A Boston police officer was left alone in a hostile crowd as people hurled drinks and debris at him while a dirt bike suspect broke free and escaped, according to police and the city’s largest police union.

The chaotic caught-on-camera confrontation first surfaced in a TikTok video posted by @noticiaboston. It happened around 9:24 p.m. on June 28 near Old Road and Ellington Street, where police said 100 to 150 people had flooded the area with loud music, drinking, lowriders, mopeds and dirt bikes.

Boston Police Department (BPD) Officer Jesse Kennedy had responded to a loud disturbance call and tried to disperse the crowd when he spotted a dirt bike with no rear plate, according to a police report obtained by the Boston Herald. When Kennedy approached the rider and grabbed the handlebars to check whether the bike was registered, the rider refused to get off and allegedly tried to pull away. Fox News Digital has requested the police report and additional information from BPD.

Video circulating on social media shows Kennedy surrounded as people appear to throw liquids, bottles and other objects while he struggles with the rider. At one point, glass can be heard smashing on the street.

RAMPAGING 1,000-TEEN MOB STORMS TOURIST ATTRACTION, HURTS OFFICERS IN VIOLENT 'TAKEOVER' CAUGHT ON VIDEO

"Go home," someone yells in the video reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone told Fox News Digital the video shows exactly what rank-and-file officers are up against when staffing runs thin.

"He was all alone, and he had to go," Calderone said.

Kennedy had been assigned with another officer, but Calderone said that officer had trouble reaching him because of traffic, street takeovers and pedestrians blocking the way.

"It’s a matter of minutes," Calderone said. "It probably doesn’t sound like much to the general public, but when you’re fighting an individual in a crowd and you’re calling for help and nobody’s coming, that three minutes feels like an awful long time."

MAMDANI WALKS BACK PLAN TO INCREASE NYPD HEADCOUNT FOLLOWING DSA PRESSURE

The union boss said BPD is "extremely short" on manpower and argued the incident was a symptom of a staffing crisis that has left officers dangerously outnumbered at the busiest time of year.

Calderone said the union is not blaming Mayor Michelle Wu, whom he credited with budgeting for and hiring roughly 100 officers a year during her time in office. Instead, he pointed to retirements, internal promotions and the City Council’s handling of police overtime.

"The blame is not with the mayor," Calderone said. "The blame is with the City Council."

Calderone claimed Boston’s patrol ranks remain dangerously depleted, saying prior department testimony to the City Council showed BPD was roughly 600 rank-and-file officers short. Fox News Digital has not independently verified Calderone’s staffing figures.

LAPD CHIEF WARNS LOS ANGELES NOT PREPARED TO SECURE 2028 OLYMPICS DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Calderone accused some councilors of trying to "defund the police" while neighborhoods deal with street takeovers, loud late-night parties and attacks on officers trying to keep the peace.

"Why aren’t they condemning these street takeovers; these loud, noisy parties; these assaults on their police officers who are trying to keep their neighborhoods safe?" Calderone said.

The union president said Boston traditionally uses overtime to put extra officers on the street when officials know about recurring problem areas.

"For some reason, this weekend, the department did not put any extra bodies out," he said, claiming BPD "ran below their own minimum standards," leaving Kennedy alone in the crowd.

"Thank goodness he and no innocent bystander was hurt," Calderone said.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association also blasted the viral video on X, writing that "fewer cops means less safety."

Additional officers eventually arrived and cleared the crowd, according to the police report. The rider was not publicly identified in initial reports, and the police report did not note any arrests from the crowd.

GOT A TIP?

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Wu's office, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and City Commissioner for District 4 Brian Worrell's office for comment.

It's that time of the week again. We've made it to Thursday and that means we take a dive into the world of True Romance.

We're going to hear about a married man who has found himself in a tough spot after his wife and mistress joined forces. His troubles all started with a misfired sext.

Once we get through that, we'll be learning about the unexpected details of an alleged OnlyFans romance scam. It's a good reminder to ease your way into matters of the heart.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

All that takes us into some potential crimes against romance. With claims of marrying for logical reasons, not for love. That's not what we're all about here. We let our hearts lead the way.

