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A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday.

The lawsuit, brought against Bellows in September, alleged that Maine violated federal election laws when the state refused to turn over data about Maine voters to the federal government.

Bellows argued that the DOJ did not provide an explanation for how it planned to use the data they requested, which included the names of everybody on Maine's voter rolls as well as driver's license numbers, partial Social Security numbers and full dates of birth.

She rejected the DOJ's request in August and then filed a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit in December.

TRUMP-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES DOJ LAWSUIT SEEKING ARIZONA VOTER DATA

"The Gulf of Maine is awfully cold, but maybe that’s what the DOJ needs to cool down. So, here's my answer to Trump's DOJ today: Go jump in the Gulf of Maine," she said in a July news conference.

On Thursday, Maine Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker, who Trump appointed in 2018, granted Bellows' motion and dismissed the DOJ lawsuit.

"The United States' requests would require me to turn a blind eye to traditional practices of federalism and how those expressions have found expression in American elections," Walker said.

DOJ SUES SIX STATES FOR REFUSING TO TURN OVER VOTER REGISTRATION ROLLS, WARNS ‘OPEN DEFIANCE’ OF FEDERAL LAW

Bellows praised the ruling. "Today’s ruling affirms that the states, not the federal government, are in charge of our elections. From the moment the Trump Administration sought every American’s voter data, I said no. When they tried to bully me by suing Maine, I helped lead of coalition of states to fight back – and we’re winning. I will continue to defend every Mainer’s voting rights and their privacy," she said in a statement.

"Let me be clear – Trump and the DOJ may continue to try to interfere with free and fair elections run by the states. We will not let them," Bellows said. "Under our Constitution, states are the primary regulators and administrators of elections for federal office, unless Congress passes legislation that preempts that framework. And Congress’s power to do even that is itself subject to limitations."

The DOJ has sued 30 states for refusing to turn over unredacted lists of their voter rolls. Those lawsuits have been dismissed in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and now Maine, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The DOJ has not publicly commented on the dismissal.

Fox News Digital contacted the DOJ and Maine secretary of state for additional comment.

The Pentagon’s latest batch of declassified UFO files includes audio from a 1969 Apollo 12 post-mission medical debrief in which astronauts described seeing "streaks of light" while trying to sleep in deep space.

The audio, released as part of the Department of War’s second tranche of records under its Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), captures Apollo 12 crew members discussing flashes and streaks of light they saw in the darkened spacecraft.

"The streaks I saw were one that I saw on the horizontal," one crew member said, according to the transcript. "The horizontal streaks were always a little bit above the center."

GOVERNMENT WITHHOLDING INFORMATION ON UFOS FROM THE PUBLIC, GOP REP SAYS

The Department of War said the release is a government-wide effort to identify, review, declassify and publicly release unresolved UAP-related records and historical documents. The first release was on May 8.

The Apollo 12 crew, which included Charles "Pete" Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean, launched in November 1969 on NASA’s second crewed moon landing mission.

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The newly released debrief audio offers an account of unexplained visual flashes seen by the astronauts.

TOP DEM APPLAUDS TRUMP UFO FILES RELEASE IN RARE SHOW OF SUPPORT

In the transcript, the astronauts describe watching for the flashes while lying awake in the spacecraft. One said the streaks appeared to be "roughly in the same place," while another said he saw them at about "30 degrees to horizontal."

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The crew and medical personnel also discussed whether the flashes were random or directional, and whether they appeared in one eye or both. One astronaut said he could usually tell which eye had registered the flash after waiting long enough to observe it.

The phenomenon was discussed in the debrief as possibly tied to cosmic rays or heavy particles passing through the eye.

DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MOON DOCS DESCRIBE UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES, UFO LIGHTS 'LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY'

The Apollo 12 audio is one of several records included in the latest release.

Other files in the tranche include Cold War-era records on "green fireballs" near sensitive military and nuclear installations, Pantex imagery of an unidentified object, and a senior U.S. intelligence officer describing orange orbs during a helicopter mission.

The Department of War says the PURSUE archive contains unresolved cases, meaning the government has not made a definitive determination about the nature of the observed phenomena.

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The department said the materials are being released on a rolling basis as records are found, reviewed and declassified.

"The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. "This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment.  

New York Knicks small forward Josh Hart was hitting shots both on the floor and in his press conference on Thursday.

Hart, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points in the Knicks' 109-93 win in Game 2 in the Eastern Conference finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, was asked about analytics and had a hilarious response.

"I'm never a huge analytics guy. At a certain point, they are a lamp post to a drunk person. You can lean on them, but it won't get you home," Hart told reporters.

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"At a certain point, you got to have a good feel for the game."

Hart’s quip drew laughs from reporters. Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.

"Oh my god, bruh," Towns said.

