Something big went down 250 years ago at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

The Founders finalized the Declaration of Independence there.

But something big also went down at Independence Hall just a few days ago — literally.

As in the ground.

Congress adopted a resolution mandating burial of a time capsule just a few feet away from Independence Hall to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. And the instructions are clear — do not open until the year 2276, 250 years from now.

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“Our responsibility is not simply to remember what happened here on these grounds. But to preserve those same ideals of whose generation came before and that will come after us,” said Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., who traveled with a coterie of bipartisan lawmakers to Philadelphia for the occasion.

Congress met in Philadelphia from 1790 to 1800 before decamping to what is now Washington, DC. In fact, the District of Columbia exists because of the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783. That’s when a mob of Continental Army soldiers threatened the security of Independence Hall after the fledgling American government failed to pay them.

Alexander Hamilton advocated for what the Constitution describes as a federal “District” to serve as the “seat of government.” The primary purpose of the unique federal enclave was to protect the Congress.

“The Congressional time capsule is a reflection of our faith in the future of this grand experiment in self-governance,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “When this capsule is finally opened, those Americans will be as distant from us as we are today from the men who signed their names on our declaration.”

Each U.S. state and all six of its territories furnished artifacts to bury in the stainless steel time capsule.

There were letters from Congressional leaders. Also, ones from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Fox asked MLB what Manfred wrote in the letter. But he wouldn’t say. That’s because the missive is intended for those in the future.

Manfred’s words will remain a mystery. Much like how the New York Mets can have the second-highest payroll in baseball and remain mired in last place.

At least the Mets still won’t be paying Bobby Bonilla in 2276.

Three temporal lines intersected for the burial of the time capsule in Philadelphia. Each item represented something from America’s past. The burial was about present day — America’s 250th birthday. But, the ceremony was simultaneously about the future.

So imagine for a moment the likes of Thomas Jefferson crossing that green by Independence Hall 250 years ago. Then consider those who journeyed to Philadelphia to tour the National Constitution Center and spy the Liberty Bell for the holiday this year. Finally, propel yourself into the future and envision what that green would look like and who you might encounter in 250 years.

The time capsule included some items from one of the most harrowing days in American history: 9/11.

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“We have a piece of metal from the Freedom Tower that obviously represents both the struggle initially and what happened on September 11th. But then ultimately, the resilience of rising from the ashes, as America has always done,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

But everyone longed to include something else important to them.

“Well, a New York Knicks championship ring would be incredible,” said Jeffries.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Penn., represents Independence Mall and the location of the time capsule. He pushed his colleagues to adopt a resolution for lawmakers to meet in Philadelphia for a Joint Session of Congress. But that didn’t happen.

However, lawmakers did convene in Philadelphia in 1987 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Constitution. They also traveled to New York for a Joint Session in 2002, one year after the 9/11 attacks.

But like Jeffries, Boyle hoped to include whimsical items as well.

“Part of me as a Philadelphian wants to say a Philly cheesesteak. But that would not age well over 250 years,” said Boyle. “If there could be a piece of Independence Hall as part of the time capsule, I think that that would be wonderful.”

Here are some of the other contents:

Georgia donated a medallion from the Masters Golf Tournament. And, being the home of Coca-Cola, the state also sent along a vintage glass Coke bottle.

One of the biggest items in the time capsule was a piece of bone from a North Atlantic Right Whale. It’s listed as one of the most-endangered of the large whale species. It would be a testament to aquatic preservation if the North Atlantic Right Whale is still swimming in 2276.

One of the most intriguing items in the collection came from California. The Golden State included an AI prompt from the chatbot Claude. People asked Claude what the country would be like in 250 years.

Like Manfred’s letter, what Claude spat back out is lost to the future, sealed in the time capsule.

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In 1776, the colonists wore tri-cornered hats and powdered wigs. Those aren’t around anymore. New Mexico’s contributions included bolo ties, culturally important apparel in the American Southwest. One wonders if anyone will still be wearing those in 250 years. To say nothing of any sort of necktie.

Lawmakers who traveled to Philadelphia noted that the Founding Fathers were bold. Courageous. And willing to take risks – not knowing we’d still celebrate their actions today.

