Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Trump, released a statement on Tuesday emphasizing their full support for Charlie Kirk&#8217;s widow, Erika Kirk, and condemning the &#8220;lies&#8221; being peddled for &#8220;attention&#8221; regarding Kirk&#8217;s assassination.
The pair were in the Provo, Utah, courtroom on Monday and Tuesday for the preliminary hearing for the Tyler Robinson murder trial. Don Jr. and Kirk were close friends for years; Don Jr. has described Kirk as a younger brother.
The statement, which was posted to Bettina&#8217;s Instagram and reposted by Don Jr., opened by saying that the couple was &#8220;honored to be in court alongside Erika and Charlie&#8217;s family.&#8221;
&#8220;Over these past two days, we have heard and seen a significant amount of evidence, including extensive video footage, much of which has or will become public and will answer many of the questions that have been irresponsibly filled with speculation and false narratives,&#8221; it continued.
&#8220;There is a PROFOUND difference between seeking truth through the judicial process and spreading lies for attention,&#8221; the couple said. &#8220;Erika is not a public spectacle. She is a widow and a mother of two children who lost their father in an unimaginable way. She, her children, and Charlie&#8217;s family deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion.&#8221;
Notably, Candace Owens has led the charge with attacks against Erika. Owens recently said Kirk never received actual romantic love when he was alive, insinuating that Erika never loved her late husband, the man with whom she shared two children. She&#8217;s also mocked Erika and criticized her grief and reaction to Kirk&#8217;s murder. Owens has suggested, without ever presenting any evidence, that Erika and others at Turning Point USA were somehow connected to the assassination or part of a grand cover-up.
The statement from Don Jr. and his wife did not include Owens&#8217; name.
<div id="attachment_1130769" style="width: 950px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1130769" class="wp-image-1130769 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM.png" alt="" width="940" height="1704" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM.png 940w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM-165x300.png 165w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM-318x576.png 318w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM-768x1392.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-08-at-9.34.35-AM-847x1536.png 847w" sizes=" (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" />Screenshot: Don Jr. Instagram</div>
&#8220;There are no words that can fully capture the weight of this moment, but standing with them was a powerful reminder of the love, strength, and faith that continue to surround Charlie&#8217;s family,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Erika has carried herself with extraordinary grace and courage, and we are in awe of her strength.&#8221;
The statement strongly underscored Don Jr. and Bettina&#8217;s love and full support for Erika. &#8220;We remain committed to standing with Erika, their beautiful children, and the entire Kirk family as they walk through this painful process,&#8221; the couple added. &#8220;Our prayers are with them.&#8221;
Don Jr. said on Fox News the following day that he attended the preliminary hearing to honor Kirk and his legacy, and also provide any support he could to Erika and Kirk&#8217;s parents.
&#8220;I’m there to not only honor Charlie’s legacy [but] to support Erika, his parents, who were there seated all in the row with us,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2074857486813655214">said</a>. &#8220;It was just important to be there. It’s a legacy that needs to be preserved. The impact that Charlie had on so many Americans and so many youth is frankly generational.&#8221;
Reacting to what he heard at the hearing, Don Jr. said Robinson&#8217;s defense team&#8217;s &#8220;only real tactic&#8221; was trying to stall or get evidence tossed &#8220;because I guess it would be too damning to their client.&#8221;
&#8220;Once this hard evidence was laid out to me in a courtroom before my very eyes, seeing the reaction of the defense; this thing is much more cut and dry than I would have ever even imagined,&#8221; he added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-chilling-moment-judge-flinches-while-watching-charlie-kirk-assassination-footage?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Hotwire&amp;rowType=Three+Column+Grid&amp;title=The+Chilling+Moment+Judge+Flinches+While+Watching+Charlie+Kirk+Assassination+Footage">The Chilling Moment Judge Flinches While Watching Charlie Kirk Assassination Footage</a>

Trump Hosts Brutal UFC Fights At White House For 80th Birthday

Don Jr., Wife Condemn ‘Lies’ About Kirk Assassination

Courts

Donald Trump Jr.

