A Democrat state representative in New Hampshire called members of Moms for Liberty ‘a–holes’ and compared them to terrorists, as the up-and-coming parental rights group rises in influence.

‘A–holes with casseroles, taliban in minivan,’ state Rep. Catherine Sofikitis said in a charged Twitter post about the group Sunday, garnering dozens of quote tweets condemning the tweet.

Sofikitis, who was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2016, received backlash from the New Hampshire Republican Party for the tweet, calling the comments ‘disgusting.’

‘The saddest part is that they seem to reflect the Democrat Party’s disdain for parents who dare to get involved with their children’s education,’ said New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Chris Ager.

Tina Descovich, a Moms for Liberty co-founder, responded by saying elected officials need to stop ‘demonizing parents.’

‘Moms for Liberty members are joyful warriors that are standing up to reclaim the failing education system across America,’ Descovich said in a statement to NHJournal. ‘I would hope all elected officials would choose to work with parents to ensure a brighter future for all children instead of demonizing parents.’

Moms for Liberty initially sparked backlash from members on the left after fighting back against mask mandates and critical race theory teachings, and advocating for the banning of explicit books in schools.

The nonprofit, which seeks to ‘unify, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government,’ has often been called a ‘hate group’ by protesters who disagree with their push for parental rights in schools.

Despite the backlash, Moms for Liberty recently held a successful national summit that featured several 2024 Republican presidential contenders as speakers, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who highlighted that the group is ‘coming under attack by the left.’

‘I see that Moms for Liberty is coming under attack by the left, attack by the corporate media, protests out here in the streets. Now you know how I feel everywhere I go,’ DeSantis said, pointing to protesters outside the event. ‘But I want to congratulate you for that because that is a sign we are winning this fight.’

Sofikitis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the tweet.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Moms for Liberty reported an increase in death threats and hateful messages aimed at their organization since the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labeled them a ‘hate and antigovernment’ group alongside the Ku Klux Klan.

The SPLC recently named Moms for Liberty in their ‘Year In Hate and Extremism 2022’ report released in June, attempting to pair the parental rights nonprofit with neo-Nazis and over one thousand other groups they deemed ‘extremist.’

‘At the forefront of this mobilization is Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based group with vast connections to the GOP that this year the SPLC designated as an extremist group,’ the report read. ‘The group hijacks meetings, preventing officials and parents from conducting their normal proceedings.’

Since the SPLC labeled the parental rights group as ‘extremist,’ Moms for Liberty revealed an uptick in threats flooding their inbox.

‘The SPLC is purposely putting a target on all moms’ backs – all moms that are standing up for their children,’ Moms for Liberty said in a statement regarding the uptick in hateful messages and threats. ‘Designating us as a hate group gives people permission to dehumanize us, and the SPLC knows it.’

‘Piece of s— fascists like you deserve to be dragged against a wall and force-fed hot lead. Eat s— and die,’ one person wrote to the group after the SPLC’s map.

Another individual said they would ‘personally eradicate’ Moms for Liberty.

‘The state should remove your kids and/or grand kids from your homes. Evil, evil, evil people you are!’ one message read.

The cofounders said that they are sending the threats to law enforcement as they come in.

The parental rights group has received backlash from the left since their launch, fighting against critical race theory and mask mandates in schools.

‘Name-calling parents who want to be a part of their child’s education as ‘hate groups’ or ‘bigoted’ just further exposes what this battle is all about: Who fundamentally gets to decide what is taught to our kids in school – parents or government employees? We believe that parental rights do not stop at the classroom door and no amount of hate from groups like this is going to stop that,’ Moms for Liberty co-founders Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich told Fox News Digital after the SPLC list came out.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the SPLC for comment. 

FIRST ON FOX: Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul plans to introduce a bill to protect Americans from the Biden administration violating their First Amendment rights.

Fox News Digital has learned that Paul is expected to propose the Free Speech Protection Act on Tuesday, which would impose harsh penalties on federal employees and contractors who leverage their positions to attack speech protected under the First Amendment.

The bill would empower American citizens to sue the government and executive branch officials who violate the First Amendment of the Constitution, according to Paul’s office.

‘Under my Free Speech Protection Act, the government will no longer be able to cloak itself in secrecy to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans,’ Paul told Fox News Digital.

Paul’s office said the Free Speech Protection Act would mandate the frequent publication of and public access to reports on communications between an executive branch agency and a content provider. It bars agencies from using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions to stop the disclosure of illegal communications.

Paul’s bill also makes sure federal grant money does not go to entities that seek to label media outlets as sources of disinformation or misinformation, and ends several authorities and programs that the senator’s office says threaten Americans’ constitutional rights.

