EXCLUSIVE: A group of teen girls are suing the state of Oregon over its laws that allow trans athletes to compete in girls' sports.Two of the girls said they made the decision to file the lawsuit after witnessing the viral feud between Riley Gaines and Simone Biles in June.Maddie Eischen and Sophia Carpenter first entered the national battle when they refused to compete against a trans athlete at the Chehalem Classic back on April 18. They told Fox News Digital that Gaines reached out to them shortly after their forfeit and encouraged them to consider filing a lawsuit against the state.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMThen, after seeing the fallout of Gaines' online clash with Biles, Eischen and Carpenter were convinced to file suit."I think especially when Riley Gaines and Simone Biles, and that whole thing happened and kind of seeing how that played out and how the public responded, I think that was encouraging to see how many people are on the side of protecting women's sports," Carpenter said.Eischen recalls the public reaction she saw to both Biles and Gaines when the war of words started between the two women. Eischen especially recalls seeing the comments on Biles' recent Instagram posts that night."All of the comments on Simone's post were very negative to her, I saw people that commented on it, and I liked it. But there was a lot of shock that she had even said that, and disappointment," Eischen said.The feud started when Biles took issue with Gaines, calling out a Minnesota high school whose softball team won a state championship Friday with a transgender pitcher. Gaines noted that comments on X were turned off on the Minnesota State High School Leagues post with a photo of the team on social media.Biles responded, calling Gaines "truly sick," then later sent a second post on X telling Gaines to "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male."Soon after, millions of social media users across the world were chiming in.Carpenter agreed she saw people in her social circles, who didn't often discuss the topic of trans athletes in women's and girls' sports, suddenly getting in on the conversation."Your average American I think a lot of people don't pay as much attention to this issue, and I think that with that with the whole Simone Biles and Riley Gaines, with all that fallout, that definitely brought some more attention," Carpenter said. "It kept it in the news cycle, it kept people looking and saying hey, theres this issue in girls' sports that's happening a lot more than people think it is.'"TRACKING THE TRANS ATHLETE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CONTROVERSIES SHAKING THE NATION OVER THE LAST YEARBiles later released an apology for her comments about Gaines, writing "It didnt help for me to get personal with Riley." Days later, Biles deleted her X account completely, but the impact of the exchange left its mark, especially on Carpenter and Eischen."It was almost backstabbing in a way," Carpenter said.Eischen added, "I definitely don't look up to her in the same way that I did."Above all else, the feud helped cement the teens' decision to launch their lawsuit against the state. The lawsuit is led by the legal advocacy group the America First Policy Institute."America First Policy Institute is proud to stand with brave young women in Oregon and to file this lawsuit to hold state officials accountable for violating their sex-based rights under Title IX," America First Policy Institute Executive General Counsel Jessica Hart Steinmann said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital."Female athletes deserve fairness, safety, and equal opportunitynot a system that sacrifices their rights in favor of radical ideology. This case is about restoring the original promise of Title IX and sending a clear message: the law still protects women."In court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the plaintiffs outline the experiences of having to navigate a girls' sports season while dealing with biological male competitors, with an emphasis on their April forfeit at the Chehalem Classic."For [Carpenter] the psychological and emotional weight of that moment became overwhelmingshe felt helpless, demoralized, and betrayed by the institutions and adults charged with protecting her equal opportunity for fair play. ultimately, she realized that she was unable to participate in the high jump that day and withdrew from the event," the lawsuit alleges.Both Carpenter and Eischen previously told Fox News Digital the experience was "traumatic.""My experience at the Chehalem track meet and scratching myself from the meet was traumatic, something I never imagined ever having to do," Eischen said.Carpenter added, "It was emotionally traumatic trying to know what I should do and how I