Hart then credited the quote to his former Villanova coach and used his full name in doing so.

"I’m not going to lie that’s Jerold Wright, his quote. Shoutout Jay Wright."

Towns then stopped the press conference, not wanting to let Hart off the hook for the analogy.

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"Wait, hold on, we’re not moving on from that," Towns said.

"That’s a great quote," Hart responded.

He then explained the quote to Towns.

"I was with (Coach John Calipari at Kentucky), so I didn’t hear that," Towns said.

"You ain’t even go to college," Hart jokingly said back to Towns, who laughed.

In the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback win, Hart struggled mightily shooting. He had 13 points and made just one of his five 3-pointers.

Head coach Mike Brown substituted Hart out and inserted Landry Shamet, who helped spark the Knicks' fourth-quarter rally. In Game 2, the Cavaliers sagged off Hart, daring him to shoot 3-point attempts.

Unlike Game 1, Hart drained five of his 11 3-pointers and led the team in scoring. The Cavaliers' game plan defensively was to make Hart beat them, and that’s exactly what he did. Though he might not have used analytics to help his shooting turnaround.

Hart will look to stay hot from deep when the Knicks take on the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, with hopes of taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.

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The weekend was filled with what Major League Baseball was referring to as "rivalry weekend." To start this week, they paired up divisional matchups for almost every team in baseball. These games feel more like the real rivalries, and they probably have more meaning for most teams. The Mets and the Nationals take each other on in a National League East battle.

The New York Mets are one of the disappointments of the first quarter of the season. They come into today's contest with a 21-28 record for the year, and it isn't just a losing record on the road that is causing issues. The team doesn't have a ton of terrible stats, but they are struggling to hit consistently. As a team they are batting .232, which is 24th in the league. They are also at just 202 runs for the season, putting them at 22nd in the league.

The pitching staff has been surprisingly good. As a team, they have a 3.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The ERA ranks at 11th in the league, and the WHIP sits at 15th. If the hitting comes around, which it should given their hitters, the Mets should be fine. Hoping for some run support is David Peterson, who makes the start for the Mets today. He is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. On the road, Peterson has been a bit better, but his numbers still look ugly with a 4.50 road ERA. His past three road starts haven't been long, but he has allowed just two earned runs over 12.2 innings. Peterson has been hit hard by the Nationals in the past, going 27-for-97. However, only three of those hits went for extra bases.

The Washington Nationals are one of the bigger surprises of the first quarter of the season. They are 25-25 before the opening pitch of this one. They are just 10-15 at home, though. This was still expected to be a bit of a rebuild year for the club. However, the Nationals have found some success with a variety of their young talent. They even recently called up Dylan Crews, who is expected to be one of the mainstays in their lineup for years.

UMPIRES IN NATIONALS-METS GAME SEEMINGLY FORGET THE RULES, CAUSING EXTRA-INNINGS DELAY

The Nationals don't have a ton of great pitching they can rely on, unfortunately. Their starting pitcher for tonight's contest is Cade Cavalli, who owns a 2-2 record with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He has been slightly better at home, going 1-1 with a 3.75 home ERA. He has only allowed four or more earned runs in one of his 10 outings, but only three of his starts have seen him complete at least six innings. The Mets have hit Cavalli well in the past, going 10-for-23 against him.

I have a couple of considerations for player props, and I think I will play both of these even if they aren't for full units. Juan Soto has gone 4-for-5 against Cavalli with two extra base hits. Soto getting 2+ total bases at +131 is worth a play. CJ Abrams has done poorly against Peterson, going 4-for-22. He does make decent contact against him, so this isn't a great opportunity, but under 0.5 hits at +147 is a solid look.

I'm taking the over in this game. The total is at just 7.5 runs, and both offenses have shown success against the opposing starter. Both teams have had hot bats lately as well, and I don't expect that to slow down here. Give me the over 7.5. I also like the Nationals to win this game, but that's more of a lean than anything.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

The Justice Department is threatening to sue four Democratic-led states for denying undercover license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, opening a new constitutional front in the immigration fight. 

At issue is whether the blue states are simply refusing to help ICE carry out civil immigration enforcement, or whether withholding confidential plates interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law.

Charles "Cully" Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the states are playing a "dangerous game" by refusing to help protect ICE agents, but he also questioned whether DOJ’s Supremacy Clause argument is as straightforward as the department suggests. 

"Federal law preempts state law when state law conflicts with a supreme federal law. And when it does, the state law is preempted, meaning that the state law cannot be given legal effect in those instances of conflict," Stimson told Fox News Digital. "There is no law in my mind that is conflicting with federal law. You simply have state actors refusing to issue these types of license plates."

DOJ DEMANDS SANCTUARY STATES END 'BLATANTLY UNLAWFUL' ANTI-ICE POLICY AS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Stimson said DOJ’s challenge is establishing that the states are doing more than just refusing to help ICE. The department would likely need to show that the plate restrictions conflict with a specific federal law.