“The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were signing their death forms. After all, they knew what they faced had they not succeeded,” said Boyle.

The artifacts in the time capsule represent where America stands. But also suggests where it might go.

There’s an Olympic Gold medal, won by an American athlete at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina earlier this year. And, there’s an Apple iPhone.

As important as iPhones are now, people in the future might see little difference between an iPhone and a BlackBerry.

Ironically, the biggest enemy of a time capsule is time itself.

“Our main takeaway here is that of the longer generation time capsules, water has destroyed most of them. Time has destroyed many others and things get lost or the items inside react,” said Michael Berilla with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “I made time capsules back in high school – maybe you have too – where they just failed miserably.”

That’s one of the reasons they didn’t include a football in the time capsule. The leather would degrade over time.

And you thought “Deflategate” was a big deal.

The hope is that the time capsule at Independence Hall doesn’t fail. And, that the country doesn’t fail either. That way, people can gather on the green by Independence Hall and see the treasures we sent them from the past.

And as they crack the time capsule open, maybe devour a cheesesteak — if those are still a Philadelphia delicacy in 2276.

Americans who say they aren’t proud of the United States may need a refresher on the nation’s history or a visit to other countries, Mike Rowe told Fox News Digital on America’s 250th anniversary.

Rowe, founder of the skilled-trades nonprofit mikeroweWORKS, narrator of “Deadliest Catch” and host of “Dirty Jobs,” said celebrities should avoid dispensing political advice but argued history shows why socialism has repeatedly fallen out of favor.

Asked about a Gallup poll showing only 53% of Americans are very proud of the U.S., Rowe said that while he’s no “mind reader,” his first thought was “if you’re not proud of the country, then it’s possible you might not be up to speed on where the country came from and how the country evolved or maybe how the rest of the countries and the world function.”

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“Nobody wants a lecture or a sermon or a history lesson, but it’s hard to appreciate who and what we are today unless you really remember who and what we were 251 years ago (in 1775) — back when the American dream was really just a dream.”

Rowe said the constant stream of bad news makes it easy to draw short-term conclusions about the country, but America’s founding offers a longer historical perspective.

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Rowe said the Founders effectively signed their own “death warrant” when they declared independence from Great Britain in pursuit of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

“That’s what the American dream was. It [became reality] in 1783 when we signed the Treaty of Paris. … We’re living in the American reality. And it’s not perfect. It will always be a work in progress, but to look at the country and say, ‘Ah, I’m not that impressed’, I would suggest maybe visit some other countries and look back at our own history and reimagine your worldview.”

Given recent wins by socialist politicians in New York, New Jersey, Colorado and elsewhere, Rowe said that “history is a wheel” that always spins.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM IS SWEEPING THE NATION. VOTERS SHOULD BE ALARMED

“Personally, I rack my brain to think of all the instances where socialism paid off. I got nothing, man.”

Ideas that are out of favor suddenly return to the fore, and then fade again as people experience their own history in their own time, he said.

While the best political ideas won’t always win short-term, they ultimately wash out in the end, he said, pointing to history as a guide to why “we kicked [socialism] to the curb every time it reared its head.”

When asked his suggestions to Republicans in combating socialism or Democrats in managing their new schism, Rowe quipped that he knows “one thing the country absolutely, positively doesn’t need.”

“My opinion on any of that crap,” he said. “I would be so far out of my lane to mouth off like that. We’ve got enough celebrities and enough public figures with enough opinions on telling both parties what to do.

“I’ve got a lane. The lane right now is mikeroweWORKS and BuildFreedom. And in that lane are hundreds of thousands of great jobs that are wide open. … And I mean that sincerely to anybody on the left, anybody on the right.”

MikeroweWORKS and BuildFreedom are “so aggressively uninterested in your politics,” Rowe said, focusing instead on work ethic and a willingness to learn skills that are in demand.

In regard to his focus on blue-collar work and warnings that the artificial intelligence revolution is endangering it, Rowe said of AI pioneers like Elon Musk that he won’t bet against the mogul or his work.