Speaking of marriages, and logical reasons over love, when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift tie the knot this weekend, will she take his last name, or will he take hers? I think that's a valid question.

If it is a marriage based on love, I wish them well. Even if it's not, it has helped romance this week. One of the annual traditions this time of year, Michael Rubin's White Party, was moved up to Wednesday because of the Kelce-Swift wedding, and romance was in the air.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, GIRLFRIEND 'CURRENTLY TAKING SOME TIME APART' AFTER OVER THREE YEARS OF DATING, SHE SAYS

Alex Rodriguez was caught sharing a kiss with an unknown woman at the party. It's good to see A-Rod back out there following his breakup earlier this year. Good for him and good for the romantics out there. I look forward to seeing them in the gym together very soon.

Go follow True Romance on Twitter and Facebook. Send your emails here: sean.joseph@outkick.com (anonymously if you prefer).

A married man who has been having an affair for the last three years is now stuck in the middle after his wife and mistress joined forces.

He wants to know why he can't keep both of the women in his life. He wants to do what he wants and have a great time while he's doing it.

His wife and mistress have other plans. After a sext to his wife that was meant for his mistress ruined everything, they want him to choose.

"I’d happily carry on with this arrangement until my dying day; only they’ve got together and are ganging up on me. Basically, they are demanding I choose one over the other and I’m struggling to make that decision," he wrote to the Daily Star.

Each brings something different to the table and compliments the other by filling in for the other's weaknesses. One can cook, the other can't. One can dance and has a sense of humor, the other can't do either.

It's a situation he had to know prior to misfiring a nude to his wife that was too good to be true. You can't have it all and that's why a mistake was made. He let his guard down and started believing he deserved it all.

It's a mistake that happens over and over again.

"My wife first found out about my affair when I accidentally sent her a sexually explicit message and picture of my naked self, by mistake," he wrote. "At first she was reasonable and said that she’d give me two weeks to sort everything out."

Two months have passed, and she's selfishly wanting a decision to be made. The women have contacted one another and the heat is on. He doesn't want to sell his house, fork over money for a divorce and give her half his pension.

"Why can’t she simply turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening like they do in other cultures?," he understandably asks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK CULTURE COVERAGE

You know, I want to go against this guy, but he's had a three-year taste of the good life. A life full of romance, and he doesn't want to let that go without a fight. He could have approached this much differently.

He could have said that he wanted neither of them. He didn't. By not choosing one over the other, he's saying he wants both.

There is something special there. I don’t want there to be, but there is, and I'm a big enough person to recognize that. Are his wife and mistress?

I don't know.

Follow True Romance on Twitter and Facebook.

You think OnlyFans scam, and you think a man is throwing away his life savings on a model. Or someone is catfishing someone and having them empty their bank account.

That's what I thought at first, but that's not what is being alleged here. The alleged victim is a woman who started out as a paying customer of the man being accused of being the romance scammer, reports WRNJ.

The State of New Jersey is seeking the forfeiture of vehicles, electronic devices, and financial documents and has filed a complaint in Hunterdon County Superior Court.

The woman alleges that the relationship between her and the content creator started out as many do on OnlyFans. She was purchasing sexual content from him. Then the messages became more personal in nature at the end of 2024 into early 2025.

According to the complaint, she believed that the two had a future together and that her shelling out money for content and several personal items were all part of an "investment" in their future.

Someone told her that wasn't the case. That person alleged that her content creating online romantic interest was operating an organization to make women believe they were in romantic relationships while cashing in.

There were tens of thousands of dollars sent to him, the complaint alleges, for things like dental work, a pickup truck, a motorcycle and to fund a legitimate social media career and future together.

There are allegedly others out there who sent money to him and the alleged OnlyFans romance scammer was charged with "theft by deception, financial facilitation of criminal activity and falsifying or tampering with records."

You love the enthusiasm for romance, but this serves as a reminder that you can't trust everyone you're purchasing sexual content from on the internet. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's a sad reality.

