A California public school teacher who publicly suggested she married a man living in Gaza to help him obtain U.S. citizenship should “expect to be discovered and prosecuted” if the marriage was fraudulent, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said this week. The warning came after Laura Pinho — a Los Angeles dance teacher and activist with the leftist group CODEPINK — appeared to admit during a June webinar that her marriage was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to use her American citizenship to benefit a Palestinian man. “These individuals should expect to be discovered and prosecuted for this illegal activity,” USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler told the New York Post. “USCIS is constantly enhancing its investigative capabilities and will aggressively pursue individuals who engage in marriage fraud in an effort to obtain immigration benefits.” Federal law makes marriage fraud punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Pinho made the comments during a June 16 CODEPINK webinar titled “Challenging Zionism In Our Schools.” Speaking about her recent marriage, she framed the decision as a way to “equalize the playing field.” “I have power as an American citizen. I have a passport that I was just born with, and how can I live in this world if I don’t make every effort to equalize the playing field on whatever way that I can,” she said. Marriage records filed in Utah show Pinho married Salem S.E. Abu Amra on April 5. Utah is one of a handful of states that permits remote marriage ceremonies. The marriage came only weeks after Pinho organized a GoFundMe campaign for Abu Amra, portraying him as the primary provider for his family in Gaza and urging supporters to help him survive the ongoing war. Abu Amra has also posted material on social media praising or glorifying Palestinian militants. Among the posts is a 2019 tribute to Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Atta after the terrorist was killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as images featuring rifles alongside pro-Palestinian slogans. Pinho has denied Abu Amra has any connection to Hamas. After questions were raised about her remarks, Pinho denied marrying Abu Amra to obtain U.S. citizenship for him, insisting instead that she is “wildly in love” with her new husband. She claimed she avoided discussing those feelings during the CODEPINK webinar because her former domestic partner, Derek J. Reid, was within earshot. Reid, who shares two children with Pinho and still lives at the same address, previously told reporters he had no knowledge that Pinho had married Abu Amra. Although the couple are now separated, Reid said they continue living under the same roof but sleep in different rooms. He also suggested Pinho had become increasingly radicalized by her anti-Israel activism, telling the Post, “She’s been radicalized — I don’t know anything about that … the crowd she runs with … I’m worried for her.” Her explanation has done little to quiet concerns after she appeared to publicly describe using the privileges of her U.S. citizenship to advance what she characterized as the Palestinian cause. Immigration attorney and former federal prosecutor Michael Wildes previously told the Post that publicly acknowledging a marriage entered into for immigration purposes could itself trigger federal scrutiny. “She can be prosecuted criminally, brought up on federal conspiracy charges,” Wildes said. “Marriage fraud is one of the top five crimes you can perpetrate … The fact that somebody would be foolish enough to say they actually did it makes it actionable for the federal government to investigate.” Pinho has long been a player in California’s pro-Palestinian activist movement. She sponsors the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Canoga Park Senior High School, has spoken publicly about incorporating Palestinian political messaging into her classroom, and has encouraged students to participate in anti-Israel demonstrations. Her social media activity has also drawn scrutiny, including posts claiming Israel was created by “Satanic bankers” and another endorsing a statement from Candace Owens alleging America is controlled by “Satanic pedophiles who work for Israel.” But while Pinho’s and CODEPINK’s activism has generated controversy for years, it was her remarks about marrying a Gaza resident to “equalize the playing field” that drew the attention of federal immigration authorities. If investigators determine the marriage was entered into to obtain immigration benefits, USCIS has made clear it intends to pursue prosecution.