Erika Kirk

Former CIA Director John Brennan, who helped oversee the intelligence community&#8217;s investigation into alleged ties between Donald Trump&#8217;s 2016 campaign and Russia, sued the Justice Department on Wednesday before prosecutors have even charged him with a crime.
Brennan filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an order requiring the Trump administration to preserve records related to two ongoing Justice Department investigations examining his conduct.
The move comes as federal investigators continue probing Brennan&#8217;s role in the intelligence community&#8217;s 2017 assessment concluding that Russia sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, as well as whether Brennan gave misleading testimony to Congress about that assessment during testimony in 2023.
No criminal charges have been filed against Brennan. Nevertheless, Brennan&#8217;s legal team argues that any future prosecution would amount to political retaliation by the Trump administration and says preserving government records now is necessary to support what they describe as an eventual defense against &#8220;vindictive and selective prosecution.&#8221;
&#8220;This Administration has adopted a policy of using criminal process and prosecution to punish the President&#8217;s perceived adversaries,&#8221; Brennan&#8217;s attorneys wrote in the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294102/gov.uscourts.dcd.294102.1.0.pdf">46-page complaint.</a> The filing names President Donald Trump, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and several Justice Department officials involved in the investigations. 
According to Brennan&#8217;s attorneys, they fear government officials may fail to preserve internal communications that could be relevant if prosecutors ultimately seek an indictment. The Justice Department declined to confirm whether Brennan is under criminal investigation.
&#8220;While we cannot comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of an investigation, it is certainly rich that John Brennan is accusing anyone of a &#8216;retribution campaign,'&#8221; a DOJ spokesman said to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-cia-chief-john-brennan-sues-trump-administration-demands-court-preserve-investigation-records">Fox News Digital</a>. The investigations into Brennan have steadily expanded over the past year.
One inquiry centers on whether Brennan misled Congress regarding the intelligence community&#8217;s conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan previously referred Brennan to the Justice Department for possible prosecution after questioning his congressional testimony.
Investigators have also reportedly interviewed current and former intelligence officials involved in drafting the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that concluded Moscow sought to boost Trump&#8217;s candidacy.
That review has focused in part on whether the controversial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sues-christopher-steele-over-shocking-and-scandalous-claims-made-in-discredited-dossier?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Sues+Christopher+Steele+Over+%E2%80%98Shocking+And+Scandalous%E2%80%99+Claims+Made+In+Discredited+Dossier">Steele dossier</a> — a collection of unverified allegations about Trump funded by his political opponents — inappropriately influenced the intelligence assessment&#8217;s conclusions. Brennan has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that the intelligence community&#8217;s assessment accurately reflected Russia&#8217;s efforts to interfere in the election.
A separate Justice Department investigation reportedly examines what prosecutors have described as a broader conspiracy involving Obama-era and Biden-era officials, looking into whether multiple investigations targeting Trump—including the Russia probe and later criminal investigations—were part of a coordinated effort to undermine him politically.
Brennan&#8217;s attorneys argue that those investigations themselves demonstrate political bias. The complaint points to personnel changes inside the Justice Department, including the replacement of a career national security prosecutor with Joseph diGenova, a former Trump attorney who has publicly called Brennan &#8220;evil&#8221; and a &#8220;traitor.&#8221;
The filing also alleges prosecutors attempted to move aspects of the investigation between different U.S. Attorney&#8217;s offices and sought venues that Brennan&#8217;s lawyers believe would be more favorable to the government&#8217;s case.
Rather than waiting to challenge an indictment, Brennan is asking the court to preserve emails, memoranda, witness statements, status reports, and other internal communications that could later become evidence supporting claims that prosecutors acted with improper political motives.
The filing comes as the Trump administration continues investigating several high-profile officials connected to previous investigations into Trump, including former intelligence and FBI personnel involved in the Russia inquiry. 
Whether Brennan is ultimately charged remains unknown. His lawsuit seeks to preserve records he argues could become relevant if prosecutors later bring charges.

CIA Director John Brennan Testifies To Senate Committee Hearing On National Security

Former Spy Chief Behind Russia Collusion Probe Takes Unusual Legal Step

Donald Trump

John Brennan

justice department

Lawsuit

Politics

Russia Collusion Hoax

Seven additional members of an Antifa cell were sentenced Wednesday for their roles in last year&#8217;s attack on a federal immigration detention facility.
The trial marked the federal government&#8217;s first domestic terrorism case against Antifa. During the July 4, 2025, ambush, the anarchists lured Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers out of the Prairieland Detention Center by setting off fireworks outside the north Texas facility before opening fire on them.
Prosecutors said the group possessed flyers reading “FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!” and “FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS,” as well as a flag stating, “RESIST FASCISM — FIGHT OLIGARCHY.” They also spray-painted the words “ICE Pig” on a nearby vehicle and “F*ck you pigs” on a guard shack outside the facility.
On Wednesday, Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison for rioting, providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and using and carrying explosives during a riot, <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article316334662.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Joy “Rowan” Gibson and Rebecca Morgan each received 15-year sentences.
Four others connected to the attack, who each pleaded guilty to one count of providing material support to terrorists and later cooperated with prosecutors as witnesses in the case, received sentences ranging from 22 months to six years, the local news outlet reported.
Eight other members of the Antifa group received sentences in late June. Among them was former Marine Corps Reservist Benjamin Hanil Song, who received the maximum sentence of 100 years after shooting Alvarado police Lt. Thomas Gross and evading authorities for 11 days after the ambush.
Roughly 20 to 30 rounds were fired at law enforcement during the attack, according to court documents.
Gross, who was shot in the neck, has since made a full recovery, Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May said.
Prosecutors said that Song led the attack, during which he fired two AR-15-style rifles at three ICE officers. He also recruited his co-conspirators and distributed firearms.
They also said that Song yelled for the group to “get to the rifles” and opened fire before shooting the police officer, KXAN reported.
A sentencing hearing for one additional defendant is scheduled for July 6.
Attorneys representing the defendants in the case have indicated their plans to file appeals, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
During the trial, the defense argued that the defendants planned to hold a peaceful protest and a noise demonstration using fireworks to show solidarity with the detainees being held by ICE.

