House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he didn't see New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Asked by CNN host Jake Tapper whether he believed Mamdani was the future of the party, Jeffries responded, "No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to fall, as far as we‘re concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and members who are doing a great work all across the country as it relates to our need to both take back control of the House."

Jeffries went on to criticize President Donald Trump and predict a positive turnout for Democrats in the elections on Tuesday in Virginia, New Jersey and California, citing Proposition 50.

Tapper pressed Jeffries, saying he didn’t really answer the question.

TOP HOUSE DEM SIDES WITH MAMDANI CRITICS ON KEY CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING HIS CAMPAIGN: 'LEGITIMATE ISSUE'

"Are you concerned about Republicans using him [Mamdani] as a lightning rod? So as to hurt your ability to win back the House in 2026?" Tapper asked.

Mamdani is set to face former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is considered the frontrunner in the race.

"No, the lightning rod, in terms of what‘s going to impact the ability of either side to win control of the House or hold control of the House in 2026, is going to be the failure of Republicans to actually deliver on the promises that they‘ve made, and to actively make life worse for everyday Americans," Jeffries said.

CLINTON CAMPAIGN ALUM URGES JEFFRIES, SCHUMER NOT TO 'TAKE THE BAIT,' GET 'BULLIED' INTO MAMDANI ENDORSEMENT

He added that Americans know the country is headed in the "wrong direction" and blamed it on Trump and the Republican Party. 

Jeffries endorsed Mamdani in late October.

"Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy," Jeffries said in the statement.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

However, the House minority leader also said in his statement that he has "areas of principled disagreement" with Mamdani.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not endorsed Mamdani.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., criticized Schumer for not endorsing the Democratic socialist candidate on Thursday.

Omar was asked why she believed Schumer had withheld his support. 

"I really don‘t know. It makes no sense," Omar said. "We as Democrats have always believed that, in an election, we support our party‘s nominee. Schumer has pressured other Democrats to do just that, and he should be following his own advice."

Ana de Armas has reportedly hit the brakes on her relationship with Tom Cruise.

The "Ballerina" actress, 37, decided to take a step back after things began moving faster than she was comfortable with, according to a new report from Us Weekly.

"Tom and Ana are done for now," a source said. "It was more Ana’s decision because things were moving fast, and she started to get a little uncomfortable with how fast it was going."

JESSICA ALBA DEBUTS RELATIONSHIP WITH 'TOP GUN' STAR DANNY RAMIREZ IN AUSTRALIA INSTAGRAM POST

While de Armas is said to have "put the brakes on it," the source emphasized that there are still strong feelings between the pair.

"She still likes him a lot, and they have a connection," the insider noted. "They will see how things go in the future."

The source added that the two "want to remain friends," but de Armas "needed to take a step back."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Cruise, 63, and de Armas reportedly grew close while preparing for their supernatural thriller "Deeper," which is now on hold. Their chemistry during pre-production was described as "totally undeniable."

"They spent every day together in preparation and training for the intense underwater sequences," the insider explained. "It started as a deep professional respect, and then it ignited. Tom was completely captivated by Ana."

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

De Armas, meanwhile, has been focused on work — including "a new project," according to the source — and balancing a fast-paced relationship with her career.

"On a personal level, she enjoyed his company, and he was fun to be with," the insider continued. "One of the things that attracted her most to him was he supported her and everything she wanted to do."

Fox News Digital has reached out to reps for Cruise and de Armas.

The rumored romance between the "Top Gun: Maverick" star and the "Knives Out" actress had been heating up since spring, when the two were spotted together while filming and later gushed about working with one another.

In a previous interview, de Armas called teaming up with Cruise "so much fun," while the actor — known for his intense dedication to his craft — seemingly admired her talent and energy on set.

President Trump announced Friday that he is designating Nigeria as a "country of particular concern," citing the widespread killings of Christians in the West African country.

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria," Trump posted to Truth Social. "Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a "COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN" — But that is the least of it."

The President emphasized that action must be taken when people are persecuted for their faith.

CRUZ CLASHES WITH NIGERIA OVER HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS KILLED SINCE 2009 IN RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE

Trump said he has directed Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.