A prominent Michigan Democrat suspended her U.S. Senate campaign Sunday, clearing the way for a direct showdown between the Democratic establishment and the party’s leftist wing in one of the nation’s most consequential Senate races. State Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow announced she was ending her bid less than a month before the August 4 primary, leaving U.S. Representative. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed to compete for the nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). McMorrow’s withdrawal dramatically reshapes a race Democrats must win if they hope to have any realistic chance of reclaiming the Senate majority in November. The state senator, who launched her campaign positioning herself as an alternative to both Stevens and El-Sayed, thanked supporters in an X post Sunday but offered no endorsement. “Today, I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign for United States Senate,” McMorrow said. “I’m doing it with a deep, deep sense of gratitude.” While McMorrow promised to support the eventual Democratic nominee in the general election, she declined to back either of her former rivals. Her departure sets up a two-candidate contest between Stevens, a four-term congresswoman backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and much of the party establishment, and El-Sayed, a progressive favorite endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and other prominent figures on the Democratic Left. The ideological split has become yet another proxy battle over the future direction of the Democratic Party, with establishment leaders arguing Stevens is the strongest candidate to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in November, while the left-wing contends El-Sayed represents the party’s energized grassroots base. McMorrow’s exit also removes a political obstacle that had kept some influential Michigan Democrats from taking sides. Several Democrats had remained neutral because of their relationships with McMorrow, but her departure immediately prompted movement toward Stevens. According to the Associated Press, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel endorsed the congresswoman shortly after McMorrow announced she was suspending her campaign. McMorrow’s departure also clears the way for other prominent Michigan Democrats who had remained neutral because of their relationships with her to endorse Stevens, whose backers argue she is the party’s strongest general-election candidate. El-Sayed, meanwhile, argued McMorrow’s departure highlighted what he described as establishment efforts to shape the primary. “We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us,” he wrote on X while inviting McMorrow supporters to join his campaign. Stevens on the other hand responded by praising McMorrow as “an important voice” in both the Senate race and the Michigan Legislature, saying she looked forward to working with her in the future while continuing to make the case that she is “the strongest Democrat to defeat Mike Rogers.” McMorrow entered the race as one of Michigan Democrats’ rising stars, but her campaign struggled to keep pace financially as millions of dollars in outside spending flowed into the race, much of it boosting Stevens through establishment-aligned super PACs. She emerged as one of El-Sayed’s most vocal Democratic critics after he campaigned alongside left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who has repeatedly courted controversy with inflammatory comments about Israel and the United States. McMorrow condemned the appearance, comparing Piker to white nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes and warning that Democrats should not elevate figures who “say extremely offensive things in order to generate clicks and views.”  The criticism did little to slow El-Sayed’s momentum, instead her comments coincided with her own decline in the polls. Recent polling showed McMorrow falling into a distant third place behind both Stevens and El-Sayed. The Democratic nominee will face Republican Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost Michigan’s Senate race in 2024 to Sen. Elissa Slotkin. With Republicans defending relatively few competitive Senate seats this cycle, Democrats need to hold Michigan while flipping multiple GOP-held seats to regain control of the chamber, making the battleground state’s primary one of the most closely watched as November draws nearer.

The ongoing saga surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool reached a boiling point this weekend as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum forcefully pushed back against media coverage that he characterized as overtly partisan and detached from the physical reality on the ground. Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Burgum directly challenged anchor Dana Bash over what the administration views as a deliberate media campaign to frame a high-profile case of criminal vandalism as an executive failure. The dispute stems from a $14.8 million restoration project authorized by President Donald Trump. The effort aimed to revitalize the historic 1922 landmark ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, successfully resolving a chronic infrastructure issue that had been causing the pool to leak roughly 45,000 gallons of water every day. However, within weeks, reports emerged highlighting algae blooms, floating debris, and what critics claimed were “chunks of paint” peeling off the floor. When Bash pressed Burgum on these reports, asking “what went wrong,” the Interior Secretary rejected the premise entirely. “It keeps being reported that this was paint; it was not paint,” Burgum clarified. “This was an industrial liner that was put into the pool for the very first time … multiple layers, fixing two and a half miles of expansion.” Burgum noted that the pool’s temporary green hue was a “momentary thing” caused by residual algae in the pipes during the initial refilling process. He emphasized that the administration’s new ozone nanobubble technology has already left the water “completely clean and clear.” The crux of the interview, however, centered on physical damage to the pool’s basin. While critics have seized on floating blue material as proof of a botched, rushed construction job, Burgum insisted the reality is far more sinister. “It didn’t peel off. There was vandalism. There were box cutters, there have been seven arrests,” Burgum stated. “There were people literally trying to destroy part of a monument. The Reflecting Pool is not just a pool on the Mall; it is part of the Lincoln Memorial.” When Bash pressed him on whether the administration could definitively prove the damage was intentional, Burgum replied, “Oh, yeah, absolutely we can.” He noted that investigators have thoroughly documented the site. “The only way you can end up with actual slices in one spot and not the other is that someone physically cut it … it would never just like peel off or fall off.”