The Kentucky senator plans to introduce the bill on Tuesday. Paul touched on crafting the bill in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters last month.

Paul’s bill comes after a U.S. District Court judge is temporarily preventing White House officials from meeting with tech companies about social media censorship, arguing that such actions in the past were likely First Amendment violations.

The Tuesday injunction by Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty was in response to recent lawsuits from Louisiana and Missouri attorneys general. The suits allege that the White House coerced or ‘significantly encourage[d]’ tech companies to suppress free speech during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doughty is barring several federal officials and agencies – including some of President Biden’s Cabinet members and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre – from contacting social media companies in efforts to suppress speech.

Google, Meta and Twitter were all named in the lawsuits.

The injunction, which was obtained by Fox News, states that the government’s actions ‘likely violate the Free Speech Clause’ and that the court ‘is not persuaded by Defendants’ arguments,’ dealing a significant blow to the White House. 

‘During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth,’’ Doughty wrote.

‘If the allegations made by Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history,’ the injunction adds. ‘In their attempts to suppress alleged disinformation, the Federal Government, and particularly the Defendants named here, are alleged to have blatantly ignored the First Amendment’s right to free speech.’

The injunction also claims that ‘the censorship alleged in this case almost exclusively targeted conservative speech’ but that issues the case raises are ‘beyond party lines.’

‘Viewpoint discrimination is an especially egregious form of content discrimination,’ Doughty wrote. ‘The government must abstain from regulating speech when the specific motivating ideology or the perspective of the speaker is the rationale for the restriction.’

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Vacchiano contributed reporting.

EXCLUSIVE: A group of 21 House conservatives warned House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday that they won’t be voting for appropriations bills this year unless they reflect a real effort to trim excess federal spending, a threat that will likely complicate GOP efforts to fund the government.

The warning shot signals another looming fight McCarthy may have to have in public with the right flank of his party. Dozens of conservatives voted against the spending deal McCarthy reached with President Biden earlier this year, which only promised modest cuts to federal outlays that fell short of a GOP-backed bill that passed the House.

In a letter send Monday, they said that deal won’t be good enough to win their support when spending bills come up for a vote this year. That’s a significant problem for McCarthy, who can only afford to lose a handful of GOP votes if he wants to pass legislation without help from Democrats.

‘We cannot support appropriations bills that will produce a top-line discretionary spending level barely below the bloated FY 2023 level… and effectively in line with the cap set by the debt ceiling deal that we opposed and was supported by more Democrats than Republicans,’ the conservative members wrote in their letter that was obtained by Fox News Digital.

‘Instead, we expect all appropriations measures… to be in line with the enacted FY 2022 topline level of $1.471 trillion,’ they wrote.

They also said they would not support the idea of using rescinded unspent COVID-19 funding to exceed fiscal year 2022 levels.

‘Rescissions are useful in reducing spending and we encourage their use, but we cannot support using them to shift funding to the very bureaucrats implementing the Biden agenda at roughly current levels of spending, thereby enshrining and continuing Democrats’ reckless inflationary spending,’ they wrote.

The letter was led by House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., but it’s not a formal HFC position as other Republicans signed onto the letter who aren’t members of that caucus.

It stressed to McCarthy that voters expect results over party unity, another warning shot that they are prepared to vote against GOP leadership in order to get those results.

‘Americans expect House Republicans to lead in divided government to achieve tangible results. They do not care about unity absent unity of purpose and achievement. They expect us to go beyond the theater of hearings, messaging bills that die in the Senate, or very modest spending limits in the wake of record inflationary spending levels,’ said the letter.

‘For unity to exist, we must have a clear mission to actually cut the total discretionary federal bureaucracy to pre-pandemic levels and end the empowerment of President Biden’s radical woke and weaponized government,’ they added.

Last month, opponents of the bipartisan debt limit deal brought House floor proceedings to a grinding halt for nearly a week in protest over not feeling heard by GOP leadership.

The conservatives’ letter calls on McCarthy to hold votes on spending bills this year until all 12 are made public so that lawmakers and Americans ‘can assess total spending levels and their impact.’

It also demands a public assurance from McCarthy opposing supplemental Ukraine aid that would make Defense spending exceed fiscal 2022 levels. That’s nearly guaranteed to set up a battle in the Senate, where a majority of the GOP conference supports helping Kyiv fight off Russia’s invasion.

‘We intend to keep the promises we made to the American people to cut federal spending, reduce the  size and scope of the woke and weaponized federal bureaucracy, and ensure their security,’ the conservatives said. ‘And we stand ready to work with you to use the power of the purse to force the President to the table to work with us to make good on these promises.’.