US-NEWS-TEXAS-ICE-FACILITY-ATTACK-FT

Seven More Members Of Antifa Cell Sentenced In Anti-ICE Ambush

Antifa

domestic terrorism

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S.

Chinese businessman, right-wing media mogul, and real estate tycoon Miles Guo has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for defrauding his followers of more than $1 billion. 
Guo, who also used the names “Ho Wan Kwok,” “Guo Wengui,” “Brother Seven,” “The Principal,” and “Boss,” was convicted of racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering, and defrauding donors and investors.
Guo’s federal judge, Analisa Torres, said on Monday that Guo had “preyed on people seeking to bring democracy to China,” causing them “substantial financial and emotional harm.”
His fraud schemes began when he lured donors into his Rule of Law Foundation and Rule of Law Society by falsely claiming he was contributing the first $100 million himself. He also released stock in his media venture, GTV, which gained scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission. 
Guo was also involved in a scheme in which victims were told they could lend money to networks of Guo’s supporters and receive GTV stock and interest, a venture that allegedly netted him $100 million. He also sold $250 million in memberships to G|CLUBS, which also promised GTV stock but provided few tangible benefits.
Another fraud scheme Guo was convicted of was launching a cryptocurrency ecosystem called “Himalaya Exchange,” where people could trade “H Coin” and “H Dollar.” The court proceedings revealed that the cryptocurrencies were not based on a blockchain at all but merely numbers manipulated on an internal spreadsheet.
With the money he took from Americans and foreign investors, Guo reportedly bought estates in New Jersey and Connecticut, a $4.4 million Bugatti supercar, a $1 million Lamborghini, and a $37 million yacht, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/guo-wengui-chinese-businessman-fraud-9b8329c7ab8012f2dfa7c48c55fc5620">reported</a>.
“After immigrating to this country, rather than being satisfied with the many legitimate opportunities afforded to him, Guo exploited the trust that thousands had placed in him for his own greed,” U.S. Attorney Sean S. Buckley <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/miles-guo-sentenced-30-years-prison-leading-billion-dollar-fraud">said</a> in a statement. “This sentence shows that fame and wealth do not place you above the law, and that fraudsters who victimize families to enrich themselves will be met with significant consequences.”
Federal prosecutors likened the scale of Guo’s schemes to that of the famous fraudster Bernie Madoff.
Guo went from poverty to an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion by investing in real estate during the construction boom leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was ranked as China’s 74th richest man and owned a sprawling $230 million lakeside courtyard in Beijing, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/us/guo-wengui-china.html">according</a> to The New York Times.
Guo secured majority control of a securities business by buying a stake in a state-owned company through Chinese senior intelligence official Ma Jian. However, when a Chinese campaign aimed at stamping out waste, fraud, and abuse jailed Ma, Guo realized he was at risk and fled China in 2015.
During his time in the United States, Guo made friends and connections in the American Right. He joined President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club. He also partnered with Trump supporter Steve Bannon to launch anti-CCP ventures such as GTV Media and declared the New Federal State of China to be the self-proclaimed sovereign government of China. Guo also promoted Bannon’s podcast on his Chinese-language media network.
Guo’s network was the first to expose the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/us/guo-wengui-sentencing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.adnJ.ZGsOD1LAX7dG&amp;amp;smid=url-share">reported</a>. He also released a No. 1 iTunes hit song, “Take Down the CCP.”
Beijing welcomed the conviction of Guo.
&#8220;Guo Wengui is a fugitive wanted under an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the Chinese government,&#8221; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/guo-wengui-beijing-jailing-ccp-critic-trump-links-12140888">said</a> in a press briefing Tuesday.
Throughout the case, Guo has maintained his innocence, stating that he fled to the United States not to escape a fraud conviction but to “destroy the CCP,” according to an AP news <a href="https://apnews.com/article/guo-wengui-chinese-businessman-fraud-3deb06c17c5640a5d63f0e2c72286ac8">report</a>. 
Guo has insisted that his business dealings have harmed no one. His attorneys have stated that the conviction is part of the CCP’s “grand, pervasive, and life-threatening” pursuit of him and stated that Guo’s conviction would merely “embolden further efforts to eliminate Chinese dissidents from public life.”
Judge Torres said Guo’s assets will be liquidated, with the proceeds used to reimburse hundreds of his victims.

