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Federal Investigation Launched After Boy Wins Minnesota Girls’ Softball Title

Two federal Title IX investigations have been launched after a Minnesota girls’ softball team with a male player, who identifies as a “girl,” won the state championship.

The Champlin Park High School softball team defeated an all-female team for the win.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will be “elevating its Title IX investigations into the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) to the Title IX Special Investigations Team (Title IX SIT), which is comprised of both the Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice.”

In a press release about the investigations, the DOE said:

“In February, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened a Title IX investigation into MSHSL over its stated intentions to flout federal law and instead follow state policies which allow student-athletes to compete in sports based on their ‘gender identity.’ On June 3, OCR opened a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education after receiving a complaint alleging that MDE has policies which permit males to participate in female sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities. Both investigations are today being elevated to the Title IX SIT.”

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights initially launched its investigation into MSHSL in February, after President Donald Trump announced his executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The league responded that they would not be complying and will continue allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports.

“The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity,” MSHSL said in a statement at the time. “Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon called the refusal to comply “completely unacceptable.”

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Tipping The Scales: Why So Many Cases Against Trump Are Heard By Democrat-Appointed Judges

As the Trump administration faces substantial pushback in the courts, including an unprecedented wave of nationwide injunctions halting its policies, some are claiming that his opponents are tilting the scales of justice by selectively bringing their lawsuits before sympathetic courts in a practice called “forum shopping.” They note that three-quarters of the lower court justices who have blocked Trump policies were appointed by Democrats.

Gaming the federal justice system, however, is harder than it sounds because plaintiffs bring cases before courts rather than judges. Most federal courts have a mix of judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans. The plaintiff’s goal in forum shopping is to launch their suit in a district where they are more likely to draw a sympathetic justice – ideally, this district would also include an appellate court stacked with like-minded judges.

To see whether Trump’s adversaries are engaging in forum shopping, RealClearInvestigations analyzed 350 cases brought against the administration. We found that plaintiffs have brought 80% of those cases before just 11 of the nation’s 91 district courts. While Democrat presidents have appointed roughly 60% of all active district court judges, each of the 11 district courts where the anti-Trump challenges have been clustered boasts an even higher percentage of Democrat appointees. In several of these venues, the administration’s challengers are almost guaranteed that a judge picked by Joe Biden, Barack Obama, or Bill Clinton will preside over their case.

The analysis of these 350 cases, which covers all those identified in popular litigation trackers and RCI’s independent research as of this week, lends credence to claims that anti-Trump litigants may be strategically filing suit in courts where they are most likely to receive a favorable ruling – a practice that has been both pursued and decried by Democrats and Republicans.

RCI also analyzed three dozen cases in which judges imposed the most extreme restraint on the Trump administration by entering a nationwide or universal injunction – prohibiting the administration from enforcing its policy not only against the party bringing the case, but anyone, everywhere. The analysis shows that these injunctions have disproportionately emerged from Democrat-leaning courts where plaintiffs have brought the lion’s share of suits, and that Democrat-appointed judges are overwhelmingly responsible for ordering them.

This is consistent with other analyses indicating that Democrat-appointed judges have handed down the bulk of all adverse rulings against the Trump administration.

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ESG exposed: Financial elites push climate agenda while undermining investor trust

In a landmark lawsuit filed Monday in Tennessee, asset management titan BlackRock stands accused of violating consumer protection laws by peddling contradictory Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies — one promising robust financial returns, the other a climate-focused overhaul of capitalism. The case, the first of its kind, underscores a growing backlash against ESG’s opaque metrics, which critics argue prioritize progressive activism over fiduciary duty. As ESG-related terminology fades from corporate earnings calls — dropping from 28,000 mentions in early 2022 to just 4,800 by mid-2024 — the movement faces a reckoning: Is it a legitimate risk-management tool or a Trojan horse for ideological control?

BlackRock’s double game: Profits vs. climate virtue

Tennessee’s lawsuit alleges BlackRock’s ESG pledges have “deprived consumers of the ability to make informed choices,” citing CEO Larry Fink’s 2022 letter declaring ESG would “reshape finance.” Yet internal documents reveal the firm’s continued investments in fossil fuels — $310 billion as of 2023 — while publicly pressuring companies to divest. Luke Lloyd, an investment strategist at Strategic Wealth Partners, bluntly summarized the contradiction: “ESG is driven by financial interests, not environmental concerns. It’s a marketing ploy.”

The fallout isn’t theoretical. Pension funds, reliant on steady returns, face heightened risk as ESG policies artificially depress energy stock values. As the International Energy Agency notes, global oil demand may still grow for decades — rendering BlackRock’s anti-fossil fuel posturing economically reckless.

The ESG backlash: Red states fight green tyranny

Conservative leaders are mobilizing against ESG’s encroachment. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis barred state pension funds from using ESG criteria, while Texas blacklisted 10 financial firms, including BlackRock, for “boycotting” fossil fuels. Blue states retaliated with a joint letter accusing critics of ignoring “climate threats,” but the financial data tells another story: ESG funds underperformed the S&P 500 by 4% in 2023, per Morningstar.