"The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries," Trump said. "We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!"

The situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshipers killed during Sunday services, and thousands displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country’s northern and central regions.

In June, militants attacked the village of a bishop, just days after he testified before Congress about Christian persecution, leaving more than twenty people dead. Similar assaults in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds this year alone, with survivors describing how gunmen shouted, "Allahu Akbar" as they torched churches and homes.

According to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70% of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warns that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders are responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights organizations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.

Mark Walker, President Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria’s government to act.

JIHADISTS MASSACRE 89 CHRISTIANS IN AFRICAN NATION, MANY SLAIN AT FUNERAL SERVICE

"Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually," Walker said. "This has been going on for years — from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias — and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive."

Walker, a former pastor and Republican congressman from North Carolina, said that although he has not yet been confirmed, he already works with church networks across Africa to help keep missionaries and local believers safe.

"This isn’t about appropriations or politics — this is about human life. We’re talking about boys and girls, about women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. All of us should raise our voices."

He added that he plans to work closely with Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy once confirmed. "Fortunately, we have a Secretary of State who has been one of the stronger voices," Walker said. "He’s already put out statements and is very in tune with what’s going on. I look forward to advising him when it comes to countries of particular concern."

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO SURGE IN CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CRISIS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The White House has also acknowledged a surge in anti-Christian violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements are exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the U.S. State Department have condemned recent massacres in Nigeria, warning that the crisis risks spreading beyond the country’s borders.

Walker added "The United States should always stand up for freedom of religion, and that starts with speaking the truth about what’s happening."

While humanitarian groups continue to raise alarms, Nigerian officials deny that Christians are being systematically targeted. Information Minister Mohammed Idris recently told Fox News Digital that claims of mass persecution are "very misleading," rejecting U.S. reports that tens of thousands have been killed.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently told Fox News Digital that "since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred," and "over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed." He called the violence "a crisis of religious genocide" and urged tougher U.S. action.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the criticism, telling Nigeria’s Daily Post, "Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country."

Despite the political debate, the facts on the ground remain grim. Christian villages are still under attack, churches continue to burn, and millions live in fear. Western governments have issued statements but taken little tangible action to halt the killings or support survivors, said a priest from Plateau State and added, "When the world stays silent, the killers return."

Fox News' Paul Tilsley contributed to this report.

While the rest of the country’s cancer rates are falling, those in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas — known as the Corn Belt — are rising at an alarming rate, data shows.

The spike in America’s corn-producing states caught the attention of the University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, which gathered a panel to investigate the trend. 

One of the experts, Dr. Marian Neuhouser, a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, served on the panel as an expert in nutrition and obesity.

COLORECTAL CANCER MAY CAUSE THESE 4 HIDDEN WARNING SIGNS, EXPERTS SAY

"The panel came about after they noticed that the trends for cancer incidence were increasing at a faster rate in Iowa than in other states," Neuhouser told Fox News Digital.

A data analysis by The Washington Post based on federal health datasets found that the number of people diagnosed with cancer in the six Corn Belt states has outpaced the national average since the mid-2010s. 

In 1999, cancer rates in the Midwest were on par with the national average. Now, among residents aged 15 to 49, those rates are about 5% higher, a pattern that began diverging in the 2000s and has steadily widened.

The Post based its findings on data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which track cancer incidence nationwide.

RISK OF COLON CANCER SLASHED BY EATING SPECIFIC TYPES OF VEGETABLES, STUDY FINDS

The analysis compared rates from 1999 through 2022 using multi-year averages for Iowa and excluding 2020 due to pandemic disruptions.

Neuhouser noted that some of the increases involve cancers that are preventable or detectable through screening.

Researchers are examining both environmental and lifestyle factors that could be driving the increase.

Outdoor UV exposure and high rates of binge drinking could be contributors, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry, part of the National Institutes of Health’s surveillance network.

Iowa’s Environmental Health Sciences Research Center has described the state as a "hot spot for environmental exposures to carcinogenic agents." 