should respond to competing with [the trans athlete]."Carpenter said she found herself so overwhelmed with emotion from the experience, that she cried on the ride home after the meet. Now, despite being faced with "fear" of potential retaliation for filing a lawsuit, the two girls are officially in it and charging ahead with a legal battle that could garner plenty of national attention.Eischen will be fighting this legal battle as she is set to begin her collegiate athletic career as a woman's basketball player at Oregon Tech starting this fall.Meanwhile, Carpenter will be returning to finish her high school sports career at Newberg High School later this year. Her high school is listed as one of the defendants in the lawsuit."I will stand by it, even when the backlash comes," Carpenter said.Fox News Digital has reached out to the Oregon Department of Education and Newberg High School for comment.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X,and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Socialist 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani's primary victory shocked the Democratic Party establishment this June, as his campaign played into the hands of an evolving and chronically online New York City electorate.Scrolling through Mamdani's social media, his TikTok and Instagram pages resemble that of a New York City influencer. From the film-like filters and consistent fonts on his vertical videos to the cameos from celebrities, including model Emily Ratajkowski and comedian Bowen Yang, Mamdani's videos have amassed millions of views.However, if his social media strategy wasn't enough to attract voters' attention, the primary colors of his campaign graphics are likely to turn heads. Mamdani's cobalt blue, poster-like red and taxi-cab or MetroCard yellow are bright compared to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's muted red, white and blue color scheme.Mamdani's politics are a departure from the establishment Democratic Party, as the self-described Democratic socialist campaigned on taxing the 1% and creating government-run grocery stores, among other radical proposals. If Mamdani wins in November, he will not just become the first Muslim mayor, but the first millennial mayor of New York City.DEMS AT A CROSSROADS AS ESTABLISHMENT PLANS 'PROJECT 2029' WHILE SOCIALIST CANDIDATE WINS NYC MAYORAL PRIMARYRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress. She was 29 years old when she took office in 2019, in a blue wave that elected progressive "Squad" members during President Donald Trump's first midterm elections.DEM SOCIALIST'S NYC PRIMARY UPSET SIGNALS 'GENERATIONAL' SHIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, STRATEGISTS SAYKnown by her supporters and detractors as AOC, the progressive Democrat was quick to seize on her millennial social media sixth sense. She has made plenty of headlines from her off-script Instagram lives and stories as her supporters and constituents chime in with questions for the Bronx and Queens representative.The social media strategy is one used by influencers, but in an ever-evolving media landscape, more politicians have seized on viral moments to send their message to the masses. Trump successfully used new media during the 2024 presidential election, appearing on long-form podcasts and creating viral TikTok videos.Ocasio-Cortez, along with her fellow Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, endorsed Mamdani ahead of New York City's primary election. On primary day in New York City, Ocasio-Cortez hosted an Instagram Live conversation with Mamdani, who had a simple but effective message: "If I win, that rent's getting frozen. If Andrew Cuomo wins, the rent's going up."On the Friday before the election, Mamdani walked the entire length of Manhattan, shaking hands with ordinary New Yorkers and supporters alike. However, Mamdani didn't just walk through Manhattan, he documented the journey, bringing his followers along for the ride just like an influencer would.The walk, from Inwood to Battery Park, has become somewhat of a rite of passage for New York City influencers over the past few years, as walking clubs like City Girls Who Walk NYC, and "Hot Girl Walks" have gained popularity in the fitness space.Mamdani appeared on the popular "Subway Takes" podcast, sharing his campaign pitch to Kareem Rahma's 1 million followers. Additionally, he joined 25-year-old progressive Democrat star David Hogg for man-on-the-street-style interviews in Washington Square Park, the site of popular TikTok series like, "Whats Poppin?"Hogg recently left the Democratic National Committee (DNC) after stirring up tension over his $20 million plan to primary older incumbent Democrats he said were "asleep at the wheel" through his outside political group, Leaders We