Even ESG insiders admit flaws. Tariq Fancy, BlackRock’s former sustainable investing chief, likened ESG to “wheatgrass for a cancer patient — a dangerous placebo.” His indictment aligns with Vivek Ramaswamy’s crusade against corporate “wokeism,” targeting firms like Disney for diversity audits he calls “political theater.”

From apartheid divestment to climate lockstep

ESG’s roots trace to 1980s anti-apartheid divestment and a 2004 UN report urging “stakeholder capitalism.” But today’s iteration, fueled by climate panic and social justice campaigns, has ballooned into a $35 trillion industry—despite lacking standardized metrics. The result? A system where ExxonMobil can rank higher on ESG indices than Tesla, sparking Elon Musk’s ire: “ESG is a scam.”

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Old White Boomers By Day, Antifa By Night: ‘No Kings’ Color Revolution 

Strikes between Israel and Iran have escalated significantly in both scale and lethality, with Tehran deploying hypersonic missiles in direct attacks against Israeli cities. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces have executed a coordinated air campaign targeting key pillars of the Iranian regime’s operational capacity—most notably the IRGC’s crude oil export infrastructure, high-value military assets, and critical command-and-control facilities (strike roadmap laid out last fall). The scope and precision of these strikes suggest a deliberate strategy to degrade the regime’s ability to function both economically and militarily, potentially placing the IRGC on a quick crash course toward systemic failure. 

Simultaneously, within the U.S., a separate destabilization force unfolded this weekend.

Our preliminary assessment of the command and control structures supporting the ‘No Kings’ color revolution operation by the Democratic Party has been propped up through dark money networks that continue to finance radical left-wing NGOs engaged in what appears to be a sustained, low-grade color revolution during the day and riots at night. These NGOs, operating with logistical sophistication, have aimed to undermine societal cohesion and erode public trust in the Trump administration. 

On Saturday, a coordinated series of demonstrations unfolded across major metropolitan areas, including New York, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. The protests—supported by a network of nearly 200 entities, many of which include ideologically aligned and far-left NGOs—appear to follow a highly structured mobilization effort reminiscent of prior failed “Tesla Takedown” operations observed earlier this year. 

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Murder suspect at Salt Lake City ‘No Kings’ protest is a radical leftist

A Latino radical leftist and alleged Antifa supporter has been charged with murder after allegedly causing the conditions that resulted in a Samoan man being killed at the Salt Lake City “No Kings” protest on June 14.

Arturo Gamboa, a 24-year-old member of the leftist Utah-based punk band Rade, was apprehended at the scene wearing all black and allegedly brandishing a semi-automatic rifle. A “No Kings” liberal “peacekeeper” volunteer with bad aim tried taking out Gamboa with three shots but instead fatally wounded a bystander.

Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, a 39-year-old fashion designer, died from his injuries in hospital. Suspect Gamboa only suffered a graze wound.

Gamboa previously told music publication Slug Mag that he detested American global influence, citing racism.

“This is exactly how the system is meant to function,” he said. “The American system is a steam train that’s always been fueled by black and brown bodies.”

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Zelensky Says Iran Poses ‘Serious Threat’ To Ukraine, Amid Israel War

Once again another major Middle East conflict is taking much of the West’s attention away from the long war in Ukraine, but President Volodymyr Zelensky is speaking up (or rather inserting himself), suggesting that events in Iran have a direct impact on Ukraine.

He has told Newsmax the Islamic Republic poses a “serious threat” to Ukraine, given that it has for years supplied military arms and technology to Russian forces, which are then used against Iranian cities. There have been more recent reports that Tehran might be supplying short-range ballistic missiles.

It is the Iranian-produced Shahed Kamikaze drone which has wreaked havoc on Ukraine from since the war’s start. Zelensky claimed in the comments that Iran is “actively working” against his country.

“Iran is, in fact, actively working against us by supplying weapons and technology to Russia. That makes them a serious threat. Even so, we do not seek escalation,” Zelenskyy said. “We understand all too well the devastating consequences such a conflict can bring. The human cost, the losses, the potential outcomes of a full-scale war. But Iran continues to support Russia.”

“This regime is enabling Russia’s aggression by providing arms and technological support. Iran uses its oil revenues to fund war efforts. That is the harsh reality we are dealing with,” he added.

The last 48 hours have seen open war explode between Iran and Israel after the Israeli Air Force began attacking Iranian nuclear sites, as well as ballistic missile batteries. Nuclear scientists and military leaders have also been killed in Iran.

Iran has responded by launching unprecedented numbers of ballistic missiles and drones against Israel, in a serious tit-for-tat which is now ongoing.

“Let me be frank. We don’t want escalation in any part of the world. But if this continues, if there is another wave of conflict, more missile strikes, more collaboration between Russia and Iran, then the situation could grow even more dangerous,” Zelensky said.