CANCER DEATHS HIT 'ALARMING' SURGE DUE TO COMMON HEALTH CONDITION, EXPERTS SAY

The soil and groundwater in the region reportedly contain some of the nation’s highest levels of natural radon and nitrate, largely because of fertilizer use in farming. Both substances have been linked to high risks of lung and gastrointestinal cancers.

Meanwhile, the widespread application of pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate, continues to generate debate among scientists and regulators.

Dr. Anne McTiernan, professor of epidemiology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, has analyzed decades of research on glyphosate and cancer risk.

"Glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, has been used in the U.S. for decades and is reported to be the most widely used pesticide globally," she told Fox News Digital.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "a 2A carcinogen ("probably carcinogenic to humans"), which is the second-highest grade of carcinogen, according to McTiernan.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Her review of studies through 2025 found that people with long-term, high exposure to glyphosate, such as those working on farms, had a roughly 40% higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to those who were never exposed.

This level of increased risk, combined with lab evidence that glyphosate can damage DNA and cause cellular stress, is considered strong enough to support a causal link, according to the expert.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Lifestyle factors are also compounding risk. Per CDC data, about 21% of Iowa adults report heavy drinking or binge drinking, compared to roughly 17% nationally.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reports that about 35% of adults in the state are classified as obese, placing it among 19 states with obesity prevalence at or above that level. Nationwide, the CDC reports an adult obesity rate of roughly 40%.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

Neuhouser noted that 13 separate cancers are linked to obesity. 

"Everyone would like to be able to narrow down cancer risk … to one exposure, but cancer is so complex that it’s usually several factors working together," she said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released footage that it says shows Border Patrol agents were justified in using tear gas to disperse a chaotic crowd — which at times shouted profanities and threw rocks and other items at officers — during a high-profile immigration raid in Chicago last week.

During the Oct. 23 enforcement operation, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino deployed a tear gas cannister — an action that prompted local media outlets and protest groups to file a lawsuit accusing him of violating a temporary restraining order. That order bars federal agents from using chemical agents on protesters without agents facing an imminent threat or giving two prior warnings.

Bovino appeared in federal court Tuesday to face questions surrounding the incident and other tear-gas deployments in the city.

ARCHITECT OF LA ICE RAIDS REPORTEDLY ARRIVES IN CHICAGO AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO WINDY CITY, AGENT'S HISTORY

The DHS footage, posted to X on Tuesday, appears to show Border Patrol agents under siege during an immigration raid in Chicago’s Little Village, a Southwest Side neighborhood often referred to as "La Villita" and home to one of the largest Mexican-American communities in the Midwest.

"VIDEO EVIDENCE," DHS wrote in the post with the video attached.

The footage opens with an aerial drone shot of what the agency said were four suspected gang members who had boxed in a Border Patrol vehicle prior to the stop. DHS said the suspects fled down an alley, switched license plates and retrieved high-powered weapons.

The video then shows agents pulling a suspect out of a white box truck before being confronted by two onlookers shouting expletives at officers.

"Call the guys so they can come bro," the woman says to a male wearing black clothing, a mask and a hooded sweatshirt.

Chaotic scenes then unfold as dozens of protesters swarmed the area and confronted the federal agents, the footage shows. DHS said that up to 100 "rioters" surrounded law enforcement agents who can be repeatedly heard ordering the crowd to "back up."

"Rioters then shot at agents with commercial artillery shell fireworks," DHS said in the X post. "A Border Patrol transport van carrying illegal aliens attempting to get to the safety of the perimeter was then attacked."

The crowd grows louder and more hostile, shouting expletives and filming agents with their cell phones. One person can be seen waving a Mexican flag.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED AFTER RAMMING BORDER PATROL IN CHICAGO AMID VIOLENT CLASH WITH PROTESTERS

The DHS video shows an unknown liquid being thrown toward officers, followed by an object that strikes them.

Moments later, a rock is hurled in Bovino’s direction. DHS said the object struck him on the head.

An artillery-shell-style firework was also fired toward agents as the crowd continued to advance, all the while agents could be heard shouting, "Get off the street!"