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“Three-quarters of the country is uneasy with AI … but the people building this infrastructure are talking about a $10 trillion investment in our future.”

Rowe said Americans have a habit of becoming suspicious of the very industries and technologies they eventually depend on. Still, he remained confident that the country’s democratic process and spirit of innovation will prevail.

“We’re going to argue like hell,” he said. “And, in the end, hopefully somebody somewhere in this town will be talking about these same things 250 years from now.”

President Donald Trump addressed speculation about the dangers of flying home from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, amid Iranian threats, saying he is not flying home on the new Air Force One because the aircraft is being sent to the United Kingdom.

“It’s flying to Europe, to one of the big bases,” Trump said. “Two or three of the big bases where we can show it to the people. And we’ll be going home by normal methods.”

Trump said the aircraft would stop at “a couple of bases,” including one in particular, “so the soldiers can see it, because it’s truly magnificent.”

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In a Truth Social post earlier Wednesday, Trump said the new aircraft was being sent to Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom to honor U.S. troops.

“To honor our brave men and women of the Military, we are sending the brand new, and truly spectacular, Air Force One to Mildenhall Air Force Base, in the United Kingdom, to give them a chance to tour the Aircraft — Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first,” Trump wrote.

“For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall, a short trip that is totally worth doing in order to give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!” he added.

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Trump was pressed during a news conference about speculation that he was leaving Turkey on the older presidential aircraft due to possible threats from Iran.

“Well, I speak about it a lot because, you know, the life of a president is very dangerous,” Trump said, adding that he is “No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.

“They’re lovely people. I’m No. 1.”

TRUMP FACES UNPRECEDENTED THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Trump, the target of at least three assassination attempts, has frequently addressed the danger of being the leader of the free world, noting the mortality rate is “5.2%” for U.S. presidents.

“You know what a race car driver is? One tenth of 1%,” Trump continued. “A bull rider – that looks pretty dangerous to me – it’s one tenth of 1%.

“You should have told me,” the president said. “You’re an excellent reporter. You should have told me that years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have run. It’s a very dangerous profession.”

Trump added he doesn’t “really care” about the threats or danger, “because I’m doing my job.”

“I like being No. 1 on TikTok better,” Trump said, “but I’m No. 1 on the list for killing.”

FIRST ON FOX: A scandal-plagued Democratic congressional candidate who previously claimed the U.S. has “an abusive cop problem” suggested in a resurfaced tweet that half of the police officers he has interacted with are “abusive a–holes.”

In a since-deleted 2017 post on what was then Twitter, Bobby Pulido, a Latin music star running for Congress as a Democrat in a critical South Texas swing district, wrote, “I’ve had many incidents with cops.”

He said he was pulled over in Mississippi for swerving out of his lane and that one of the officers pulled a gun on him after asking for his identification. In a follow-up tweet, still viewable on X, Pulido suggested that the officers “really wanted to search my jag for money.”

“Bull f—— s—,” he wrote. “Half of the ones [police officers] have been courteous (even when ticketing me) the others, abusive a–holes.”

DEM SENATE HOPEFUL UNDER FIRE FOR RESURFACED COMMENTS CALLING COPS ‘OPPORTUNISTIC COWARDS’

That same day, Pulido also tweeted that “Not all cops abuse power, but many do.”

In reference to an Arizona police officer being acquitted of second-degree murder after a fatal shooting in 2017, Pulido wrote, “The fact that he was found not guilty makes me question the validity of our justice system.”

Pulido is running to unseat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas’ Congressional District 15. As a former Tejano music star running in a heavily Hispanic district, Pulido poses a serious threat to De La Cruz’s seat because of his strong name recognition. However, his campaign thus far has been marred by controversy, including facing scrutiny over his relationship with longtime bandmate and convicted child sex offender Frankie Caballero.

He has also been criticized for saying that “White nationalists” are joining immigration enforcement to “hunt people down.”

Pulido’s campaign has dismissed both matters as “lies” and “desperate attacks.”

In another resurfaced post from 2018, Pulido wrote that “we have an abusive cop problem.” His post referenced a video of an El Paso police officer appearing to point his gun at a mob of children who seemed to be attempting to interfere with an arrest.