Deserve.Mamdani also created his own viral moments on the campaign trail, riding side-by-side on CitiBikes with NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, whom Mamdani cross-endorsed on the ranked-choice ballot to secure his win over Cuomo and when he posted his subway-to-courthouse wedding photos covered by The Cut.While another such article by The Cut, "It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl," by Brock Colyar, carefully articulated the changing landscape and demographic of New York City, Mamdani also met "outer borough voters," including older and immigrant New Yorkers, online."One week ago today, we shocked the establishment and redrew the political map of New York City with a campaign relentlessly focused on the needs of working people," Mamdani said in a social media video, speaking directly to his followers and supporters alike.In the video, Mamdani explained how he won back voters "many had written off," including Trump voters and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams voters. Mamdani said he built a "coalition" campaign by speaking voters' languages, or at least trying to, to reflect the "mosaic" of New York City.Speaking in Hindi in another two-minute video with his signature filter, Mamdani even broke down ranked-choice voting ahead of the primary by pouring juice into cups with his and Cuomo's faces photoshopped on top, to show how consolidating his vote could land Mamdani a victory, and ranked-choice voting did just that.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to give the U.S. a leg up in its race against China and to ween the nation off of its reliance on imports of key raw materials needed for weapons systems.Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., would like to fast-track the harvesting of raw materials in the U.S. needed for the nations defensive capabilities, and plans to blow through federal and judicial red tape to do it.Cotton plans to introduce legislation that would allow critical mineral mining projects deemed necessary to bolster the nations military and defensive readiness by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to skirt environmental laws and possible blockages by the courts.'WHO WOULDN'T WANT IT?': NETANYAHU OPEN TO RECEIVING STEALTH BOMBERS, BUNKER-BUSTERS FROM USHis bill is designed to give the U.S. an edge against China, the worlds largest producer of critical minerals like cobalt, lithium, graphite and other rare earth minerals used in weapons systems, electric vehicles and consumer electronics.Currently, China produces roughly 60% of the world's critical mineral supply, and processes up to 90%.SEN. STEVE DAINES SAYS REGIME CHANGE IS THE BEST LONG-TERM PLAN IN IRAN"Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk and waste taxpayer dollars on projects that stall out and die on the vine," Cotton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently."Cottons bill, dubbed the Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act, would create a waiver for mining activities and projects related to countering China and to allow the Pentagon to "operate with maximum agility and efficiency to ensure it is prepared to deter and, if necessary, fight and win a conflict with the Chinese Communist Party," according to bill text first obtained by Fox News Digital.Among the regulations and environmental review standards that could be skirted with the waiver are the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and Federal Water Pollution Control Act.SENATE SHUTS DOWN KAINE'S ATTEMPT TO CHECK TRUMP'S WAR POWERSCotton argued in his legislation that the aforementioned regulations "frequently and unnecessarily delay" the preparedness of the military without "substantial benefit to the environment or protected species," and that time is of the essence when it comes to national defense.The projects that would fall under the umbrella of the regulation exemption include testing and production and deployment of technologies, systems or equipment and the construction, maintenance, expansion, or repair of facilities or Defense Department infrastructure, among others.It would also prevent projects from being snarled in the courts, as long as the initiative is deemed necessary for military preparedness by the Secretary of Defense.The bill fits into the White Houses broader plan to jump-start critical mineral mining in the country, be it through executive action, a bid to buy Greenland, a minerals agreement with Ukraine, or opening up more offshore mining in the Gulf of America.It also comes after President Donald Trump reached a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resume trade of critical minerals after shipments were stopped earlier this year following the White Houses slew of tariffs against China and other countries.