JUDGE CAUGHT IN EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR WITH AN OFFICER IN HER CHAMBERS, HOPELESS ROMANTIC MARRIES HERSELF & MORE

Believe it or not, there are people out there marrying a logical choice and not someone they love. They're not locking eyes with someone across a bar and following the butterflies into an eventual relationship.

They're marrying for central heat, health insurance and because the person has a car. They're skipping right over the part where you let the passion in a relationship burn out over many years of marriage.

There's no passion, so there are no complications that come along with that. I don't want to say that these people need to be jailed for crimes against romance, but these people need to be jailed for crimes against romance.

Here are some of the responses to the Reddit question: People who didn’t choose a partner for love but chose a partner that was a good logical choice, how did it work out?

- Tom writes:

I don't know if you can understand this but in the early 70s and into the disco era and early 80s if you were a really smooth dancer and good looking you had as much sex with as many different women as you could handle. I was known from Cleveland to Youngstown to Pittsburgh for my dance moves (think Soul Train and Saturday Night Fever) and after an hour of dancing on a lighted dance floor at Holiday Wildlife in Youngstown, Ohio my dance partner put her arms around me and said, "You just reek of sex."

Another time I was at the Stable Pit and Pub dance club near Meadville, Pa and was drinking more heavily than normal, picked up this chick and we were going to her house. I got to my car, said excuse me and went to the rear and hurled. I was pretty dizzy when she walked over and asked, "Can you still get it up?" I was stunned, I mean, I had just vomited and she STILL wanted sex. I just shook my head "No" and said, "You drive." I slept on her couch.

My friends and I attended a Black Oak Arkansas concert in Warren, Ohio in the 70s. We were standing near the front center stage and Jim Dandy, Ruby Starr and the boys were going to town rocking. This girl in front of me backed up and started pushing her butt against my crotch. She got the reaction from my 25 year body that she was hoping for and never stopped grinding nor looked at me for the full hour and fifteen minutes. When the concert was over, she finally turned to me, smiled and said, "Thanks for a wonderful evening" as if we had been on a date and walked away.

I miss that time period.

SeanJo

Tom, I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to send in more of your stories of romance.

-------------

That will do it for this week. We'll do it again next week. Feel free to reach out, anonymously if you prefer, at sean.joseph@outkick.com.

Send me whatever you want. I get plenty of hate mail as it is and yours will be a welcomed addition to the pile.

Police say they thwarted what could have been a devastating mass casualty attack after arresting a transgender Nevada suspect accused of plotting a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip and uncovering an arsenal that included machine guns, grenade launchers and more than 50 firearms.

Allison Howlett, 36, who police identify in the arrest report as transgender, was arrested June 27 after Henderson police received a frantic 911 call from the suspect's spouse reporting a domestic dispute, a stolen vehicle loaded with guns and threats of both "suicide by cop" and a mass shooting.

Using vehicle tracking technology, Henderson police traced the stolen SUV to a parking garage at Sunset Station casino, where officers boxed in the vehicle after finding Howlett inside with loud music blaring and refusing repeated commands to surrender.

USPS WORKER ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED MASS SHOOTING THREAT AGAINST TEXAS PRIDE EVENT, FBI SAYS

Authorities said officers eventually convinced Howlett to lower a window by offering water before pulling the suspect from the vehicle and deploying a Taser during the struggle.

"It should be noted that the suspect had been sitting on a handgun and had access to a fully automatic, silenced MP5-style machine gun in the back seat of the vehicle, further corroborating the reported threats of suicide by cop and having the means to carry out a mass shooting," Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said during a news conference Tuesday.

🚨 Know something we should investigate?

📩 stepheny.price@fox.com

📸 IG: @fndstephprice

🎥 X: @StephenyPrice

Your tip could lead to our next story.

Authorities say detectives recovered 22 guns from the stolen vehicle, including handguns, rifles, a fully automatic firearm, suppressors, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

A subsequent search warrant executed at Howlett's Henderson residence uncovered 30 additional guns, including automatic weapons, an M2 .50-caliber machine gun, two Colt AR-style rifles equipped with M203 grenade launchers, seven suppressors and thousands of rounds of ammunition, investigators said.