In the same thread, Pulido wrote, “I long for the day when we teach our children how to behave even when a cop is way out of line. He should be punished legally and to the fullest, not by abhorrent curse words from children.”

A year later, Pulido wrote that, “unfortunately, many people including some judges and police when given power, turn into monsters. Human nature?”

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In response to the resurfaced tweets, Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, accused Pulido of smearing law enforcement.

“Pedophile protecting Pulido has displayed a disturbing pattern of befriending criminals while smearing the brave men and women of law enforcement,” Kraft told Fox News Digital.

Kraft ripped into Pulido, calling him the Spanish word for “rotten,” and predicting that South Texans “will reject this creep because, unlike Bobby ‘Podrido,’ they want sex predators in jail, not performing at middle schools.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pulido and the Democratic National Committee for comment.

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Beyond these comments, Pulido has also faced scrutiny for claiming that President Donald Trump and Republicans’ immigration enforcement agenda is motivated by the “theory of White replacement.”

“When President Trump ran, he ran on getting rid of the bad guys. They lied to us,” Pulido said.

“It’s race. It’s always down to race. And I hate to say this, because I hate to inflame it, but I’m going to call it out because that is what it is. Look, when they have this theory of White replacement, they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, no, if it weren’t for this and this and crime,’ they’ll throw in all these other things to dance around the true issue,” he said. “Which is there’s too many Brown and Black people, which they’re saying they’re just going to stay the same and be poor.”

Pulido noted during the interview, “I do not want to demonize law enforcement.” However, he expressed that when it comes to immigration enforcement, “a lot of the people that are joining, not all of them, OK. There’s a lot of White nationalists that want to join because they want to go hunt down people, right, they’re yahoos.”

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After De La Cruz’s campaign accused Pulido of smearing Border Patrol officers, a spokesperson for his campaign told Fox News Digital that “these desperate attacks prove one thing. The GOP establishment is in full panic mode because Mentirosa [Spanish for ‘liar’] Monica De La Cruz is running a dumpster fire of a campaign, and they know they’re going to lose.”

The spokesperson said that Pulido “has been a lifelong supporter of our law enforcement” and added that “South Texas knows that, and they’re going to make it loud and clear in November.”

Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was ordered Wednesday to pay a $5,000 fine for obstructing the arrest of an illegal immigrant at a courthouse, but will not serve any prison time.

“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” said U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman.

Dugan, 66, was convicted of felony obstruction last year after federal agents attempted to serve a warrant to Eduardo Flores-Ruiz on April 18, 2025. She was acquitted of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor. She faced up to five years in prison. 

Prosecutors had asked that Dugan be sentenced to between 15 and 21 months. 

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Dugan addressed the case against her on Wednesday just before Adelman imposed her sentence, defending her actions and announcing she intends to “return to public service.” 

“My acts that day were consistent with community concerns at the courthouse,” Dugan said. “My judicial acts were not done with any malicious intent or to advance any personal interests.”

“Since the government’s arrest of me, I was forced to retire… In January, I resigned from my office, so the constituents would have a judge in my branch to begin the year,” she added. “I have been cast as a scofflaw and as a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job. Your honor, I will not let those minutes on April 18, 2025 define my life’s work.”

In January, Dugan resigned from the Milwaukee County circuit judgeship amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers, who labeled her an activist judge.

Before her sentencing, several people testified on her behalf. 

“Hannah models what it means to be Christian,” said Rev. Gregory J. O’Meara, a Jesuit priest, lawyer and law professor who met Dugan at the University of Wisconsin’s law school. “We’ve made arrangements to hold services for her privately because she’s been hassled. I do not think there is a need for further punishment, deterrence, retribution or reform.”

Janine Geske, a law professor at Marquette University, said Dugan’s life wasn’t “completely defined by her work.”

“She has been punished by being handcuffed… by being in the media… all she loves to do is share with others,” Geske said. “She has lost her profession and her income and she’s here humbly to ask you to give her the opportunity to return to the community.”

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On the day of the incident, ICE agents appeared at the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning Flores-Ruiz, 31, had re-entered the United States illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state domestic violence case. 