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced it will sue the California Department of Education (CDE) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) over Title IX violations.The administration is asking for an injunction on the states policy allowing males to compete against females in sports an issue that reached a fever pitch earlier this year when a transgender athlete won multiple events in girls track and field competitions.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMCalifornias policies "eviscerate equal athletic opportunities for girls they also require girls to share intimate spaces, such as locker rooms, with boys, causing a hostile educational environment that denies girls educational opportunities," the lawsuit said."The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition."The states current policy allows athletes to participate in sports "consistent with" their gender identity. State officials have maintained that this doesnt violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.Fox News Digital reached out to the CDE and CIF for comment.The U.S. Education Department recently found California in violation of Title IX. However, the CDE and CIF both declined to sign the proposed resolution agreement offered by the department late last month. The CDE and CIF were given until July 7 to meet the demand.REP KEVIN KILEY REFLECTS ON IMPACT OF CALIFORNIA TRANS ATHLETE CONFLICT AMID STATE'S BATTLE WITH TRUMPOn Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom was asked again about his thoughts on transgender athletes competing in girls and womens sports."I struggled with the issue of fairness when it came to sports," he said at an event in South Carolina. "And we tried to figure that out a couple of years ago, and we were unsuccessful, and we struggled with that recently."And my position is that I dont think its fair, but I also think its demeaning to talk down to people, and to belittle the trans community. And I dont like the way the right wing talks about the trans community. These people just want to survive."Newsom has made his thoughts about fairness clear, and those words were used in the Trump administrations lawsuit against the state, which was filed in U.S. District Court Central District of California."Across the State of California, girls must compete against boys in various sports pursuant to policies enforced by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)," the suit read. "These discriminatory policies and practices ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous gender identity.""The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition. In the words of the Governor of California, it is deeply unfair for girls to compete against boys."This discrimination is not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys. It erodes the integrity of girls sports, diminishes their competitive experience, and undermines the very purpose of Title IX: to provide equal access to educational benefits, including interscholastic athletics."Despite warnings from the United States Department of Education, Defendants continue to require California schools to allow boys to compete against girls. The United States accordingly files this action to stop Defendants illegal sex discrimination against female student athletes."Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

President Donald Trump took a different tone on Russian leader Vladimir Putin during his Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, calling out the "bull----."Trump was making a contrast between the assistance his administration sent Ukraine during his first term and what former President Barack Obama approved."I gave them the javelins. Remember? They said, Trump gave the javelins and Obama gave them sheets. Right. They called Obama at that time, Barack Hussein Obama. If you haven't heard, he did a terrible job," Trump said. "That was a war that should have happened. And a lot of people are dying and it should end. And I don't know, we get we get a lot of bull---- thrown at us by Putin. If you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Obama rejected Ukraine's request for lethal aid and instead sent non-lethal military assistance, including items like blankets, night vision devices and medical supplies. In December 2017, Trump marked a shift in U.S. policy toward Ukraine by approving the sale of Javelin missiles and launch units.NATO JETS SCRAMBLED AMID RUSSIA'S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINETrump on Tuesday said the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan gave Putin the green light to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine."I think that had you not had the situation in Afghanistan, I don't think Putin would have gotten in. I think when he looked at how stupid and incompetent that operation was, he said, wow, this might be a chance'," Trump told reporters. "We're dealing with him now, too. We're not happy with Putin. I'm not happy with Putin, I can tell you that much right now, because he's killing a lot of people, and a lot of them are his soldiers, his soldiers and their soldiers, mostly. And it's now up to 7,000 a week. And I'm not happy with Putin."Last week, Trump said he was "very disappointed" by his phone call with Putin, who afterward refused to back down from his objectives and launched the largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began. Trump, meanwhile, reported having a "very strategic call" with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the United States weighed whether to sell Kyiv more Patriot missiles.Since beginning his second term, Trump has