RECORDS REVEAL THE MASSIVE ARSENAL OHIO MAN ALLEGEDLY BUILT TO ATTACK WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT

As the investigation unfolded, Henderson police enlisted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI's Las Vegas Field Office.

Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said investigators uncovered evidence that Howlett allegedly made threats over an extended period of time.

FORMER NORTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY PLANNING MASS SHOOTING AT NEW ORLEANS FESTIVAL

"Some of that information included the threat of wanting to become an active shooter or to conduct a mass attack here in Las Vegas," Koren said.

Police also played audio during Tuesday's news conference that investigators said was recorded in 2024 and captured Howlett allegedly threatening a future mass shooting.

"If the FBI doesn't come ... arrest me, there's gonna be a ... massacre. ... One day ... hundreds of people [are] going to lose their lives," the person heard in the recording says.

FOLLOW US ON X

"Obviously, for our community here in Las Vegas, after dealing with One October, those types of threats are taken very seriously," Koren said, referencing the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, which authorities have called the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Investigators said the alleged threats, coupled with the cache of weapons, prompted the immediate expansion of the investigation into a counterterrorism case.

Howlett now faces 35 criminal counts, including making threats related to an act of terrorism, assault with a deadly weapon constituting domestic violence, grand larceny of a vehicle, 22 counts of grand larceny of a firearm, multiple weapons offenses involving machine guns, suppressors and short-barreled rifles and resisting a public officer while armed with a firearm.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS

A Clark County judge later set Howlett's bail at $500,000.

The investigation began after Julie Howlett called 911 to report that her spouse had allegedly taken her vehicle and threatened a mass shooting.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Julie Howlett later told FOX5 Las Vegas that the 22 guns recovered from the stolen vehicle belonged to her and were part of her inventory as a gun dealer preparing to transport them out of state.

According to Julie Howlett, the confrontation began after she discovered Allison using her credit card without permission.

"That morning, I woke up to Allison spending money on my credit card," Julie told FOX5. "She came in with a gun."

Julie said she struggled to wrestle the firearm away after Allison allegedly pulled the trigger.

GET BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

"She was going to kill me," Julie said. "She took off. I ran outside. I had the gun still in my hand. I unloaded it."

During Tuesday's news conference, authorities confirmed investigators believe the firearms recovered from the vehicle belonged to the spouse. Officials said detectives are continuing to determine how the weapons were acquired, whether they were legally possessed and what role they allegedly played in the case.

Police have also alleged that Howlett made similar threats dating back to January 2024, including warning in a recorded statement that "there is going to be a mass shooting one day" if the FBI did not arrest the suspect.

Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said investigators are still working to determine a motive but warned the case highlights how rapidly violent threats can escalate.

"The time from thought to act — that window has closed," Walsh said, explaining that suspected attackers today can move from making threats to carrying them out in a matter of days or even hours.

SEND US A TIP

KSNV reported that, during a recorded interview with detectives after the arrest, Howlett denied planning a mass shooting or threatening anyone.

According to the outlet, Howlett said she and Julie Howlett had been married for four years and were both transitioning to female while taking estrogen and progesterone. Howlett also told investigators she took Julie's vehicle simply to leave after an argument, acknowledged knowing firearms were inside because Julie had planned to transport them out of state, and claimed users on the online communications platform Discord had falsely accused her of making threats.

KSNV further reported that Howlett said all of her personally owned firearms had previously been legally transferred to Julie through an ATF-approved process.

Walsh urged anyone who hears credible threats of violence, particularly in domestic situations, to report them immediately, saying early intervention gives law enforcement the best chance to prevent tragedy.

As Southern Nevada prepares for Fourth of July celebrations, officials said law enforcement agencies remain on heightened alert and credited the coordinated response between Henderson police, Metro, the FBI and other regional partners with stopping what investigators believe could have become a mass casualty attack.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI's Las Vegas Field Office for additional comment. Both agencies said they had nothing further to add beyond officials' remarks during Tuesday's press conference.

Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump lost his Supreme Court bid to restrict birthright citizenship through executive order, but one of his own appointees may have handed Republicans a blueprint for pursuing much of the same goal through Congress.

Voting with the 6-3 majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that Executive Order 14160, which restricts automatic citizenship to people born to U.S. citizens or permanent residents, couldn't take effect. But in a concurring opinion, he also pointed to a different path forward. Kavanaugh argued the court should have resolved the case under federal law rather than the Constitution, laying out a potential legislative path for Congress to pursue changes to birthright citizenship.

Congress first wrote the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship language into federal law in 1940, then carried it over into the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

Because Congress adopted that language after the Supreme Court's landmark 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which established that most people born in the United States automatically become U.S. citizens, Kavanaugh said lawmakers effectively incorporated the court's interpretation into federal statute.

TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

Kavanaugh said Trump couldn't use an executive order to change a law Congress had already passed, but instead suggested Congress could rewrite the law to limit birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.

"Congress could — consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment—amend §1401(a) or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country," he wrote.

ALITO WARNS SUPREME COURT MADE 'SERIOUS MISTAKE' THAT COULD HAVE NATIONAL SECURITY CONSEQUENCES

Kavanaugh argued that large-scale illegal immigration and modern international travel have created circumstances the Reconstruction Congress never envisioned. In his view, that gives Congress room to establish new exceptions to birthright citizenship that are comparable to the historical exceptions recognized under the citizenship clause, including children born to foreign diplomats and enemy forces occupying U.S. territory.

"Those two categories of foreign citizens—namely, those unlawfully or temporarily in the country—are relevantly similar to the four categories of persons recognized as exceptions in Wong Kim Ark," Kavanaugh wrote.

While the majority rejected Kavanaugh's constitutional reasoning, Republicans quickly seized on the idea that any future effort to limit birthright citizenship would have to come through Congress rather than the White House.

REPUBLICAN ACCUSES SCOTUS OF BETRAYING US, PUSHES BILL RESTRICTING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, PREGNANT VISITORS

Hours after the Supreme Court's ruling came out, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said birthright citizenship has "been abused" and suggested that Congress will have to amend the Constitution.

"It's one of those things that was intended to serve a noble and important purpose and has been thwarted and overused and abused," Johnson told reporters. "I'm sure that the conclusion from this decision is you have to amend the Constitution to fix that."

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., renewed his push for a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship, arguing that legislation alone would not be enough.

"I introduced a constitutional amendment months ago, actually, to fix birthright citizenship," Paul wrote on X. "After the Supreme Court decision, that amendment matters more than ever. I'm asking my colleagues to take it seriously and help me get this passed."

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, echoed Paul's calls to pass a constitutional amendment.

"The long fight for a constitutional amendment begins now," Lee wrote on X. "We must explicitly exclude foreign nationals who break our laws, violate our borders, or exploit loopholes to make their families American."

Trump argued that Congress could change birthright citizenship through legislation instead of a constitutional amendment.

"No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship. They will have my Complete and Total Support!"

Several Republicans quickly pointed to existing legislation, including Sen. Tom Cotton's, R-Ark., Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act, as well as proposals from Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., aimed at cracking down on birth tourism.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department indicated it would shift tactics, announcing a crackdown on birth tourism by targeting alleged visa fraud and related criminal conduct rather than attempting to enforce Executive Order 14160.

But, Kavanaugh's roadmap is far from a guarantee. On the constitutional question, a 5-4 majority concluded that the citizenship clause itself protects birthright citizenship, meaning any congressional effort to restrict it through ordinary legislation would likely face immediate constitutional challenges.

"Justice Thomas says in the final paragraph of his dissent that he's not confident that the decision is going to stand the test of time, so it could well be that the court would revisit it if Congress were to take the steps that Justice Kavanaugh describes," Notre Dame Law School professor Haley Proctor told Fox News Digital. "This is an important decision. I don't think the court's going to revisit it lightly, and the only sure way to get a new answer here would be to amend the Constitution."