One demonstrator can be heard responding, "No, this is my street," as another rock is thrown at officers before an agent warns, "Get back or you will be gassed."

Bovino then deploys tear gas and an aerial shot shows the crowd dispersing.

"The use of chemical munitions was conducted in full accordance with CBP policy and was necessary to ensure the safety of both law enforcement and the public," DHS said. "Border Patrol agents repeated multiple warnings to back up and that chemical agents would be deployed if warnings were ignored."

The video also shows a man vandalizing a government vehicle with what DHS said were gang markings, while another suspect is seen puncturing the tire of a government vehicle with a large knife.

The DHS video was posted on X after another user alleged agents used tear gas without warning during the Oct. 23 immigration raid.

The immigration raid took place under Operation Midway Blitz, a joint immigration enforcement campaign by ICE and Border Patrol in the Chicago area aimed at apprehending criminal illegal immigrants and fugitives with prior deportation orders.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama and put in place the temporary restraining order, imposed new oversight measures on Bovino Tuesday, ordering him to provide daily reports to the court.

The judge denied Bovino’s request to loosen restrictions on tear gas use, insisting agents must provide clear warnings and justification before using chemical agents.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford may be the Navy’s newest carrier, but it hasn’t shied away from conflict since its first full-length deployment in 2023.

That year, the Ford originally departed for a deployment to Europe in May, but eventually spent the tail end of it in the Eastern Mediterranean after Hamas’ initial Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Now, the Navy’s most advanced carrier finds itself at the foreground of yet another critical conflict as it heads to the Caribbean amid President Donald Trump’s crusade against drugs, which is exerting even more pressure on Venezuela.

The Trump administration has enhanced its naval assets in the Caribbean in recent months, and sent several U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to boost its counter-narcotics efforts there starting in August. 

TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA

And on Friday, the Pentagon announced it would send the Ford from Europe to the Caribbean as operations there heat up in U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). To date, the U.S. has conducted more than a dozen strikes against alleged drug boats in the region.

The deployment signifies a massive step for the Trump administration as it claims it is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug smugglers, and brings a host of new capabilities and firepower to deter any aggression at Latin America's doorstep. 

The Ford is the first carrier of its class, and is equipped with more than 20 brand-new technologies, and key design updates, which aim to increase air operations while also accommodating a smaller crew. The carrier’s command center for the ship is placed closer to the rear of the Ford to create more space on the flight deck, so more aircraft can be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Additionally, the carrier is outfitted with a new electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS, which is designed to offload aircraft from the ship rather than using a steam-powered catapult system, like the ones installed on every other carrier.

During its deployment to the Caribbean, the Ford likely will be conducting strike operations on land, and providing close air support for special operations troops, according to experts. While the new technologies aren’t likely a huge game changer in the Caribbean conflict, the carrier’s presence does give the U.S. military additional flexibility to conduct operations there, according to experts.

US BOLSTERS MILITARY PRESENCE IN CARIBBEAN NEAR VENEZUELA AMID TRUMP'S EFFORTS TO HALT DRUG TRAFFICKING

"I estimate the FORD will be doing strike operations against narcotics trafficking and manufacturing sites ashore as well as providing close air support to special operations troops," Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. 

Clark said the carrier’s new technologies will prove "helpful" during the deployment, but aren’t expected to make a "big difference" in the Caribbean. But the carrier’s presence there does indicate the U.S. is keeping a closer eye on the region, which could suggest the U.S. is more prone to work with regional governments to curb human trafficking and illegal immigration.

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

Brent Sadler, a senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said that the carrier’s deployment will allow Trump additional resources to target cartels. Meanwhile, Trump routinely has said for weeks he is considering employing land operations against Venezuela, following his directed strikes at sea.

"The Ford’s arrival in SOUTHCOM area is not unprecedented but given the ongoing attacks on Cartel boats significant. I see this move as intended to deter Venezuela from escalating the crisis and providing the President extra options should he want to increase the attacks on the Cartels," Sadler said in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday. "That said, I would anticipate the Ford’s air wing being very active in air surveillance and defense."