expressed having a "good relationship" with Putin. As the U.S. attempted to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, Trump reported having a "lengthy and very productive" call with Putin in March. Meanwhile, a meeting in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy grew increasingly contentious as Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful for U.S. support and of resisting a peace deal."You're gambling with World War III, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have," Trump told Zelenskyy in February.ZELENSKYY TOUTS 'FRUITFUL' TRUMP CALL AFTER US PRESIDENT WAS 'DISAPPOINTED' BY PUTIN TALKTrump and Zelenskyy met at The Hague during the NATO summit last month, and afterward the U.S. president said of Zelenskyy, "he couldnt have been nicer," while expressing a mutual desire to see an end to the three-year-long conflict.During his Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump criticized the scale of the U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden, while also praising "brave" Ukrainian fighters."I will say the Ukrainians were brave, but we gave them the best equipment ever made," Trump said. Without it, the president said, the conflict, "probably would have been a very quick war, would have been a war that lasted 3 or 4 days.""But they had the benefit of unbelievable equipment and Europe gave them too. We gave them far more because Biden shouldn't have done that. He should have equalized," Trump said. "We should have given them the same or we should have given actually less than Europe because it affects Europe much more than us. But we're in there for over $300 billion. Europe's in there for over 100 billion, but still Europe gave a lot.""And I will say this. The Ukrainians, whether you think it's unfair that we gave all that money or not, they were very brave because somebody had to operate that stuff," Trump added. "And a lot of people I know wouldn't be operating it. They wouldn't have the courage to do it. So they fought very bravely, but we gave them the best equipment in the world. We make the best military equipment by far. There's nobody close."The Pentagon paused U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine in June out of concern for U.S. stockpiles of critical munitions, including Patriot missiles, amid the Israel-Iran conflict.Trump said Tuesday some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine have resumed."We wanted to put defensive weapons because Putin is not, he's not treating human beings right. He's killing too many people. So we're sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I've approved that," Trump said.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese wrote on social media that the clipboard meltdown during the teams game against the Washington Mystics was done in the "heat of the moment."The incident went viral during the teams game on Tuesday. Reese had 22 points, 15 points and four assists as her double-double streak continued. However, with 30 seconds left in the game, Reese stormed toward the bench during a timeout and slapped the clipboard out of Ann Crosbys hand. Crosby is the teams vice president of strength and conditioning.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMIt generated a lot of criticism toward Reese from social media, but she brushed it off in a post on X."Those **** were p---ing me off," Reese wrote on the social media platform. "shoutout to Ann because she know it was the heat of the moment and she didnt let me apologize because she knew! Not happening again tho."AUTHOR REVEALS WHY CAITLIN CLARK 'NEVER HAD A CHANCE' OF MAKING OLYMPIC TEAMWashington picked up the 81-79 win.Reese received some good news later Tuesday. She was chosen as a reserve for the WNBA All-Star Game. She will be on Napheesa Colliers team, who was named as one of the captains along with Caitlin Clark. The Minnesota Lynx star added Reese to her roster.Last year, Reese teamed with Clark as the WNBA All-Stars took on Team USA. Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale was the MVP of the game after she went off for 34 points.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Vice President JD Vance slammed socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during a speech over the Fourth of July holiday weekend for what he called insulting the U.S. on its "most sacred day.""Today is July 5th, 2025, which means, as all of you know, that yesterday we celebrated the 249th anniversary of the birth of our nation," Vance said Saturday in an address before the conservative think tank Claremont Institutes Statesmanship Award Dinner in San Diego. "Now, the person who wishes to lead our largest city had, according to multiple media reports, never once publicly mentioned America's Independence Day in earnest. But when he did so this year, this is what he said, and this is an actual quote."Vance then continued to read Mamdani's Independence Day social media post, which read in part: "America is beautiful, contradictory, unfinished. I am proud of our country, even as we constantly strive to make it better."The vice president, who has not shied away from calling on political leaders across the world to show gratitude to the U.S. since Inauguration Day, remarked that there was "no gratitude in those words" and "no sense of owing something to this land and the people who turned its wilderness into the most powerful nation on earth."DEM SOCIALIST'S NYC PRIMARY UPSET SIGNALS 'GENERATIONAL' SHIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, STRATEGISTS SAY"I wonder, has he ever read the letters from boy soldiers in the Union Army to parents and sweethearts that