Kavanaugh offered a similar roadmap in a recent Trump case over tariffs. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal emergency law known as IEEPA did not give Trump the authority to impose sweeping tariffs. But Kavanaugh argued the administration had simply relied on the wrong legal authority instead of rejecting the policy outright.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

"The Court today concludes that the President checked the wrong statutory box by relying on IEEPA rather than another statute to impose these tariffs," Kavanaugh wrote.

Instead, Kavanaugh said Trump could rely on several existing trade laws to impose many of the same tariffs, though those laws would require additional legal steps.

Trump later called Kavanaugh his "new hero" in a Truth Social post praising the justice's dissent in the February tariff decision.

Four people have been arrested after 16 children were found living in "deplorable" conditions and in need of medical treatment in a rural Ohio home, officials said Wednesday.

The children were found during a search of the home in Hamden, 60 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, state Attorney General Andy Wilson said at a news conference.

"Conditions you cannot even imagine people being in, let alone children being in," Wilson said.

FLORIDA TODDLER DIES AFTER FATHER REALIZES CHILD WAS LEFT IN SUV DURING DAYCARE PICKUP

The children were removed from the home. Wilson called it the worst scene he had encountered in his career, describing it as "pure evil." Several were in serious condition when found, and two were flown to Level 1 trauma centers because of their injuries.

"If they had waited 24 hours, there is a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death, or multiple deaths, of these children," Wilson said.

Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described horrid conditions, saying there was a high presence of feces and bacterial matter.

FBI AND TEXAS AUTHORITIES ARREST 276 SUSPECTED CHILD PREDATORS, RESCUE 89 CHILDREN IN SWEEPING OPERATION

"Most of the livestock was kept in better condition than the children," Cain said.

The suspects — Gary Siders Sr., Gary Siders Jr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders — were charged with 16 counts of second-degree child endangering. A judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf during a Wednesday court hearing and set a $300,000 bond for all four.

Officials didn't confirm if the children were related, but said they ranged in age from 18 months to 18 years old and included both boys and girls.

WASHINGTON TEACHER CHARGED WITH INCEST AFTER ALLEGEDLY HAVING SEX WITH TWO TEENAGE BOYS SHE ADOPTED

"Justice will be served for these children," Wilson said.

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer clarified that the suspects are not originally from Vinton County.

"This is an intra-family situation. This is not human trafficking. There is nothing to put our other children at risk," Archer said.

On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he was being kept informed on the case.

"It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions," he said. "Attorney General Wilson is an experienced prosecutor, and he has told me he has never seen anything like what he saw today. Fran and I pray for these children, and thank the children's services workers, law enforcement officers, and medical personnel who are helping them."

The U.S. Supreme Court just moved us much closer to leveling the playing field.

In a decision that defends justice and biological reality, the court upheld laws in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Idaho (Little v. Hecox) that preserve fairness and safety for female athletes by keeping men out of women’s sports. The ruling effectively upholds the laws of 27 states; now the other 23 states need to act.

By affirming the clear meaning of the law and common sense, the Supreme Court’s decision also affirmed state governments’ ability to recognize the inherent biological differences between men and women. In doing so, the justices have thrown legal cold water on years of cultural and political pressure to deny that reality—efforts that have led thousands of girls and young women like us into senseless defeat, discouragement, and, for some, even physical danger.

SUPREME COURT MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S SPORTS

We didn’t compete to win "participation" trophies. And we didn’t train to lose before we even stepped up to the starting line. So we’re deeply grateful that now, by supporting states’ legal authority to keep men out of women’s sports, the court has reasserted decades-long efforts to promote women’s athletics as separate from men’s sports. The court validated fair competition rather than an increasingly destructive laboratory for social experimentation.

Most Americans will appreciate this. They know men can’t become women. They know differences between the sexes run deep and can’t be erased with drugs and surgeries that do terrible damage to those who undergo them. As Justice Clarence Thomas explained in his concurring opinion today, "Men and boys with gender dysphoria are not women or girls, even if they believe that they are."

The impact of this forcible "fairness" has done damage to countless girls and women nationwide: damaging their chances for greater athletic and, through scholarships, academic success; discarding years of hard work, training, and sacrifice; in some cases, doing them serious physical harm; and, in many more, draining away the purest joys of athletic competition.