Screenshot 2026-06-30 at 2.21.35 PM

Chinese Billionaire Who Infiltrated American Politics Sentenced For Fraud

China

Fraud

WASHINGTON — As reporters across the nation scrambled to publish multiple massive Supreme Court stories on Tuesday morning, one newsroom&#8217;s error brought the news cycle to a grinding halt.
NPR mistakenly published a story claiming that the famed Justice Samuel Alito was retiring, citing a Supreme Court announcement. Within minutes, the outlet clarified that this was an error and retracted the story. The Supreme Court quickly denied that Alito was retiring. But the story&#8217;s publication prompted Washington to wonder: Is Alito pondering retirement? And how soon would that retirement come?
The justice has already chosen his clerks for the next term, a person familiar with the matter told The Daily Wire. Alito&#8217;s clerks will include Marisa Sylvester, Zach Gluckow, and Bradley Larson. This doesn&#8217;t mean that the justice cannot retire; however, Alito&#8217;s clerks could be reassigned to other justices if he decided to leave.
Court watchers have pointed to possible signs that the justice may retire in the near future, including the legacy of the historic opinion he authored deciding the fate of Roe v. Wade, and his upcoming book, set to go on sale in October 2026 (the day after the court&#8217;s next term begins), <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/aging-us-supreme-court-justices-politics-retirement-looms-large-2026-04-11/">Reuters reports</a>.
But people close to Alito have suggested that he&#8217;s not yet ready to leave the Supreme Court. Neither is Justice Clarence Thomas, for that matter.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t see Thomas or Alito retiring this term,” a person close to Thomas told The Daily Wire.
<div id="attachment_1125855" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/will-justice-alito-actually-retire-heres-what-we-know/president-bush-swears-in-samuel-alito-at-white-house" rel="attachment wp-att-1125855"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1125855" class="wp-image-1125855 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-56724980.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="746" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-56724980.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-56724980-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-56724980-791x576.jpg 791w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-56724980-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>Samuel Alito (L) is sworn in as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as his wife Martha-Ann Bomgardner holds a Bible during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House February 1, 2006, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)</div>
President Donald Trump addressed the matter in February, telling reporters, &#8220;I hope they&#8217;re going to be around a long time,&#8221; when asked about Thomas or Alito retiring. &#8220;I hope they&#8217;re going to stay healthy. They&#8217;re great people.&#8221;
If he did decide to retire while President Donald Trump is in office, Trump would choose Alito&#8217;s replacement. Trump&#8217;s past nominees to the court have prompted a firestorm from leftist activists and lawmakers, most notably over the appointment of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who were seen as the tipping point in overturning Roe v. Wade.
&#8220;The window for Trump to nominate a Supreme Court justice, ​or any federal judge, with a friendly Republican Senate could be closing by the end of this year,&#8221; Bush-era DOJ lawyer John Yoo <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/aging-us-supreme-court-justices-politics-retirement-looms-large-2026-04-11/">told Reuters earlier this year</a>.
&#8220;I think a conservative justice would want to retire during a time when an originalist would follow him or her,&#8221; he added, &#8220;and that ​is most likely with Trump as president and the Senate controlled by Republicans.&#8221;
So far, the White House hasn&#8217;t shown much appetite for a Supreme Court vacancy — though legacy media and activist groups on the Left have been chomping at the bit for such a moment.
“The White House hasn’t been publicly pressuring the justices to retire,” the source close to Thomas noted. “They’re respecting the justices’ decisions on how and when they would retire.”
If Alito actually retired, there are several possible candidates that the president could nominate in his place. One prominent option is Andy Oldham, a former Alito clerk who sits on the Fifth Circuit. Another is James Ho, a former Thomas clerk who is also from the Fifth Circuit. Emil Bove, a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, has also been floated.
&#8220;One of the best things about Trump&#8217;s position right now is all his previous appeals court nominees are in great position in terms of age and time on the lower court bench,&#8221; a person close to the conservative justices shared. &#8220;It&#8217;s a deep bench.&#8221;
A White House official told The Daily Wire that they wouldn&#8217;t speculate on potential vacancies at any level, but noted: &#8220;The President is always prepared to nominate highly qualified judges who will uphold the Constitution and rule of law.&#8221;

Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito Meets With Senators

Will Justice Alito Actually Retire? Here’s What We Know

Brett Kavanaugh

Justice Alito

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

President Donald Trump reacted on Monday to the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to allow mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day — and immediately argued that it was all the more reason to push ahead with the Save America Act to secure election integrity.
Trump took to Truth Social to respond to several of the high court&#8217;s decisions. He took extra care to <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116834002761429397">outline</a> the reasons he felt that passing the Save America Act would counteract any harm done to election integrity by allowing the late ballot counting to continue.
&#8220;In light of the tremendous loss in the Supreme Court today concerning Voter’s Rights, and the fact that &#8216;people’s&#8217; votes are allowed to be counted LONG AFTER an Election is over, it is more important than ever to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, which is, 1. ALL VOTERS MUST SHOW PHOTO I.D. (IDENTIFICATION!); 2. ALL VOTERS MUST SHOW PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP; 3. NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (EXCEPT FOR ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, OR TRAVEL!).&#8221;
Trump went on to draw a hard line on the issue, lashing out at Republicans who might not support the measure and reminding them of the threat posed by the socialists who have already begun to infiltrate the Democratic Party — winning safely blue primaries over Democratic incumbents.
&#8220;There is no excuse for a politician, or otherwise, to be against the above three requirements. There is only one reason to oppose — CHEATING! The House of Representatives has approved this vital Act, THREE TIMES,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;The United States Senate seems unable to do so. In a time when there is a powerful Communist Movement taking place in our Country, one more dangerous than World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or September 11th, all Dumocrats, and our five Republican Senate Hold Outs, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Mitch McConnell must vote to SAVE OUR COUNTRY.&#8221;
&#8220;There can be no more excuses!&#8221; the president concluded.
In a 5-4 ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the high court held that nothing in federal election-day statutes prohibits states from counting late-arriving mail-in ballots, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservative-justices-join-liberals-to-deal-major-blow-to-election-integrity?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Conservative+Justices+Join+Liberals+To+Deal+Major+Blow+To+Election+Integrity">reported</a>.
“The election-day statutes say nothing about ballot receipt, and we cannot add to the words Congress chose,” Barrett wrote in the opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts also joined the court’s liberal wing to form a majority.

President Trump Meets With NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte In The Oval Office

Trump Reacts To ‘Tremendous Loss’ At SCOTUS

Mail-In Voting

An attorney who&#8217;s working on Karmelo Anthony&#8217;s appellate team just publicly dissed the convicted murderer&#8217;s parents and supporters, seemingly outlining the team&#8217;s appeal strategy.
In a post published to social media, attorney Justin Moore ripped Anthony&#8217;s parents for mocking the father of victim Austin Metcalf, 17, and for going on a &#8220;press tour&#8221; to tout a false racial narrative.
“[Thirty-five] years,&#8221; Moore posted online, referring to Anthony&#8217;s prison sentence. &#8220;They showed no mercy. Kinda hard to when the defendant&#8217;s parents had a press conference mocking the dead victim’s father right after the incident.&#8221;
Following the murder, Jeff Metcalf, the victim&#8217;s father, was thrown out of an Anthony family presser when he asked to speak to the family and possibly pray with them. He was effectively painted as a racist.
&#8220;Y’all non lawyers can argue about if he were guilty or not,&#8221; Moore continued. &#8220;Most real lawyers realize this was a punishment case. With that being the case, you simply don’t run around going on a press tour touting a false narrative. I’m pissed.&#8221;
&#8220;And it’s the people that were around Karmelo who sold this story to folks. Trying to sell racism for personal gain,&#8221; he added. Notably, the Anthony family raised well over $600,000 through a GiveSendGo fundraiser that was launched soon after Metcalf was murdered. &#8220;Y’all really showed out this time,&#8221; Moore said.
The social media post was reported by independent journalist Sarah Fields, who was inside the courtroom for the entire murder trial.
&#8220;Extremely interesting statement from Justin Moore, a member of Karmelo Anthony’s legal team,&#8221; Fields commented. &#8220;They have virtually no chance on appeal.&#8221;
&#8220;What I find most interesting is that even Karmelo’s own legal team seems to be throwing his parents under the bus,&#8221; she added. &#8220;When the people closest to the case start pointing fingers internally, that should tell you everything you need to know.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Extremely interesting statement from Justin Moore, a member of Karmelo Anthony’s legal team.
They have virtually no chance on appeal. What I find most interesting is that even Karmelo’s own legal team seems to be throwing his parents under the bus.
When the people closest to… <a href="https://t.co/nNTYdUDGSJ">pic.twitter.com/nNTYdUDGSJ</a>
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) <a href="https://x.com/SarahisCensored/status/2069625091969724796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://x.com/douglassmackey/status/2069830842101174681">Douglass Mackey</a> — who was targeted by the Biden Department of Justice for posting satirical memes about Hillary Clinton and won in court — said the comments from Moore reveal the legal team&#8217;s new strategy.
&#8220;The new appellate lawyer has now officially thrown Karmelo Anthony&#8217;s parents and his supporters under the bus,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The goal seems to be to try to make Karmelo Anthony more sympathetic to win a new sentence on appeal.&#8221;
Jeff Metcalf, the slain teen&#8217;s father, publicly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/austin-metcalfs-father-snaps-on-karmelo-anthonys-parents">called</a> Anthony&#8217;s parents, Andrew Anthony and Kayla Hayes, “cowards&#8221; soon after the trial.
“Drew Anthony. Kayla. You’re cowards,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/austin-metcalfs-father-snaps-on-karmelo-anthonys-parents">said</a>. &#8220;You wouldn’t even show up for your son’s sentencing or victim’s statement impacts. You abandoned your kid. You left him there.&#8221;
&#8220;I guess he’s no more use to you because you can’t get any more GoFundMe money or [GiveSendGo] money,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You are grifters. You should be ashamed of yourself. You raised that child, and I swear to God, CPS should come check on those other three that you still have.”
Metcalf was fatally stabbed by Anthony at a track meet in April 2025. Video footage and eyewitness accounts indicate that Metcalf was stabbed after he told Anthony to leave his team&#8217;s tent and possibly shoved him. Metcalf died in his twin brother&#8217;s arms.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-latest-development-in-karmelo-anthonys-case-comes-with-baggage">The Latest Development In Karmelo Anthony’s Case Comes With Baggage</a>