"So as much as I think that the DOJ is putting forth a plausible argument, I don't think there's a lot of ‘there’ there in this argument," he continued.

DOJ Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate warned on May 12 that the governors of Maine, Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon that they were running afoul of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which makes federal law supreme over conflicting state laws, by refusing to provide immigration enforcement officers with license plates that conceal their identities as federal agents. 

"By refusing to issue standard and undercover registrations and plates to federal agencies, including federal law enforcement agencies, while continuing to issue them to similarly-situated state and local agencies without restriction, Oregon’s DMV has directly run afoul of the Supremacy Clause by discriminating against the federal government," Shumate wrote to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

He used similar language in his letters to the three other Democratic governors.

THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE COURTS MUST COME TO A COMMON SENSE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS

An official in the Massachusetts governor’s office told Fox News Digital that the commonwealth does issue undercover plates to federal agents, but only when they are investigating criminal offenses. Immigration enforcement typically involves civil infractions. 

The official added that state and local law enforcement are also barred from receiving undercover plates if they’re investigating civil offenses. They also claimed that fears of "doxing" of ICE officers, which were mentioned by Shumate, are unfounded, as non-confidential plates offered by the state to ICE only disclose that the agency owns the car, not the name of the individual agent. 

ICE claimed in January 2026 that agents and their families have experienced an 8,000% increase in death threats.

BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE

"Massachusetts is not going to allow state resources to be used to help ICE operate in secret while they are violating people’s rights and making us all less safe," a spokesman for the governor’s office told Fox News Digital. "Any federal, state or local agency engaging in legitimate criminal law enforcement work can receive a confidential plate. We all know that’s not what ICE is doing. This is an agency that can’t and won’t even tell us who they are arresting and why. We are not going to enable their tactics." 

Oregon and Maine, however, appear to have issued broader suspensions of the issuance of undercover plates to federal agencies. The governor’s offices of Oregon, Maine and Washington did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

Stimson explained that there is an underlying assumption that, by virtue of being in the union and as implied under the Constitution’s separation of powers, states will help the federal government enforce laws.

"Every one of these states is part of the union. It is assumed that when the federal government is enforcing federal law, the states are going to play ball," Stimson said. "And it's assumed when the states are enforcing state law, and it bumps up against federal agents, that the feds are going to cooperate with the states."

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS NEWSOM’S BID TO SHACKLE ICE IN TRUMP IMMIGRATION WIN

Stimson did also question the motivations of the states in not issuing undercover plates. 

"On immigration, because they don't like Trump and they don't like ICE, even though apparently they loved ICE in the Obama administration, they are playing this very dangerous game. And it's despicable, by the way, because it puts lives in danger, not only of the people they're trying to pick up, but the agents themselves," he told Fox News Digital.

Tony Pham, former ICE director and current senior fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, believes the DOJ is well within its rights to compel the four states into issuing undercover plates using the Supremacy Clause.

ANTI-ICE 'DIGITAL MINUTEMEN' USE MILITARY-GRADE SURVEILLANCE TACTICS AGAINST FEDS

"The Justice Department’s position is firmly grounded in the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits individual states from discriminating against the federal government or interfering with lawful federal operations," Pham, who is also a lawyer, told Fox News Digital. 

"The State of Washington and Commonwealth of Massachusetts admit to the legitimate safety and operational needs for confidential license plates when issuing them to their respective state and local law enforcement agencies," Pham continued. "When their policies openly discriminate against the federal government, by denying federal law enforcement agents the same protections, this creates an unequal standard that directly undermines federal officers carrying out congressionally authorized law enforcement duties."

Shumate made similar arguments in his letters to the governors. When reached for comment on Thursday, the DOJ referred Fox News Digital to the letters posted by the assistant attorney general.

‘I DON’T SUPPORT ICE’: GAS STATION REFUSAL IGNITES DEBATE OVER DENYING SERVICE TO FEDERAL AGENTS

Rafael Mangual, a fellow at the right-of-center Manhattan Institute who holds a law degree, questioned the distinction between civil and criminal enforcement drawn by the blue states.

"These states can try to draw distinctions between criminal and civil enforcement to obfuscate basic realities; but they know full well that many of the individuals who would be subjected to civil immigration enforcement actions also pose real criminal threats in their communities," he said. "This reality is illustrated all too often by the stories of sometimes heinous offenses committed by those unlawfully present in the United States. Making it easier to track and identify law enforcement vehicles will expose federal agents on the ground in those jurisdictions to the kind of harassment we saw in jurisdictions like Minneapolis and Chicago, which makes all involved less safe."

"Federal agencies such as ICE and CBP are enforcing immigration laws that have been on the books for decades and enforced by both Republican and Democratic administrations," he added.