LAWYERS FIGHTING SJSU OVER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL RESPOND TO FEDERAL TITLE IX PROBE FINDINGS

We know. Both of us were forced to compete against a male in Idaho track and field and cross-country events; as a result, we both fell significantly in our respective athletic rankings.

Other women—including Adaleia Cross, who competed on the same team and in the same events as B.P.J., were among the approximately 400 female athletes in West Virginia displaced across a three-year period by a single male athlete competing in their events. That same male athlete was given access to girls’ locker and shower areas and allegedly repeatedly sexually harassed Adaleia and other girls.

The unwillingness of school officials to properly address Adaleia’s complaints is a story echoed in other schools all over the country, where women and girls have been compelled to forfeit personal privacy, physical safety, and athletic success in deference to a dangerous cultural trend and an ironclad political agenda.

EMERGENCY ACTION SEEKS TO PREVENT ERASURE OF 'MOTHER' AND 'FATHER' IN CODE OF LARGEST US TOWN

That is another reason why this week’s legal victory is so important. Twenty-three states still aren’t protecting women’s sports. This week’s decision affirms for officials and concerned citizens in all those states the legal protection and moral incentive to change that—to restore to this generation of young women their right to equal opportunity, personal safety, and the lifelong benefits of fair athletic competition.

We would first like to thank God for His strength and hand in this effort. We’re also thankful for all those who have stood for truth. We are grateful to West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey and Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador for having the courage to stand up for every girl in their states. And to our attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, who worked alongside them and fought so hard for us: Thank you. We couldn’t have done this without you.

We're also thankful for every parent, coach, and community member who showed up—at school board meetings, in statehouses, and online—and refused to stay quiet. And to the women athletes who used their own platforms to speak out: Riley Gaines, Wendy Enderle, Stephanie Turner, and countless others. We see you, and we’re grateful you had our backs.

But particularly, this week, we give thanks for a decision that gives us justice and points our nation back to common sense… to reality… to the truth. Over the last few years, so many people have worked tirelessly to promote the lie that men can become women—that one sex should step aside and let another one destroy all that so many women struggled for so long to make possible: equality, fairness, and opportunity.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The girls and women athletes of this country have paid a terrible price for those lies and that destruction. But this decision is the beginning of the end of all that—a great, long step back toward justice and common sense. There are more long steps to come, but they will be easier now.

The playing field isn’t level yet—but it’s a lot closer than it was.

Editor's note: Former Idaho State University track athletes Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall are parties to the women’s sports cases that the U.S. Supreme Court decided on June 30.

Mary Kate Marshall is a former track athlete at Idaho State University.

A JetBlue flight reportedly struck a drone while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport for landing Monday morning, according to federal officials. 

The incident involved JetBlue Airlines Flight 948, which departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Preliminary reports indicate the aircraft struck the drone at an altitude of about 3,000 feet.

"The pilot of JetBlue Airlines Flight 948 reported striking a drone at approximately 3,000 feet altitude while on final approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport around 7:15 a.m. local time on Monday," the FAA said.

FAA TEMPORARILY RESTRICTS DRONE FLIGHTS IN NEW YORK AMID CONCERNS OVER RECENTLY REPORTED SIGHTINGS

JetBlue told Fox News Digital that the crew "reported a possible drone encounter during the aircraft's final approach into New York."

The flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the aircraft was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, JetBlue said.

JetBlue and FAA officials both said the post-flight inspection did not reveal any damage to the aircraft or evidence of a collision.

'DRONE' SIGHTINGS IN THE NORTHEAST SPARK 'UNFOUNDED' PANIC, SAYS EXPERT

"Safety is JetBlue's first priority, and we will assist with any relevant investigations," JetBlue said.

The FAA will investigate the incident.

According to the agency, unauthorized drone operations near airports are illegal, but reports of "unmanned aircraft (UAS) sightings from pilots, citizens and law enforcement remain high."

Operators who violate FAA regulations may face significant civil penalties and criminal charges, including possible jail time.