In addition to Perry, the signatories include Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Dan Bishop of North Carolina. An early draft of the letter was published by Politico last week.

Montana Democrat Monica Tranel announced Monday she’s seeking her party’s nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke in next year’s election, after suffering a close loss in 2022 to the former Trump administration Cabinet member.

Tranel is the first Democrat to enter the race for the state’s western House district, which includes conservative bastions such as the Flathead Valley and more liberal cities such as Missoula and Butte.

In a message that mirrors her platform from last election, Tranel, an environmental attorney from Missoula, told The Associated Press that corporations hold too much influence over Zinke and other Republicans at a time of rising costs for consumers.

‘He’s not serving Montana. He is serving his corporate donors,’ Tranel said. ‘For those of us who are in the middle, we don’t have anybody working for us and I will be that voice.’

Zinke was interior secretary under former President Donald Trump and resigned amid multiple ethics investigations. He was elected to the House last year with 50% of the vote versus 46% for Tranel and 4% for Libertarian John Lamb.

Zinke spokesperson Heather Swift said nothing for Tranel has changed since the 2022 election. In contrast, Swift added, Zinke has been ‘getting the job done for Montana’ by sponsoring legislation aimed at removing protections for Yellowstone area grizzly bears, improving mental health care for veterans and maintaining access to national parks.

Over the past several election cycles, Montana voters ousted Democrats from almost every statewide office they once held as national issues like immigration, gun control and abortion came to dominate the state’s politics.

Yet Tranel’s performance last year showed she can run a competitive race and for next year she hopes to broaden her appeal among moderates who are willing to cross party lines.

‘We’ve always voted to balance extremism, to have pragmatic leaders who get things done,’ she said.

Zinke was the first person elected to Montana’s western House district, which was created for the 2022 election after the state picked up a congressional seat due to its growing population.

The former U.S. Navy SEAL had been considered a potential challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester until Zinke endorsed fellow Republican and Bozeman-area businessman Tim Sheehy for the post.

The primary election is June 4.

<!–>

–>

Members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their ‘gray water,’ the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a long-running religious freedom case that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A three-judge panel ruled that the government ‘failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest’ to justify overriding the religious freedom of the Amish families that challenged state regulations governing the disposal of gray water, which is water that’s been used for dishwashing, laundry, and bathing, but not toilet waste.

The Swartzentruber Amish in southeastern Minnesota are among the most traditional Amish groups in the country, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch noted in a 2021 ruling. It sent the case back to Minnesota courts for reconsideration in light of a high court decision a month earlier in a different religious freedom case. That ruling went in favor of a Philadelphia-based Catholic foster care agency that said its religious views prevented it from working with same-sex couples.

A Minnesota district court last September concluded that the government showed that it had a compelling state interest ‘of the highest order’ in requiring the Swartzentruber Amish to use septic tanks to protect groundwater supplies in the area. The families then appealed again. The Court of Appeals sided with them Monday, and sent the case back to the lower court for an order in favor of the Amish.

Fillmore County in 2013 started requiring homes to have modern septic systems to dispose of gray water. The Swartzentruber Amish sought an exemption, saying their religion prohibits that technology. They sued in 2017. For years they had discharged their gray water directly onto the ground. They offered instead to use mulch basins filled with wood chips to filter the water, as allowed in some other states, but the government argued that mulch basins would be ineffective.

The federal religious freedom law that was at issue in the Philadelphia case ‘prohibits governments from infringing sincerely held religious beliefs and practices except as a last resort,’ Gorsuch explained at the time, urging the Minnesota court and local authorities to swiftly resolve the dispute.

‘In this country, neither the Amish nor anyone else should have to choose between their farms and their faith,’ Gorsuch said.

The Court of Appeals noted that the Swartzentruber Amish use some technology, but don’t own or drive automobiles, and don’t use telephones, electric lights or modern flush toilets. They supply water to their homes from cisterns and have always prohibited septic systems.

<!–>

–>

A court-appointed monitor is urging a judge to begin contempt proceedings against New York City over conditions at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex, setting the stage for a potential federal takeover of the jail system in the nation’s most populous city.

In a report filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, the monitor said the city had failed to comply with a series of court orders that aimed to curb violence and mismanagement inside Rikers Island.

The report comes less than a month after a federal judge indicated that she would consider placing the jail in receivership, an extraordinary intervention that would end New York City’s control over one of the nation’s largest and most famous jails. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has vigorously opposed a federal takeover. The judge’s decision could come as soon as next month.

