster As Rescuers Race To Find Survivors

Earthquakes

Natural Disaster

Venezuela

Twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, including a 7.5 magnitude quake whose epicenter hit west of Caracas just 40 seconds after a 7.2 magnitude quake struck nearby.
At least 164 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 more have been injured from the back-to-back earthquakes that crumbled buildings and devastated city streets, according to Venezuela&#8217;s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The total extent of the damage, however, still remains unclear as of Thursday morning, and the death toll could rise even higher as search and rescue teams try to locate missing people.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/BAaToDMxZyhcgQEMid8c4HVRhYKFFp38?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=f39dc36d-7354-4da9-a648-5c460ead2058&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-6-25%20Venezuela%20earthquake%20buildings%20collapse%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F95218f19-c7a6-4e4a-8c22-a5a76ccfbcb1.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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The twin quakes were “unusual for being so close together in time,&#8221; Mark Allen, Earth Sciences professor at Durham University, told Science Media Center. While the second quake&#8217;s reading at 7.5 magnitude doesn&#8217;t seem much bigger than the first 7.2 quake, &#8220;it’s actually twice as large because of the way the scale works,&#8221; Adam Pascale, a seismology expert at the Seismology Research Institute in Australia, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/weather/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-puerto-rico-tsunami">told</a> CNN. After the huge quakes, Venezuela has felt at least 30 aftershocks, according to Rodríguez.
The first earthquake hit around 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and its epicenter was near San Felipe, where around 200,000 people live, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/25/world/venezuela-earthquake">reported</a>. The second — and larger quake — hit nearby just 40 seconds later. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake was the largest to strike Venezuela since 1900.
Photos taken after the quakes show the devastation as hundreds of people were forced to the streets after apartment buildings collapsed.
<div id="attachment_1122907" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1122907" class="wp-image-1122907 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />People walk past a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 25, 2026.(Photo by Manaure QUINTERO / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
<div id="attachment_1122909" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1122909" class="wp-image-1122909 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />CARACAS, VENEZUELA JUNE 25: Rescue teams continue searching the rubble of a collapsed building for survivors in the San Bernardino neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026. In the early hours of the day, firefighters and Civil Protection personnel rescued an elderly person showing signs of life from the debris. The individual was taken by ambulance to a medical center. (Photo by Diko Betancourt/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116808686040715251">confirmed</a> that reports from Venezuela following the massive quakes &#8220;are not good.&#8221; Trump added that the United States is prepared to help Venezuela following the devastation.
&#8220;The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.&#8221;
Rodríguez <a href="https://x.com/delcyrodriguezv/status/2070027304848302187">responded</a> to Trump&#8217;s post and thanked his administration for staying in contact with Caracas &#8220;in the face of this tragedy that has plunged us into mourning.&#8221;
&#8220;Venezuela will never forget the helping hand extended to our people during these difficult times,&#8221; Rodríguez added.
In an early morning post on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2070017868683727039">wrote</a> that the &#8220;State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.&#8221;
&#8220;The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,&#8221; Rubio added. &#8220;Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.&#8221;
The massive earthquakes hit Venezuela as the United States continues to oversee the South American country following the U.S. capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela was not the only country to experience quakes on Wednesday, with two other strong earthquakes hitting Japan and Northern California. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Northern California at around 8:10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, and there were some reports of injuries. Then, soon after the twin quakes in Venezuela, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Japan. No injuries or serious damage was reported after the Japan quake.

Venezuela earthquake

Venezuela Devastated By Back-To-Back Earthquakes, Trump Takes Action

The wife of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner discovered that her husband had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with multiple women and flagged the texts for Platner&#8217;s campaign last year, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Platner&#8217;s wife Amy Gertner flagged the messages for some of Platner&#8217;s aides in August 2025, but the campaign ultimately decided to keep the scandal under wraps and label it a personal matter between the couple and their marriage counselor, the Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/graham-platners-wife-flagged-sexually-explicit-texts-to-his-senate-campaign-628ec832">reported</a>.
The messages came to light within the Platner campaign just before he appeared on stage with democratic-socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for a Labor Day weekend rally where Sanders officially endorsed the leftist&#8217;s Senate bid. Exactly how many women Platner exchanged sexually charged messages with was not specified in the Journal&#8217;s reporting.
Platner tied the knot with Gertner in fall 2024, and she first discovered the sexually explicit messages just months later in spring 2025. Gertner told the Journal that she and her husband worked through the infidelity, and their &#8220;marriage today is stronger than ever before.&#8221;
“We did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren’t easy,” she said. “And we came through it, not in spite of how much we’ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we’ve built.&#8221;
&#8220;I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband he has been to me on the best and the worst days of my life. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t,&#8221; she added.
National Democrats have rallied behind Platner, pushing him as a political outsider and lowly &#8220;oyster farmer&#8221; who&#8217;s prepared to be a thorn in the side to Republicans.
The text revelations, however, add yet another scandal to a campaign defined by Platner&#8217;s long list of disturbing comments and actions that include defending his Nazi tattoo, mocking a wounded American soldier, and making derogatory comments about women. Earlier this month, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-candidate-complained-about-thai-prostitute-loophole-closing?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dem+Candidate+Complained+About+Thai+Prostitute+%E2%80%98Loophole%E2%80%99+Closing">reported</a> that Platner once lamented the closing of a loophole that allowed military contractors to save money on taxes by spending their time off “banging hookers in Thailand.”
“Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting b*tched at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax,” Platner wrote on Reddit in June 2019. “Once the Afghans started using our paychecks as a personal piggy bank, that whole loophole disappeared.”
Platner is expected to cruise to victory in the Democratic primary in Maine on June 9 after his top Democratic opponent, Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign last month. Platner also holds a polling lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in the general election.

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Graham Platner Caught By Wife Exchanging Raunchy Texts With Women

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Maine

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President Donald Trump suggested that he would take the place of multiple &#8220;third rate&#8221; artists who have dropped out of the Freedom 250 concert planned for next month, calling himself &#8220;the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World.&#8221;
At least five artists <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-the-america-250-concert-reveals-about-our-broken-political-culture">pulled out</a> of the concert earlier this week, claiming that the event has become too politicized. After the Great American State Fair announced the lineup, artists Morris Day &amp; The Time, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, and the Commodores all announced they had changed their minds about performing at one of America&#8217;s 250th anniversary celebrations, which begin next month.
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116664367963376218">suggested</a> on Saturday that the concert might be replaced by an &#8220;America is Back&#8221; rally.
&#8220;I understand Artists are getting &#8216;the yips&#8217; having to do with their performance on Wednesday, so I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate &#8216;Artists,&#8217; and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!&#8221; he wrote on Truth Social.
Some of the artists scheduled to perform have remained committed to the concert, but with the loss of five headline singers, the Freedom 250 event could be forced to make major last-minute changes to the programming.
&#8220;I don’t want so-called &#8216;Artists&#8217; that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy,&#8221; Trump added on Saturday. &#8220;I only want to be surrounded by Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN.&#8221;
The artists who dropped out complained about so-called partisanship in the concert programming, arguing that it was a Trump-backed event.
&#8220;The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed. I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged,&#8221; Young MC said.
Michaels released a similar statement and added that he and his team had faced threats after it was announced that he was performing.
&#8220;Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.&#8221;
Freedom 250, the nonprofit dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation&#8217;s 250th anniversary, said the concert will be non-political.
&#8220;Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans — welcoming all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America,&#8221; spokeswoman Rachel Reisner told CBS News.

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Trump Hints At New Programming For Freedom 250 Concert After ‘Third Rate’ Artists Drop Out

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