KAnthony

Karmelo Anthony’s New Appeal Strategy Takes Aim At His Own Inner Circle

Austin Metcalf

Karmelo Anthony

Murder

Racism

A federal judge has struck down the Trump Administration’s effort to expand a federal tool for voter verification. 
U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan sided with advocacy groups challenging President Donald Trump’s recent upgrades to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. The upgrades came under an executive order that the DHS and SSA create a database to allow state and local officials to check the citizenship or immigration status of individuals when they register to vote.
The plaintiffs argued that since the changes were made, the government had incorrectly identified people as noncitizens and purged them from their voter rolls. They also argued that the consolidation of Social Security data was a violation of federal privacy laws. 
The decision is a major blow to Trump’s recent efforts to crack down on illegal voting at the state level. The administration may appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. 
Among the plaintiffs were the League of Women Voters, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and five individuals. 
&#8220;All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,&#8221; Sooknanan <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.285454/gov.uscourts.dcd.285454.111.0_1.pdf">wrote</a> in a 75-page opinion explaining her decision favoring the advocacy groups.  
The ruling declares that the database violated the Social Security Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, and the Administrative Procedure Act. 
The SAVE system has been used since 1986. The Trump Administration <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-trump-database-save-system-voter-rolls/">argued</a> that it was well within the authority of the DHS to modernize the database. 
James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security blasted the decision in a post on X, accusing the court of left-wing bias and hampering election-integrity efforts. 
&#8220;It’s amazing how hard the Left will fight to stop us from solving problems they insist do not exist. Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s latest ruling preventing DHS from addressing alien voting is just the latest example!&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s amazing how hard the Left will fight to stop us from solving problems they insist do not exist. Judge Sparkle Soknanan’s latest ruling preventing DHS from addressing alien voting is just the latest example!
— James Percival (@DHSGenCounsel) <a href="https://x.com/DHSGenCounsel/status/2069150657693540396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The ruling does not dismantle the SAVE program. It only blocks the recent expansion for voter registration checks, so the program can still be used to verify immigration status for government benefits.

Final Weekend Of Early Voting Ahead Of New York Primary Election

Biden Judge Blocks A Common-Sense Voting Safeguard

Voter Registration

George Washington University law professor emerita W. Burlette Carter declared on Thursday that Karmelo Anthony was entitled to a new trial.
Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf, 17, and sentenced to serve 35 years in prison. Carter argued that because &#8220;minorities are not interchangeable,&#8221; Anthony was not provided with &#8220;a jury of his peers&#8221; at trial — and she said that alone was grounds for him to receive a new trial.
Carter, a black woman who describes herself on X as a &#8220;descendant of slaves,&#8221; prefaced her <a href="https://x.com/ProfWBCarter/status/2065283542414705051">statement</a> by admitting that she had not yet read a full transcript of the trial — but then immediately argued that she didn&#8217;t need to because it was already clear to her that Anthony had not been granted a fair trial.
&#8220;I have not yet read the full trial transcript. But so far, I do know this. Karmelo Anthony was entitled to a jury of his peers. He did not get that,&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;On that ground alone, he is entitled to a new trial. Minorities are not interchangeable. The prosecutor’s reported proffered reasons for striking all black jurors  — that they were teachers — appears to be pretext.&#8221;
But by law, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/race-narrative-kicked-into-overdrive-after-jury-selected-in-austin-metcalf-murder-trial">jury</a> does not have to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-race-card-karmelo-anthonys-father-is-playing-gets-scorched-by-facts">reflect the race</a> of the defendant — rather, it must be made up of a reasonable cross section of the community, and both attorneys and judges are to do their best to ensure that the jury is made up of individuals who will decide the case based on the facts presented rather than preexisting biases.
The jury in Anthony&#8217;s case was made up of multiple ethnic minorities — in spite of claims made by Anthony&#8217;s father and others that the jury was &#8220;all white&#8221; — including Asian, Indian, and Hispanic. The prosecution did challenge several potential jurors who were black because they were educators and the murder had happened on school grounds. The judge accepted those challenges as valid.
&#8220;Anthony needs a new lawyer on appeal and in a new trial,&#8221; Carter continued, arguing that Anthony&#8217;s court-appointed attorney had not done a good job. She left out the fact that, after raising some $600,000 via GiveSendGo, Anthony&#8217;s family had gone with a court-appointed lawyer after claiming that he was unable to afford a private attorney.
&#8220;His trial lawyer allowed in opinion evidence that should have been struck. He also seemed unable to appreciate and counter the impact of racial overtones in that case. Those overtones are clear even on Twitter commentary as folks seek to paint Metcalf as having no culpability in what happened and Karmelo as a complete monster,&#8221; she insisted. &#8220;The facts on how the matter escalated are more complicated than that. He and they had no such authority. They are also apparent in the statements that seek to deputize Metcalf and other kids with authority to remove Anthony. They had none and initiated the conflict. That does not mean they should have been killed but it means they have explaining to do. The lawyer for Anthony apparently did not require that explaining. It is fair to ask how the Anthonys ended up selecting that lawyer.&#8221;
Her final jab was aimed at the trial judge, and she claimed that he should &#8220;be disqualified&#8221; because he gave an interview that could have &#8220;negatively affected the appeal rights of the defendant.&#8221;