they'd never see again?" Vance continued. "Has he ever visited the grave site of a loved one who gave their life to build the kind of society where his family could escape racial theft and racial violence? Has he ever looked in the mirror and recognized that he might not be alive were it not for the generosity of a country he dares to insult on its most sacred day?"FORMER PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST ON NYC PRIMARY WIN: 'I'M WISHING YOU MUCH SUCCESS'"Who the hell does he think that he is?" Vance said.Democratic socialist Mamdani trounced his top competitor, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at the polls in the Democratic primary in June, becoming the party's nominee for mayor. Mamdani's victory is viewed as the Democratic Party moving further to the left in New York City after national voters sounded off in the 2024 election that the party's embrace of some left-wing policies alienated Americans.DEMS AT A CROSSROADS AS ESTABLISHMENT PLANS 'PROJECT 2029' WHILE SOCIALIST CANDIDATE WINS NYC MAYORAL PRIMARYVance added in his San Diego speech that Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, and his family had experienced firsthand fleeing a foreign nation's dictatorship before finding refuge in the U.S., and yet the mayoral candidate still described America as incomplete and a contradiction."Zohran Mamdanis father fled Uganda when the tyrant Idi Amin decided to ethnically cleanse his nation's Indian population," Vance said. "Mamdani's family fled violent racial hatred, only for him to come to this country a country built by people he never knew, overflowing with generosity to his family, offering a haven from the kind of violent ethnic conflict that is commonplace in world history, but it is not commonplace here and he dares on our 249th anniversary to congratulate it by paying homage to its incompleteness, and to its, as he calls it, contradiction.'"Mamdani's campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on Vance's remarks.

Kesha canceled her concert in Texas due to safety concerns as the death toll from the devastating flash floods continues to rise."I wanted to say thank you for coming out to support an independent artist. I have been so excited for tonight and to celebrate my freedom and go t**s out with all of you, but due to the weather and what yall here in Texas have been facing, I have to put your safety first," Kesha wrote on X. "My heart is with you Texas. Im so sorry that I cant play this show tonight because of the weather and for all of your safety."TEXAS FLOODING DEATH TOLL SURPASSES 100 AS CAMP MYSTIC CAMPERS, COUNSELOR REMAIN MISSING"Im going to stay here in your beautiful city and come back here tomorrow and would love to play for all of you tomorrow night," she wrote. "All of your tickets will be honored and Im so sorry. Get home safe, lets party tomorrow," she concluded.Representatives for Kesha did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment."You're so real for doing this," one fan wrote. "I love you so much."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"Its not your fault Kesha! Keeping everyone safe is priority! Its so nice of your to offer to reschedule the show for tomorrow. Please stay safe yourself," another wrote.TEXAS FLOODS: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, JENNIFER GARNER AND MORE STARS RALLY BEHIND VICTIMSAs of Wednesday, at least 109 people were killed in central Texas in flash flooding that began early on the morning of the Fourth of July.Celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Hilary Duff and more have rallied behind Texans and all those who have been impacted."At least 70 lives have been lost, many more are unaccounted for, and countless Texans are hurting - inside and out," McConaughey wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday."If you're able, please lend a helping hand where and how you can. It's gonna be a long road ahead, but right now the shock, the pain, and the chaos need the steady hand of a neighbor. Texans are some of the most resilient and generous people on the planet."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERGarner, who was born in Houston, wrote: "Texas. God, be near."Duff, also a Houston native, said she's absolutely "heartbroken" over the devastation."Heartbroken doesn't begin to cover it. Consumed. Obsessed. Praying for even a shred of a miracle-to find a child alive in the wake of this boundless disaster," she began her heartfelt statement on Instagram. "Tears fall every time I imagine one of these families receiving bad news waiting or entire families lost. Just gone. It's too much to comprehend.""Beautiful Texas, I love you," Duff continued. "To all the boots on the ground-I love you. To those facing tremendous, impossible loss-we are looking at their beautiful faces, embossing them in our minds. We will remember them. Bright lights, gone far too soon.""I was - and forever will be - that girl with a wild hearted, fierce love for my barefoot summer at camp in the Texas hill country. It imprints on your soul. It changes your identity. It's a realm of true magic. You could never imagine an ending this tragic," Duff concluded. "I'm just so deeply, absolutely sorry. Your loss is felt across the world."Christy Carlson Romano said she had thought about sending her own daughter to Camp Mystic this summer."Im sitting outside waiting for my daughter at a playdate thinking about how we were almost thinking of Camp Mystic for a camp choice," she said, per E! News. "A lot of people I know send their kids there and a few of them dont know where their kids are or they were just recently reunited with them."