Members of the U.S. Men’s National Team were quick to celebrate the news that star striker Folarin Balogun would be available for Monday’s match against Belgium — once they realized the story wasn’t a fake-out created using Artificial Intelligence. As The New York Post reported, defender Chris Richards said that the team was heading to Husky Soccer Stadium on the bus when they got the news — and that at first, they were not at all sure what to make of it. Chris Richards tells @JennyTaft the vibes are up for the USMNT after hearing about Flo Balogun’s suspension being lifted pic.twitter.com/WeCcD1wATY — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 5, 2026 “To be fair, we were lit on the bus regardless. We had our speaker in the back listening to music,” he added. “Then one person said something, another person said the same thing and nobody wanted to confirm it. It was pretty much right when we got here that we found out it was true … a lot of us thought it was AI at first.” But then Balogun boarded the bus — all smiles because he’d already been told that his one-match suspension had been suspended in favor of a probationary period — and it became apparent that he was going to be allowed to play. Midfield and forward Christian Pulisic also reacted to the good news, saying, “I just saw a big smile on his face. I got to see him and dap him up after that. Knowing we’re gonna have him around tomorrow, it helps so much. It’s a big boost.” Pulisic also noted that the lineup for Monday’s game against Belgium had not yet been adjusted to accommodate Balogun’s expected absence, explaining that the team would not be scrambling to rearrange things now that he could play. “Of course you have other guys filling in and trying to figure out what the lineup could look like, but we didn’t have anything set. It’s not like some crazy adjustment we need to make,” he said. The United States is set to play Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday, July 6.

President Donald Trump offered his thanks to FIFA — while Belgian officials fume and vow to evaluate “all potential options” — after the organization lifted a one-game suspension for U.S. star-striker Folarin Balogun. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his thanks, saying, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” A White House source confirmed to The Daily Wire that the president had made a call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding the red card. Multiple reports suggested that during that call, Trump had informed Infantino that attorneys were preparing to challenge the use of slow-motion instant replay — which he said violated FIFA rules — and that the red card had been excessive. Outkick founder Clay Travis said sources had told him that “President Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani put together a team of elite lawyers — from outside the government — to challenge the Flo Balogun red card.” “Specifically they challenged the use of slow motion instant replay to give the red card, which they argued violated FIFA rules. The president also conveyed to Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, that the appeal had been filed and he believed the red card penalty was excessive,” he added. “FIFA’s independent committee reviewed the decision and agreed the penalty was incorrectly given, rescinding it under their rule 27 authority.” Sources: President Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani put together a team of elite lawyers — from outside the government — to challenge the Flo Balogun red card. Specifically they challenged the use of slow motion instant… — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 5, 2026 The rule in question states that the slow-motion replay is only to be used to determine facts — where players were at the time of the offense or how contact occurred — and not to judge the severity of the offense. That, the rule states, should be determined by a replay at normal speed. I am not entirely convinced this part of the VAR protocols was followed here. pic.twitter.com/W3GI2h3gxC — Lars Sivertsen (@larssivertsen) July 2, 2026 The Royal Belgian Football Association registered its displeasure with the decision in a statement published on Sunday: ” FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.” “However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup,” the statement continued. The precedent was already set at the beginning of World Cup play, when Portugal’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo had a suspension overturned in favor of a probationary period. Ronald, who was shown a red card and given a three-match suspension last November, only missed one match before FIFA suspended the remaining two-match ban, placing him on probation but allowing him to play in his team’s opening World Cup match. The United States is set to play Belgium on Monday, July 6, in the Round of 16.