Karmelo Mugshot

The Flaw In A Professor’s Race-Based Defense Of Karmelo Anthony

Crime

The man accused of brutally murdering a young Ukrainian refugee won&#8217;t face trial anytime soon, after a federal judge ruled that he&#8217;s <a href="https://www.wral.com/news/local/decarlos-brown-mental-competency-trial-june-2026/">too mentally unfit</a> to stand in a courtroom.
DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, was found incompetent to stand trial Tuesday for the August 22, 2025, murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old who fled Russian bombs only to be stabbed from behind while listening to music on Charlotte&#8217;s Blue Line light rail.
She never saw it coming.
Zarutska — a college-educated artist, aspiring veterinary assistant, and devoted daughter — had <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/09/us/decarlos-brown-jr-charlotte-train-stabbing">survived</a> two years of war and built a quiet, hopeful life in North Carolina. She walked neighbors&#8217; dogs, studied English, and worked at a pizzeria. She was thriving. Then Brown allegedly plunged a pocketknife into her neck and walked away, blood dripping from the blade.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell ruled Brown cannot understand the charges against him and is unable to assist his own defense. Brown&#8217;s behavior in court on Tuesday did little to dispute the claim — he repeatedly interrupted proceedings with unhinged outbursts. His team filed a motion saying he “experiences delusions that center around his belief that he was exposed to a material that controls his every movement.&#8221;
Brown will be hospitalized for up to four months. If doctors restore his competency, he&#8217;ll finally face trial — and potentially the death penalty.
This is exactly the kind of case that makes ordinary Americans furious with the insanity defense.
Brown has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fatal-charlotte-stabbing-highlights-the-failure-of-racial-equity-policies">14 prior arrests</a>. He did five years for armed robbery. Law enforcement knew he was unwell — he called 911 claiming a government implant was controlling his body, and officers sent him home with a misdemeanor. His family begged for help. The system shrugged.
Now, after an innocent woman is murdered in cold blood — on camera, in front of passengers — the legal machinery grinds to a halt over whether the accused killer truly understood what he was doing. Experts will battle over his mental state ten months after the fact. A jury may never hear the case.
Critics of the insanity defense have long warned of exactly this: dangerous individuals cycling through a system that prioritizes their diagnosis over their victims&#8217; deaths. Four states have abolished the defense entirely for this reason.
Zarutska&#8217;s family is holding firm: &#8220;We have confidence his capacity will be restored so he can stand trial for what he did to Iryna.&#8221;
So does prosecutor Russ Ferguson. &#8220;Our number one goal is justice for Iryna Zarutska,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s on our minds and our hearts every day.&#8221;
She deserves nothing less.

Memorial of the 23 years old Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte

