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.

The United Arab Emirates made its position very clear over the July Fourth weekend, opting to skip the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in Iran in favor of a red, white, and blue flyover for America 250 celebrations in New York City. NBC News showed footage of the flyover, which featured the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Flight Demonstration Team Al Fursan in a tight, seven-plane formation trailing red, white, and blue smoke. They flew alongside the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force in a stunning display. While some were mourning Khamenei, the UAE was busy celebrating America’s 250th Independence Day in New York.Those queuing in Iran were nowhere to be seen. In this region, the UAE has proven itself to be the strong, brave, and reliable ally. Now you know who the real friend is. pic.twitter.com/6NJtoxMraO — Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) July 5, 2026 Navy Vice Admiral John Gumbleton described the scene as they flew over Liberty Island in New York Harbor: “We got the United Arab Emirates Flight Demonstration Team, and they’re flying the smoke of the red, white, and blue in honor of the nation’s 250th — and looking quite professional going by.” According to several reports, in addition to not sending a delegation to the late Iranian Supreme Leader’s funeral, the UAE also opted not to send condolences to the regime. As The Daily Wire previously reported, the funeral is expected to be a massive spectacle designed to draw large crowds and give what is left of the regime legitimacy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as previously reported, called on citizens “of every ethnicity, religion, preference and political tendency” to attend, adding, “Your widespread presence will be a decisive response to the logic of terrorism, violence, and bullying, and a clear message to the world that the Iranian nation stands united and in solidarity in defending its independence and dignity.”

A red card ban suspension freed star forward Folarin Balogun to play in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s next World Cup match against Belgium. Balogun, 25, was initially supposed to sit out the 16th-round match due to a red card he received in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic. FIFA’s tournament rules (Article 10.5) state that a one-game suspension would automatically come with the red card — and the team was not allowed to appeal that decision. The Athletic reported on Sunday that Balogun may yet be allowed to play due to a provision in Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code — a provision that states “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.” The one-game suspension that should have accompanied Balogun’s red card has been suspended — with one caveat: he risks not only the original suspension but also any sanctions that might be added onto that if he commits another similar infraction during the next match. “If the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement,” the regulation states. U.S. Soccer released a statement reacting to the news, saying, “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow. Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.” Up to the current match, Balogun has started in all but one and has scored at least one goal in each match. He scored twice in the opening game against Paraguay. Balogun is not the only World Cup star facing disciplinary issues, however. Portugal’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo was handed a three-match ban, but FIFA suspended the final two games of his suspension.

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey shared his thoughts on America’s 250th birthday in a recent social media post, saying that the genius of the United States was in the journey, not the destination. The “True Detective” star shared a post on X on Friday, saying that the United States was not about being the “perfect union,” but rather about always striving to be a better one. The magic, he said, was not in the fact that America had “arrived anywhere,” but should celebrate the fact that “we’re still on our way” to being a little bit better, a little bit brighter. bets still on the table America, yet. pic.twitter.com/Ap5Cw3EKRV — Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) July 3, 2026 “Two hundred and fifty years young! Howdy, America,” McConaughey said, looking straight at the camera. “To a lot of people, that may seem like a long time to be a country but it’s really not. But I’ll tell you what it’s definitely not too long to be — it’s not too long to be an idea, which is what America is. A land that has never been — yet.” “And that ‘yet’ that we’re seeking and chasing, that’s the whole thing,” he added. “It’s a place we’re never going to arrive at. And that’s not failure because we won’t, that’s by design. Think about it, we didn’t start this country on any kind of proof. We started it on a belief that was worth fighting for, a wager that was worth betting on. An act of faith that a self-governing people could be something worth being and becoming.” Mcconaughey said that if America had learned anything in that 250 years, it was that the bet was still on the table — because the bet was designed to always be on the table: “We have not cashed in, and let’s hope we never cash in.” Drawing a line between skeptics and cynics, he argued that the former would drive progress while the latter had already given up: “One cares enough to question, which we should, and the other one’s already quit. We don’t need you.” The “best” of America, he added, was in those who had delivered 250 years of “showing up”: 250 years of “arguing, loving, losing, forgiving, starting over, believing in who we are and what we can be — that’s the ‘yet’ we’re chasing.” “So, here we are today lighting the fire, breaking the bread, raising a glass to our family and friends, and maybe even the neighbor we don’t agree with. Today, we’re going to let the kids run barefoot after dark, baby. That’s the celebration,” he concluded. “Not that we’ve arrived anywhere, but to the fact we’re still on our way. Take inventory, with the one in the mirror and together. Here’s to more dancing in the home of the brave. Happy 250th, America. Just keep living.”

While Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used America’s 250th birthday to criticize capitalism, ICE, and what he described as an “arena of supremacy,” his wife, Rama Duwaji, spent the nation’s milestone celebration thousands of miles away at a luxury Islamic spiritual retreat in Spain. Duwaji departed from Newark Liberty International Airport earlier this week for Mallorca, a Mediterranean island off of the western coast of Spain. Far from simply vacationing abroad, Duwaji is serving as the artist-in-residence and one of the featured hosts for the sold-out Women’s Sanctuary retreat. Attendance costs roughly $3,400 per guest. The program centers on “Plants of the Quran” through art, botanical workshops, and Islamic spiritual reflection. She is also scheduled to help host a second sold-out retreat in Corsica later this month exploring “Mary in the Quran.” Funny how when @ZohranKMamdani was telling New Yorkers to lower their AC his wife Rama Duwaji was boarding a flight to party in Mallorca Reminder that I can’t tag her because she deleted her account after her insanely offensive tweets were discovered Champagne socialists pic.twitter.com/aD1XmiMXNe — Arynne Wexler (@ArynneWexler) July 3, 2026 The timing of the trip drew criticism as Americans celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary over the Fourth of July weekend. Republican New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the New York Post the decision reflected poorly on the city’s first family. “Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation,” Ariola said. “I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident.” Councilman Frank Morano similarly criticized the optics, “it’s disappointing that the First Lady chose to be overseas instead of taking part in one of the biggest civic events our city and country will mark this year,” Morano said. “No one is saying elected officials and their families can’t take vacations, but this was a moment to show up for the city and for the country.” The Mayor’s Office declined to respond directly to the criticism but confirmed Duwaji was not accompanied by officers assigned to the family’s NYPD security detail. The trip also renewed scrutiny of Duwaji’s past social media activity. Earlier this year, deleted posts resurfaced in which Duwaji criticized the United States and American foreign policy. In one post, she shared a message claiming American soldiers “are not brave” and accused them of “slaughtering 3rd world civilians” in pursuit of American hegemony. Other deleted posts reportedly praised Palestinian militant organizations and criticized U.S. support for Israel. Mamdani previously defended his wife, arguing she should not be judged by past social media activity because she holds no official role in his administration. Duwaji later apologized for a number of the posts. Her overseas retreat came as the mayor himself marked the nation’s semi-quincentennial with a speech that focused less on the country’s founding than on what he views as its present shortcomings. Speaking from behind George Washington’s former desk at New York City Hall, Mamdani criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policy, condemned economic inequality, and argued that America had become “an arena of supremacy.” “We see masked agents terrorizing our streets,” Mamdani said, referring to ICE officers, while also criticizing what he described as monopolies and oligarchs controlling the nation’s wealth. Although Mamdani concluded his remarks by saying “God bless America,” much of the speech centered on America’s failures rather than the anniversary being commemorated. The mayor later participated in several official America 250 events in New York, including the Parade of Sail and a Fourth of July lighting ceremony at the Empire State Building, while Duwaji remained overseas.