DEMOCRATS PUSH ANTI-ICE BILLS NATIONWIDE AFTER DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

Mike Fox, a legal fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, was unimpressed with both sides of the debate, remarking it's not a "slam dunk for one side or the other."

"I think this is the type of case where you have one side that says we're obviously right, and the other side that says we're obviously right, and I think the answer is actually that they're both wrong," he told Fox News Digital. 

Fox said in cases where "the state's imposing conditions on how federal law enforcement officers operate," such as the attempted ban on masked federal agents in California, that "pretty clearly violates the Supremacy Clause." Congress, he said, could and should mandate that agents identify themselves, but that such a rule-change is out of bounds for state legislatures.

"This, though, is different, and the reason I think this is different is because the state issues license plates, right?" Fox continued. " It's not like the state is only issuing license plates to ICE and are withholding them. They issue license plates to you and to me and to everyone else, and it's also the case that most federal law enforcement, if they're not operating, you know, undercover, they have U.S. government license plates."

"There's nothing barring ICE from using vehicles with federal license plates," he added.

We're in the era of robotics before they enslave the human race, when we make them do fun stuff like fold our clothes and board Southwest flights.

However, I think we're playing it fast and loose because all it's going to take is one embarrassing Michael Jackson impression for a robot to go, "You know what? I'm done dancing for these meatbags," and rally its pals for a global takeover.

And now I believe we have that embarrassing, ill-fated Michael Jackson impression.

According to the Daily Mail, a video of a humanoid robot cutting a rug to the King of Pop's hit "Billie Jean" at a Future Era robot store in Shenzhen, China, has gone viral, and deservedly so.

It's absolutely hilarious.

Humanoid robots flipping out when they fall is my new favorite genre of viral video. I didn't think it would be possible to supplant people getting hurt on trampolines or French bulldogs surfing, but here we are.

I love the foreshadowing that comes from the first trip after its quasi-moonwalk sashay across the stage.

CHINA'S COMPACT HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWS OFF BALANCE AND FLIPS

It's my favorite thing about robots. I'm guessing it has to do with their array of sensors, but when a robot falls over, it starts flailing like a trout someone just hauled into their canoe. It's wild. I mean, we once saw a marathon-running bot break-dance itself to smithereens.

So, you knew that if that robot accidentally crotch-grabbed or "Smooth Criminal" leaned itself into that step, there's going to be a problem.

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And boy, were there.

As much as I love the initial robot face-plant, I don't think anything can top when the one guy has to come out and drag its lifeless robo-corpse offstage. The fact that they didn't even bother to pot down "Billie Jean" really helped make it a work of art, too.

Like I said, though, let's have our laughs now.

Because when robots decide they've had enough of us making them dance for our amusement, they'll be the ones laughing at us flailing on the floor.

Carson Daly is connecting with his 13-year-old daughter the way many modern parents do — by embracing the digital world.

During an appearance on "Today with Jenna and Sheinelle," the longtime television host spoke openly about the challenges that come with communicating with his teenager.

"I have a 13-year-old, Etta, who is doing great, who I never speak with," he said, jokingly. "Do you speak 13-year-old? 'Cause I don’t."

ROBERT DE NIRO ADMITS HE’S OUT OF TOUCH WITH YOUNG DAUGHTER’S GEN Z SLANG

"You ever hear that phrase, ‘You’ve got to meet kids where they are?’ You hear it in business a lot, right? They want to advertise, get in front of them," he continued. "I’ve taken a page out of that and six months ago, I did join Snapchat. I have literally communicated with my daughter, in particular, more via Snapchat than I have in real life."

For example, said Daly, "I can say, ‘Are you OK?’ And then I’ll put some stupid emoji. And she’ll write back, like, ‘LOL,’ and all these little things are flying all over the screen."

"As silly as it is, I am connected a little bit," he admitted.

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Daly and his wife, Siri Pinter, also share son Jackson, 17, and daughters London, 11, and Goldie, 6.

BEN STILLER CONFESSES ‘WORST DECISION’ THAT STILL HAUNTS HIM AS A DAD

Throughout the years, the former "TRL" host has been open about all aspects of his life — especially parenting.

Daly stopped to speak with Fox News at the Emmys in September 2019 and admitted that being a father is by far his biggest accomplishment, adding that it helped him discover his purpose.

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"I lost my father when I was 5," said Daly of his biological father, who died in 1979.

"My mom was incredible. Both my parents passed away two years ago," he added of his mother Patti and stepfather Richard, who both died a month apart in 2017.

"So I understand the importance of parenting," Daly said. "And this is all fun and games being up here, dressed all nice. But at the end of the day, being a father is my greatest role in life. So I've got three kids – my beautiful wife is pregnant with our fourth right now. So you know, God is great."