In a nearly 300-page report, the court-appointed monitor described a ‘disturbing level of regression’ since the city agreed to follow an action plan intended to stabilize the jail system last June. The Department of Correction repeatedly failed to consult the monitor, displaying an ‘unwillingness and inability to acknowledge the myriad of issues,’ the monitor Steve Martin said.

‘The pace of reform has stagnated instead of accelerated in a number of key areas,’ Martin noted, ‘meaning that there has been no meaningful relief for people in custody or staff from the violence and the unnecessary and excessive use of force.’

A spokesperson for City Hall said they were still reviewing the report, but planned to defend against any contempt motion.

Advocates for detainees have long believed a federal receivership is necessary to stem the violence on Rikers Island, where 19 people died last year, the highest number in a quarter of a century. Many believe a finding of contempt would be the first step toward a federal receivership.

‘Every single day the constitutional rights of people in city custody are being violated,’ said Kayla Simpson, an attorney for the Legal Aid Society, which represents detainees on Rikers Island. ‘The monitor is saying: ‘enough.’’

Adams, meanwhile, has repeatedly touted the success of his efforts to improve conditions on Rikers Island, pointing to a reduction in slashings and staff absenteeism since he took office and appointed Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina in January 2022.

But those gains have also come alongside questions about whether jail officials have sought to reduce transparency – with both the public and the federal monitor – around what happens inside Rikers Island.

In recent months, the monitor has detailed numerous violent incidents that jail officials allegedly neglected to report, including the death of a detainee who was originally said to have suffered a heart attack, but was later discovered to have died from a skull fracture.

Another man who attempted to flee from correction officers was tackled and paralyzed from the neck down, an injury the monitor said also wasn’t properly reported.

‘Staffs’ failure to adhere to reporting requirements for even the most serious events calls into question the overall veracity of reporting and commitment to transparency within the agency,’ the monitor wrote in the most recent report.

<!–>

–>

Lowell P. Weicker Jr., a former congressman, senator, governor, and failed presidential candidate from Connecticut who died last month, is being memorialized as a moderate Republican unafraid to take on his own party.Weicker served one term in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate three times, finishing his last term in 1989. He later served as Governor of Connecticut from 1991 to 1995.‘Opinionated? Yep. Absolutely,’ Lamont said of Weicker in a eulogy. ‘Inverse of that, maybe, is also highly principled. He was 100% certain that he was absolutely right 100% of the time. He usually was. And you know what? When he wasn’t, he was willing to change his mind.’

Lowell P. Weicker Jr., a towering figure in Connecticut politics who rose to national prominence for taking on his party during the Watergate hearings as a junior Republican senator, was remembered Monday as a politician from a bygone era, unshackled by partisanship.

During more than 30 years in public office, Weicker fought for AIDS funding, clean air and water, medical research, protecting people with disabilities and those marginalized in society. He served in the Connecticut General Assembly, the U.S. House of Representatives and later as Connecticut’s first independent governor. He died June 28 at age 92, following a short illness.

His funeral in Greenwich, Connecticut, a town where he was once the first selectman, drew family, friends and politicians from both parties. They recalled his maverick political style being guided by an internal moral compass to do what he thought was right for Connecticut and the nation.

‘He loved to challenge convention every day and we’re better for it,’ said Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, a personal friend of Weicker and his wife Claudia, who delivered a eulogy peppered with moments of humor.

‘Opinionated? Yep. Absolutely,’ Lamont said. ‘Inverse of that, maybe, is also highly principled. He was 100% certain that he was absolutely right 100% of the time. He usually was. And you know what? When he wasn’t, he was willing to change his mind.’

Connecticut voters have had strong opinions about Weicker over the years. As a one-term governor, he pushed through a highly contentious tax on personal income when the state faced major fiscal problems, despite initially opposing it. An estimated 40,000 protesters packed the state Capitol grounds in Hartford on Oct. 5, 1991, demanding lawmakers ‘ax the tax.’ Some hanged him in effigy. But Weicker still decided to walk through the crowd.

‘Lowell Weicker was never afraid to make hard choices and to fight for what he believed in,’ said Stanley Twardy, who worked with Weicker when he was a senator and governor.

Despite his imposing persona and physique – he was roughly 6-foot, 6-inches tall – Weicker was remembered by his family as ‘Pop,’ a doting grandfather who made pancakes for his granddaughter and inspired his grandson to scuba dive. While always competitive, he was also kind and cared about others, said his son, Scot Weicker, one of seven children.

The younger Weicker recalled playing doubles tennis against his father one day and rupturing his Achilles tendon on a shot.

‘He came over to the net and looked down at me and said, ‘Just so you know, we won the point,” Scot Weicker told those gathered, who erupted in laughter. After Scot Weicker agreed on the score, the elder Weicker’s demeanor changed and he asked his son if he was OK.