A legal maneuver by the defendant charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a Connecticut preparatory school lacrosse in May 2022, stemming from a booze-fueled teenage brawl, may win him an acquittal, according to a criminal defense attorney.Raul Valle, now 20, is waiting to learn his fate after standing trial for one count of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault after he allegedly stabbed James "Jimmy" McGrath, a 17-year-old Fairfield College Preparatory School athlete, to death at a house party.The jury was deadlocked at 11-1 on Monday and Tuesday, and deliberations are expected to continue Wednesday morning, as NBC Connecticut reported."I think those stories are very compelling for jurors. I think jurors really try to get it right," Donna Rotunno, criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital. "Obviously, there are some cases where maybe that analysis doesn't fit or somebody makes the claim of self-defense [and] it doesn't make sense under the law. But given the way this jury has been out now for a couple of days, and they're clearly deadlocked [defense attorneys] have made a compelling argument to at least one or some."DEADLOCKED JURORS IN PREP SCHOOL LACROSSE PLAYER'S KILLING A 'GREAT SIGN' FOR DEFENSE: EXPERTShe added that any time a defendant asserts self-defense, "the burden shifts to you to show that you were in reasonable fear."Valle took the witness stand in his own defense last week, which Rotunno said is "almost necessary" in cases like his.AUSTIN METCALFS SUSPECTED KILLER INDICTED ON FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE IN TRACK MEET STABBINGValle attended St. Joseph High School in Trumbull near Fairfield Prep, where McGrath was a junior. Both had been at a house party on the evening of May 14, 2022 that involved a fight and underage drinking prior to the stabbing, which occurred at another house party later that night.Police responded to several 911 calls reporting a fight that occurred just before midnight on May 14, 2022 outside a residence on Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton and found multiple victims on the front lawn. The owner of the residence where the party took place was home at the time of the incident, according to a warrant.At one point, there were about 25 people engaged in the fight on the front lawn of the home, witnesses told police. At least three juvenile suspects are mentioned in the report, including Valle, who is suspected of having a knife.McGrath had "one stab wound to the left side of the chest," the warrant states. "The stab wound went through the rib and heart."CONNECTICUT TEEN TO STAND TRIAL FOR PREP SCHOOL ATHLETE'S MURDER THAT HAS 'SHAKEN' PARENTS, SCHOOLS: ATTORNEYA doctor from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut told police that there were approximately 1.8 liters of blood in McGrath's lungs.During his emotional testimony, Valle said he never intended to kill anyone that evening. He said a friend handed him the knife during a large fight involving dozens of teenagers who surrounded him. He alleged that at one point during the fight, he lost consciousness.SELF-DEFENSE CLAIM IN AUSTIN METCALF SLAYING IS 'UPHILL BATTLE': EXPERTValle further said he was swinging the knife in all directions and felt overwhelmed, according to Court TV."So I think that it's very difficult in a self-defense case for a jury to not hear from the defendant," Rotunno explained. "Sometimes, you can establish it through other witnesses, but if you have a defendant that can take the stand, and you have somebody who is going to do a good job telling the jury what happened, I almost think it's necessary in these cases."Rotunno said that "in a melee, you have to remember, you're talking about split-second situations." She noted that at one point during his testimony, Valle was asked whether someone next to him was coming directly at him during the fight, to which he responded that he could not remember.RACHEL MORIN MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT DENIED EVER BEING IN MARYLAND AT TIME OF CRIME"I think that for the defense, the best piece of information is just the fact that this is a total fight. You have no idea who's coming at you. You don't know what's going to happen to you. You're in fear, and you act," she said. "And in any circumstance, I understand that the prosecution is going to say, he brought this knife to a fist fight, right? But just because you have a weapon on you doesn't mean that there was an intent to use it. And if you're not the aggressor, it doesn't mean you don't have a right to then defend yourself."If the jury does not come to an agreement, the judge may declare a mistrial. That could result in the case going "back to square one," Rotunno said. The defense could also argue for Valle's release in the case of a mistrial.A representative from St. Joseph told Fox News Digital in 2022 that Valle had been in good academic standing and had not been in any fights at school before the May 14 incident.Valle was released on $2 million bond just days after his arrest in May 2022.An obituary for McGrath described the 17-year-old as the "sunshine" of his parents' life and his sister's "best friend and confidant.""Many described Jim as a wonderfully happy person with a big heart who was a loving friend to many," the obituary states. "He loved his school, Fairfield Prep, and he excelled as an athlete in every sport he chose. He played football and lacrosse for Fairfield Prep and as a youth for Shelton and Connecticut Wolves as well. He understood the meaning of being part of a team."