Iryna Zarutska’s Accused Killer Won’t Be Going To Trial Anytime Soon

Criminal Justice

Insanity

Iryna Zarutska

North Carolina

The Supreme Court on Tuesday handed Alabama Republicans a significant victory in the state&#8217;s ongoing battle over congressional redistricting, allowing Alabama to use a map that eliminates one of its two majority-minority congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In a 6-3 emergency order, the Court granted Alabama&#8217;s request to implement the map adopted by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2023, reversing a lower court ruling that had blocked its use. The decision clears the way for Alabama to conduct this year&#8217;s elections under a map more favorable to Republicans and puts Rep. Shomari Figures&#8217; (D-AL) seat in jeopardy for Democrats.
The ruling marks the latest development in a years-long legal fight over Alabama&#8217;s congressional boundaries and comes just months after the Supreme Court issued a separate decision involving Louisiana that narrowed the scope of challenges brought under the Voting Rights Act.
The unsigned majority opinion suggested Alabama is likely to prevail in the broader litigation and criticized the lower court for intervening so close to the election calendar.
&#8220;Here, the District Court interposed itself into Alabama&#8217;s ongoing efforts to conduct its imminent 2026 congressional elections under maps that its elected representatives selected,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-allows-alabama-congress-map-eliminate-black-district-rcna346920" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Court wrote</a>.
The decision drew a sharp dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was joined by fellow liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
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Sotomayor argued that the Court was permitting elections to proceed under a map that lower courts had determined intentionally discriminated against black voters. She accused the majority of creating election-year chaos and rewarding Alabama for repeatedly resisting court orders.
The <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/alabama-urges-supreme-court-to-allow-for-use-of-congressional-map-struck-by-lower-court-as-racia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dispute</a> traces back to Alabama&#8217;s original post-2020 Census congressional map, which contained only one majority-black district despite black residents making up roughly a quarter of the state&#8217;s population.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision finding that the map likely violated the Voting Rights Act and required Alabama to create an additional district in which black voters could elect their preferred candidate. That court-drawn district helped elect Figures, a Democrat, in 2024.
Following the Supreme Court&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-rules-on-key-district-case-with-ripple-effects-nationwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Louisiana ruling</a> in April, Alabama Republicans argued that states should receive greater deference when drawing districts based on political rather than racial considerations. State officials subsequently moved to revive the legislature&#8217;s preferred map, triggering the latest round of litigation.
The ruling carries implications beyond Alabama.
With Republicans holding only a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, both parties have increasingly turned to mid-decade redistricting as they prepare for the 2026 midterms. The Alabama decision gives Republicans an opportunity to reclaim a seat currently held by Democrats and may encourage similar redistricting efforts in other Southern states.
The case also represents another chapter in the Supreme Court&#8217;s ongoing effort to redefine the relationship between race and redistricting. For decades, courts have grappled with competing demands from one side of the aisle that states avoid diluting minority voting power, while the other demanded avoiding unconstitutional race-based districting.
Tuesday&#8217;s ruling signals that the Court&#8217;s conservative majority remains willing to give states greater latitude when pursuing political objectives through redistricting, even when those decisions affect minority representation.
Alabama&#8217;s congressional primaries are scheduled for August 11.

Supreme Court Releases Opinions

Supreme Court Hands Alabama Republicans Major Redistricting Victory

Alabama

Redistricting

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) &#8211; President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration will transfer control of the Kennedy Center to Congress, after a judge ordered the removal of Trump&#8217;s name from the iconic Washington venue and blocked his plans to close it for renovations.
Trump said on social media that he instructed the U.S. Commerce Department to &#8220;make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution&#8221; and give lawmakers responsibility over its operation, maintenance and management.
It was not immediately clear how Trump&#8217;s directive could be carried out. The Kennedy Center was created by Congress in 1958 and is run by a board of trustees that the president has packed with allies in his second term.
Trump&#8217;s announcement came after a judge on Friday ruled that the performing arts center, which Trump renamed the &#8220;Trump Kennedy Center,&#8221; cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington directed the Trump administration to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and to eliminate any references to a &#8220;Trump Kennedy Center&#8221; from official materials within 14 days.
&#8220;The Kennedy Center&#8217;s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board&#8217;s unilateral say-so,&#8221; Cooper wrote. &#8220;Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.&#8221;
Cooper&#8217;s order also stopped the Trump administration’s planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for major renovations, though the judge said &#8220;sorely needed&#8221; repairs to the aging building could move forward.
The judge said his decision &#8220;does not purport to dictate how the Center should be run, nor does it prescribe any particular plan for the institution — construction, closure, or otherwise — moving forward.&#8221;
In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said large-scale renovations set to begin next month would be impossible without a closure and that Cooper&#8217;s order to keep the center open would be dangerous.
&#8220;I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight,&#8221; Trump said.
Cooper ruled in a lawsuit brought by Ohio Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, a member of the Kennedy Center&#8217;s board by virtue of her position in Congress. Beatty in a statement after the ruling said the &#8220;Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.&#8221;
PUSH TO REMAKE WASHINGTON
Trump&#8217;s plan to renovate the center is part of a broader push by the Republican leader to reshape Washington&#8217;s monumental core. He also intends to erect a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the site of the demolished East ​Wing of the White ​House.
Those efforts also face court challenges. A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to move ahead with building the ballroom as ​it considers a lawsuit seeking to block it.
Beatty sued the Trump administration in December, calling the renaming of the building “a flagrant violation of the rule of law&#8221; that &#8220;flies in the face of our constitutional order.”
Her lawyers in a statement applauded Cooper&#8217;s decision. &#8220;This is a powerful blow against the Trump administration’s corruption,” attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky said.
The board could still close the Kennedy Center, Cooper wrote, “should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion.&#8221;
The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a living memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy.
(Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Edmund Klamann and Andrea Ricci )

Renaming of The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington

Trump To Congress: You Run The Kennedy Center

Congress

Kennedy Center

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