Upon learning ICE agents were in the building, Dugan confronted them outside her courtroom, arguing their administrative warrant was insufficient to arrest Flores-Ruiz. She told the agents to go to the chief judge’s office down the hall and then directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to leave her courtroom through a back door, federal prosecutors said. 

Flores-Ruiz was spotted moments later by the agents, who followed him outside and arrested him after a brief foot chase.

Dugan’s lawyers argued that she was shielded from prosecution because of her position as a judge. However, Adelman rejected the argument. 

“What judges around the country are looking at this case and saying, ‘Yes, Sign me up?’ There won’t be a crime wave of judges defying ICE. No judges have acted similarly,” Dugan’s defense attorney Steve Biskupic said Wednesday in court. 

Prosecutors said Dugan violated her oath as a judge, putting the lives of law enforcement officers and the public at risk, while Republican lawmakers cast her as an activist judge. 

Dugan was arrested by the FBI weeks after the confrontation with ICE and led outside in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz has since been deported.

Kentucky’s top elected official wants Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to come clean about his health.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, called on the ailing lawmaker to reveal his condition to constituents in a letter sent to the 84-year-old on Wednesday.

He wrote that over the last few weeks, “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.”

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“As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health,” Beshear wrote. “As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent.”

“I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve,” he continued. “We wish you a safe and speedy recovery.”

McConnell’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

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McConnell has been absent from the Senate, which is currently in recess, for the last three weeks. He was first hospitalized for an unknown condition in early June.

Since then, his office has kept details of his health and a timetable for his return close to the vest. 

The only public insight into his condition has come from leaked emergency dispatch audio from a June 14 call the day McConnell was sent to the hospital, which revealed the longtime Senate Republican was “unconscious” and may have suffered a heart attack.

Over time and with a lack of clarity on the lawmaker’s health, the rumor mill has been running at full speed online, speculating about the exact nature of his condition.

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Laura Loomer, a conservative commentator, claimed that a “high-level source close to the White House” said McConnell was “brain-dead” and that the lawmaker “isn’t ever coming back.”

Meanwhile, McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, traveled to China shortly after his hospitalization and remained there until this week. Her office cited that McConnell’s health “did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”

While the fog around his condition thickened, McConnell did speak with top Senate Republicans.

Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said that they had spoken with McConnell at length about the Graham Platner scandal, happenings in the Senate and the recent decisions at the Supreme Court.

President Donald Trump claimed that NATO failed two key tests as he lambasted the international cooperative on the national stage during a high-stakes summit in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday.

“I’m not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland, and I’m not happy with NATO because of the fact they didn’t want to help us with the No. 1 state sponsor of terror — that’s Iran,” the 47th president told reporters. “They were unwilling to help us.”

“But I was really testing,” Trump revealed. “I wanted to see if they would be there.”

DENMARK VOWS TO DEFEND GREENLAND AFTER TRUMP REITERATES US SHOULD CONTROL TERRITORY

Trump has been eyeing an acquisition of Greenland, the autonomous island territory that is backed in defense, foreign affairs and monetary policy by Denmark. Greenlanders are officially citizens of Denmark.

The president has proposed purchasing Greenland from Denmark multiple times, and insisted Tuesday at the summit in Turkey that the territory is critical to global security and that it “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.”

As China and Russia expand their presence in the region, Trump has continuously said that acquiring the territory, which plays a critical role in U.S. missile warning systems and Arctic defense, is a necessity.

“We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States,” Trump said.

Now, Trump claims that his idea to acquire the territory was actually a test of NATO to see if world leaders would support the U.S. in that effort.

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Trump claimed that Danish leadership has not been helpful to Greenland and its people.

“Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States. And it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships,” he said.

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Danish leaders have repeatedly insisted that Greenland is not for sale, and took a more forceful stance against Trump on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, once again, that the territory is “not for sale.” She also insisted that Denmark is “ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory.”

“We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,” she continued. “And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.”

Trump has long been critical of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), specifically accusing member nations of mooching of the United States, which spends nearly $1 trillion per year on defense.

Germany spends the second-most on defense out of all the allied nations, but the total is only one-tenth of what the U.S. spends.