‘This was when the other side of dad kicked in. He was at his absolute best when someone needed help,’ Scot Weicker said. ‘He was a man who would go to any lengths to help those in need.’

After Lowell Weicker’s death, Democratic President Joe Biden said he was ‘proud to call him a friend,’ describing him as ‘blunt, brave, committed to his convictions and fiercely independent.’ The two served together in the Senate for nearly two decades.

Former Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd served in Congress for 14 years with Weicker, including eight as Connecticut’s two senators. He lauded Weicker for going out of his way to help him learn the ‘obscure traditions’ of the U.S. Senate, noting that the two ended up becoming good friends.

‘We always reached across the aisle together, Lowell and I did, and worked for the betterment of the state of Connecticut and our country. We didn’t always agree, but Lowell never took a cheap shot,’ Dodd said. ‘We both believed that we had an obligation to keep our state’s best interests at heart. The U.S. Senate in those days was nothing like it is today. And in my view, as a country, they’re worse for it.’

<!–>

–>

FIRST ON FOX: House Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana blasted the Biden administration for paying ‘DEI bureaucrats’ more than ‘enlisted troops on the frontline.’

On Monday, the Biden administration released its statement of administration policy for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) where they came out in opposition to several of Banks’ amendments to the legislation.

One amendment the Biden administration is against slashes the salary cap for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employees in the military while another requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue promotions based on merit, not immutable characteristics like race or sex.

‘It tells you everything you need to know about the Biden administration that they believe DEI bureaucrats at the Pentagon should be paid more money than enlisted troops on the frontline,’ Banks, who is running for Senate, told Fox News Digital.

According to the document, the Biden administration ‘strongly opposes the House’s sweeping attempts (sections 364, 523, 566, 595, 596, 598, 904, and 1046) to eliminate the Department’s longstanding DEIA efforts and related initiatives to promote a cohesive and inclusive force.’

‘As articulated in the 2022 NDS, one of the Department’s top priorities is building a resilient Joint Force and defense enterprise. DoD’s strategic advantage in a complex global security environment is the diverse and dynamic talent pool from which we draw,’ the Biden administration said.

‘We rely on diverse perspectives, experiences, and skillsets to remain a global leader, deter war, and keep our nation secure. Moreover, DoD is committed to developing and maintaining a dignified, respectful, and safe workplace. Legislation that reduces DoD’s ability to create a positive work environment and fully leverage the best our nation has to offer puts the Department at a strategic disadvantage.’

Banks’ amendment slashing the DEI salary cap — section 364 — says the Defense secretary ‘may not appoint to, or otherwise employ in, any position with a duty described in subsection (b) a military or civilian employee with a rank or grade in excess of GS–10 not adjusted for locality.’

The duties described in the amendment include those involved with developing, ‘refining, and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion policy,’ as well as those who lead ‘working groups and councils to developing diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and objectives to measure performance and outcomes.’

Banks’ amendment also affects Defense Department employees involved in creating ‘and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion education, training courses, and workshops for military and civilian personnel.’

Additionally, the amendment reassigns any DEI employees above a GS-10 grade 180 days after the NDAA goes into effect.

Banks’ amendment, section 523, which the Biden administration also opposes, would require the military to make merit-based decisions for promotions.

Additionally, the Biden administration opposed Banks’ amendments authorizing the reinstatement of service members discharged for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine — section 525 — and requiring the secretary of defense to determine whether Chinese government officials were aware of the transportation of fentanyl precursors to Mexican cartels, section 1316.

‘The Administration is concerned that sections such as 1201, 1242, 1316, 1804, and 2808 do not include a requirement for Secretary of State concurrence and so would provide insufficient means for the Secretary of State to provide input to ensure foreign assistance or engagement is carried out in a manner consistent with foreign policy priorities,’ the Biden administration wrote.

Banks’ amendments come as wokeness in the military continues to be a hot-button issue.

The U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in May offered personnel virtual professional development courses, including one ‘woke’ class focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.

JSOC offered to civilian and military personnel a list of 17 free online courses, including a ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ conference in May and others on a litany of topics.

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Public Affairs Officer Ken McGraw confirmed to Fox News that the courses were offered to military personnel, saying the DOD ‘regularly notifies its employees of a wide variety of non-mandatory, professional education opportunities.’

‘These courses are not unique to U.S. Special Operations Command or any USSOCOM subordinate command,’ McGraw continued. ‘In this instance, JSOC notified their civilian and military personnel that DOD was offering 17 free, professional-development courses online, one of which is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.’