Washington is the biggest funder of both the Ukrainian and Israeli militaries…

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North Carolina State Rep Waves Trump’s Decapitated Head at ‘No Kings’ Protest: ‘Some Cuts May Be Necessary’

A North Carolina state representative has called for President Trump’s beheading.

Rep. Julie von Haefen attended the “No Kings” protest yesterday in North Carolina holding an effigy of what appeared to be the decapitated heads of Trump and his senior policy advisor Stephen Miller.

“Amazing turnout all across the Triangle today, including this event at the Capitol hosted by @wakedems and @ncdemocrats #lfg #nokings #nokingsprotest #nokingsinamerica #raleigh #raleighnc,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

As well as the gruesome heads of Trump and Miller, von Haefen appeared to be waving a banner that said: “In These Difficult Times, Some Cuts May Be Necessary.”

Stephen Miller’s forehead was also engraved with a swastika, a reference to Nazi symbolism. Miller himself is Jewish.

Von Haefen’s gruesome stunt was particularly iill-timed given that hours before, two members of the Minnesota legislature were shot by a man posing as police, killing Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortmun and her husband.

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Europe’s Populist Parties Keep Gaining Ground, But Cannot Get Into Power

Across the European continent, despite gaining considerable proportions of the vote, populist parties are increasingly being frozen out of governing in coalitions by political opponents who regard them as extremist.

Proponents of the tactic known as a “cordon sanitaire” or “firewall” say it’s not an attack on democracy but a defense of it. But one war expert said the tactic will only arouse anger in voters and that “there is no potential for peaceful political change.”

Coalitions are part and parcel of political life in many European countries.

But the cordon sanitaire, a measure normally directed at keeping out fringe outliers, is now being used to keep out parties that are gaining majority-level support.

Such parties include the Alternative for Germany, France’s National Rally, Austria’s Freedom Party, Spain’s Vox, and the Netherlands’ Party for Freedom.

They all deny being “far-right” as they are often dubbed by media, opponents, or academics, but their political opponents regard them as beyond the pale and have formed coalitions on the promise of shutting them out of governance.

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Afghan National Brought to US As a ‘Refugee’ by Biden Admin Pleads Guilty to Plotting Election Day Terror Attack in Oklahoma on Behalf of ISIS

A citizen of Afghanistan has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he was planning an election day terror attack in Oklahoma City.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism.

Tawhedi was brought to the United States as a “refugee” in 2021 during the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, court documents state that “Tawhedi admitted that between June 2024 and October 2024 he conspired with at least one other individual to purchase two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines, with the intent to carry out a mass-casualty attack on or around Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, on behalf of ISIS. According to a criminal complaint affidavit filed in the case, Tawhedi communicated with an ISIS facilitator about his plan to purchase firearms for use in the terror plot, including asking the individual whether 500 rounds of ammunition would be sufficient.”

“Tawhedi and his co-conspirator, Abdullah Haji Zada, were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after purchasing the firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee,” the press release continued. “Zada, 18, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to the firearms offense in connection with his role in the terror plot and is awaiting sentencing. Zada, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, entered his guilty plea as an adult and will be sentenced as an adult.”

Tawhedi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the material support charge and up to 15 years in prison for the firearms charge. Zada faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

Following any prison sentences, both conspirators “will be permanently removed from the United States and barred from reentry under stipulated judicial orders of removal to Afghanistan.”

“By pledging allegiance to ISIS and plotting an attack against innocent Americans on Election Day, this defendant endangered lives and gravely betrayed the nation that gave him refuge,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s guilty plea guarantees he will be held accountable, stripped of his immigration status, and permanently removed from the United States, and shows the Justice Department has zero tolerance for those who exploit our freedoms to spread violence.”

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Sanctuary State Governors Double Down On Illegal Immigration In Tense Capitol Hearing

The conflict surrounding the Trump Administration’s deportation of illegal aliens is driven by a complex web of NGOs and astroturf activist groups, but Democrat politicians continue to play a considerable role in fomenting civil unrest.  State leaders were a key element of the BLM riots in 2020, providing a governmental green light for the mobs by exempting them from covid mandates.  City officials ensured that rioters and looters were released without charges, cycling them back out onto the streets to wreak havoc day after day.  Other Democrat leaders hobbled local law enforcement and prevented them from intervening in the riots.

The pattern seems to be repeating, with Democrats doubling down on their defense of illegal immigration and interfering in ICE operations.  The law, once again, is only important to progressives when it works in their favor.  When it doesn’t, they ignore it.

This week multiple Democrat governors defended their sanctuary state policies in a hearing on illegal immigration on Capitol Hill.  Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul testified at the hearing, asserting that the immigration issue was being overblown by the Trump Administration and diminishing concerns over violent migrant crimes. 

Tim Walz argued that Trump was using the DHS as his personal “gestapo” and Kathy Hochul called deportations an “assault on American values”.

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