Most recently, Trump demanded each NATO member nation spend 5% of their respective GDPs on defense.

The president has also previously threatened to leave the alliance, claiming it is not beneficial to the U.S.

Meanwhile, the war with Iran lingers on after Trump declared Tuesday that the tentative ceasefire with the Middle Eastern nation is “over.” He called Iran “scum” and “evil” after the U.S. launched new strikes.

Previously, a much-maligned memorandum of understanding was put in place to de-escalate the war, which critics said conceded too much to the Iranians.

Trump lost his patience with Tehran after they launched attacks on trade vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week, and called negotiations with the country a “waste of time.”

Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack, Morgan Phillips and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt met with President Donald Trump Monday in the Oval Office while in Washington, D.C., a senior administration official confirmed to Fox News Digital.

“I will never stop fighting for my community,” Pratt captioned the photo of the meeting on X.

Pratt posted a photo of the meeting on X showing himself and his son seated with an unidentified man and who appeared to be White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at the Resolute Desk across from Trump. The meeting took place before Trump departed to Turkey to attend the NATO summit.

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The former reality TV star drew national attention with a surprise bid for Los Angeles mayor, challenging incumbent Karen Bass but ultimately falling short.

Pratt met with “lots of people” while at the White House, the official added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Pratt’s team for additional comment.

Pratt announced Tuesday he is launching The WAR Foundation, an organization focused on fighting political corruption through media campaigns, investigative research and public education.

The foundation says it aims to promote transparency, accountability and what it describes as restoring “common sense” while opposing socialism in government and cultural institutions.

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Trump endorsed Pratt in May, urging California voters to support his campaign.

Pratt’s Oval Office meeting came right after Independence Day, when he went viral for slamming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Fourth of July comments.

Mamdani took the opportunity to criticize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Elon Musk and what he described as the “arena of supremacy” in the United States.

“As we mark 250 years, what do we see?” Mamdani said in part. “We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions.”

“Notice how the communists always attack your history,” Pratt said of Mamdani in the viral response video.

He filmed his response beside his RV on the site where his home burned down in the Los Angeles Palisades fire – a key reason for his bid for mayor. He sported a T-shirt reading, “the anti-socialists social club” in the video.

“The communist destroys your history so he can take your home and rebuild it in his image. That’s why it is your patriotic duty to celebrate today unashamed. It’s OK to love America, not only is it OK to love America, it’s necessary to love America. We are the only bulwark against tyranny on this earth,” said Pratt in part.

The front-runner in Michigan’s messy Democratic primary has repeatedly said he never called for defunding the police, but unearthed interviews and video from years earlier tell a different story. 

Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the Democratic nomination in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., has been adamant throughout his push for the Senate that he never wanted to strip tax dollars from police departments, going so far as to say he deleted old tweets embracing the ideology.

But in a video for the University of Michigan published five years ago titled, “Systemic Racism as a Public Health Issue,” El-Sayed argued that funding police and their use of force was a facet of systemic racism and constituted a public health issue.

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“Why are we investing so much in people with guns and less in people with the means of being able to invest in young folks, empower folks through their livelihoods, and empower them to live their best lives?” El-Sayed questioned.

“Do police really need to use guns? Do we need as much of a police force?” he continued. “And so, if we ask ourselves about how we spend money in the public, where that money goes, where it comes from, we need to make a lot better decisions about investing in the things that root out poverty, rather than investing in policing poverty.” 

The video follows a report from CNN that found during the height of the “defund the police” movement in 2020, El-Sayed leaned into it.

During an interview with Detroit Public Radio from June 2020, El-Sayed argued that he never directly called to “defund the police,” but he contended that the principles behind the movement were difficult to express online in a tweet.

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE CONFRONTED REPEATEDLY OVER ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST, DEFUNDING THE POLICE

“So, you’ll note, I didn’t say ‘defund the police,’ I just described what needed to be done,” El-Sayed said. “And I do think we need to be really focused on describing or explaining rather than sort of hedging on one side or the other behind a hashtag.”