Pamela Anderson knows that women can be many things, and despite her sex-symbol past, shes branching out to discover her new self at 58."I dont like being a sex symbol, I mean, I think its not very sexy," the "Baywatch" star told Elizabeth Day on her "How to Fail" podcast on Monday. "I think we all aspire to be sexy in our relationships, but sexy for the world is, I don't know."She said being a sex symbol "brought a lot of attention I didn't like, but I hate to say that because I'm not complaining, but I do feel that is kind of a slippery slope where you are presenting yourself to the world like this, and you get this attention back that can be even scary at times."She said at the age she is now, she wants to have a more natural look.PAMELA ANDERSON'S PRODUCER TAKES CREDIT FOR ORIGINAL SHOW AFTER CRITICS CLAIM MEGHAN MARKLE COPIED IT"I want to challenge myself and become and present myself in different ways because women are many things," she said, adding, "Were not just the wild animal between the sheets."She said that she's also found expectations from people in her life "pretty jarring" at times, "but Im glad Im in this place now, and looking back I think, 'Well, I got to be that person, I got to have those experiences and those are all part of me and theres some places Ive now compartmentalized my life a little bit more I present myself one way, I can be in a relationship one way I can still be wild and crazy when I want to, but its not 24/7."The actress, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for 2024s "The Last Showgirl" and stars with Liam Neeson in the upcoming "Naked Gun" movie, said she was "disappointed" with how her career had previously gone, "thinking I was never really going to be able to reach what I thought would be my full potential. Ive always been kind of carrying the secret that I could do more, but this business has a funny way about it."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSAnderson became one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1990s, playing lifeguard C.J. Parker on the hit show "Baywatch."She said she still struggles with having a connotation of "that girl in the red bathing suit, you know, the marriages, or just the personal part of it" when she hears her name. "So, if I feel that way, Im sure many people feel that way."The "Home Improvement" actress admitted she has trouble shaking that image of herself."Its been a funny kind of excavation in these last few years as to remember who I am, what are my original thoughts, what are my dreams and desires and how do I go about round two with all the lessons that I learned the first time around and thinking I just dont want to fall into the same trappings," she said.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERAnderson, who has recently begun going makeup-free at certain events, added, "Beautys subjective and we dont have to look like the covers of magazines. We dont have to do the industry standard."She said "everyone" was horrified when she decided she didnt need a "glam team for certain events. You know, Id rather go look at architecture at a museum when I was in Paris. I thought whos looking at me? Is anyone really going to fall over backwards if Im not wearing makeup?"The 58-year-old added, "Why am I sitting in a makeup chair for three hours when Im not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room?"She also doesnt want to "chase youth."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Thats just been fed to us to look as young as we can as long as we possibly can and I dont know, I think it gets more interesting," she said.