“Defunding the police is disinvesting in the means of incarcerating someone or killing them on the streets and investing more in the means of educating and empowering and engaging communities with the means of being able to take on systemic poverty that we’ve allowed to fester in too many communities.”

El-Sayed tried to pitch his stance as “refunding” the police to ensure taxpayer dollars don’t flow to “buy war materiel to wage war in our streets.”

“What we call that is, to me, less important than what we do on the problems on the ground,” he said at the time.

DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CALLED FOR MASS RELEASE OF CRIMINALS DURING PRISON ABOLITION WEBINAR

Roxie Richner, a campaign spokesperson for El-Sayed, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he worked closely with law enforcement during his time as director of Health, Human, and Veterans Services for Wayne County, Michigan, and that “as hands-on experience always allows, his perspective has become more nuanced.”

“One simple word has never been enough to fully explain the reforms we need for a challenge as complex as our criminal legal system,” she said.

“Just as he did in Wayne County in 2023, Abdul believes we need to improve law enforcement recruitment, retention, and retirement funding so that law enforcement officers come from the communities they serve,” Richner continued. “He also believes we must reject militarized policing, pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and opt for community violence intervention, behavioral health response, and improvements in public health to reduce violence and protect the lives of communities and law enforcement alike.”

Still, El-Sayed has sought to clean up his position on the matter as he runs ahead in one of the most consequential races of the 2026 midterm cycle. 

He and Stevens are vying to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., for a seat Republicans are hungry to flip.

And more broadly, El-Sayed is part of the progressive wave that is flooding into the Democratic Party, sporting endorsements from progressive heavyweights like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

The candidate, however, can’t seem to shake off his posts and interviews from years ago despite this support.

Just last week during an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt, El-Sayed was pressed on his old posts and shot back that he “deleted all the tweets, because I didn’t want them to be taken out of context like this.”

He chalked up the issue to “clickbait in D.C.”

“I think this debate about 2020 and the ways that tweets are going to play are really nice on CNN if you want to get clicks,” El-Sayed said. “They’re not that effective, and nobody really asks me about them on the streets or in communities in Michigan.”

President Donald Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision rejecting his appeal of the $5 million civil judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, a request filed after the justices turned away the case last week.

The court denied Trump’s petition June 29 without taking up the case, leaving in place the judgment tied to a 2023 jury verdict that found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her. Trump has denied Carroll’s allegations.

In the rehearing petition, Trump’s lawyers argue the court should reopen the case because he plans to file a separate Supreme Court appeal in another Carroll defamation case that they say will raise presidential immunity questions.

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL ‘CONTINUE THE FIGHT’ AFTER SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO REVIEW CARROLL ABUSE VERDICT

They asked the justices to “grant rehearing” or hold the petition while the related case proceeds.

“Petitioner President Donald J. Trump respectfully petitions for rehearing of this Court’s June 29, 2026 order denying his petition for a writ of certiorari,” the Michael Martinich-Sauter filing read. “Rehearing is warranted because President Trump will imminently file a petition for a writ of certiorari in Carroll v. Trump, No. 24-644 (2d Cir.) (“Carroll I”), which will present vital questions concerning Presidential immunity for official statements.

“Those questions are likely to bear on the proper disposition of Trump v. Carroll, No. 25-573 (“Carroll II”), due to the fact that Respondent improperly introduced and relied on those same official Presidential statements at trial in Carroll II. See Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593, 630-32 (2024).

“The Court should grant rehearing, and either grant the petition in this case, or hold it pending the disposition of the petition in Carroll I.”

MORNING GLORY: THE SUPREME COURT OFFICIALLY CLOSES THE BOOKS ON ANOTHER TERM

The request faces steep odds. Supreme Court rules limit rehearing petitions after the denial of certiorari to intervening circumstances with a substantial or controlling effect, or other substantial grounds not previously presented.

The Supreme Court docket shows Trump’s first rehearing filing was not accepted Monday because a correction was needed.

The corrected petition was submitted Wednesday. The court has not yet ruled on the rehearing request.

READ THE REHEARING PETITION — APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

A decision could come later this month, perhaps as soon as July 20.

Fox News’ Shannon Bream and William Mears contributed to this report