Presidents have the authority to direct deployments of military assets, and both Republican and Democratic presidents have done so. For example, former President Joe Biden ordered the Ford to head to the Eastern Mediterranean after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in 2023.

US MILITARY BUILDUP IN CARIBBEAN SEES BOMBERS, MARINES AND WARSHIPS CONVERGE NEAR VENEZUELA

Even so, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns about the legality of Trump's recent strikes. For example, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution this month that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from engaging in "hostilities" against Venezuela.

"The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won't stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean," Schiff said in an Oct. 17 statement.

However, Trump has brushed off lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the strikes. Instead, he told reporters Oct. 14 that the alleged drug vessels are "fair game" because they are "loaded up with drugs."

The Trump administration has sought to crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S. and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa, and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.

After news broke that Trump was deploying the Ford to the region, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused Trump of "fabricating a new eternal war."

"They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war," Maduro said in a national broadcast on Friday.

The Trump administration refuses to recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and has said he is a leader of a drug cartel instead.

USA Fencing has a new chair after former chair Damien Lehfeldt announced he would not seek re-election over the weekend. 

The national governing body confirmed that former U.S. wheelchair fencing Paralympian Scott Rodgers succeeded Lehfeldt last Friday, in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"On Oct. 24, USA Fencing’s Board of Directors elected Dr. Scott Rodgers PLY to serve as Board Chair. Dr. Rodgers is a Paralympic medalist and the first active athlete — and first parafencer — to lead our Board, and he will serve through the Board’s Annual Meeting in fall 2027," the statement read.

"His election reflects the Board's continued commitment to athlete‑centered governance and the growth of fencing at every level. We thank Damien Lehfeldt for his service; his term as Board Chair has concluded."  

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

In Lehfeldt's announcement that he would not seek re-election, he cited "lawsuits" and "death threats" as a reason for his decision. Lehfeldt has been at the center of controversy for USA Fencing dating back to April when women's fencer Stephanie Turner went viral for kneeling in protest of a transgender fencer, and was disqualified. 

The incident prompted a federal subpoena of Lehfeldt to a congressional hearing to explain the organization's policy on transgender athletes. Then, former Olympic coach and board member Andrey Geva and former Olympic fencer Abdel Salem sued Lehfeldt for allegedly making "false statements" at the hearing. 

"I didn’t sign up to spend my nights and weekends dealing with lawsuits, death threats, and distractions that pull focus from the real work of governing and growing our sport. I want to get back to fencing, to mentoring, to coaching, and to just being part of the community I love, not constantly defending it in courtrooms and comment sections," Lehfeldt said in his announcement. 

"I knew it would be hard work, but I underestimated just how much of my time and energy it would take. Between my full-time job, young kids, and using nearly all my vacation days to volunteer, I’ve reached a point where I’m simply tired."

Lehfeldt included a paragraph in his announcement advocating for inclusion in the fencing. 

"Fencing is for everyone," Lehfeldt said. "No matter your race, religion, gender, gender identity, or socioeconomic background — this sport belongs to you. That’s not just a slogan to me; it’s a commitment. And even with the challenges we’ve faced, I’m going to keep fighting for a fencing community that’s open, accessible, and welcoming to all." 

Ahead of the May 7 congressional hearing, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee hearing on transgender athletes, Lehfeldt made a series of posts on his Instagram Stories that were later blown up and used against him on the committee floor. In one post, which went viral before the hearing, he responded to a question that asked whether he was "okay" with putting female fencers at a disadvantage with a simple, brash answer: "Yeah." 

During the hearing, Lehfeldt admitted multiple times that he regretted answering that way and the question required a "more-nuanced" response. 

At one point during the hearing, Lefheldt confessed to falsifying an email from a fictitious fencing mother, "Dorothy," who disagreed with him, and compared those with similar views to a Ku Klux Klan "grand wizard."

"It was a poor attempt at humor," Lehfeldt said. 

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN'S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

Rep. Tim Burhcett, R-Tenn., asked Lehfeldt whether he would let his daughter fence against "a man." Lehfeldt suggested he would allow it while boasting about his organization's safety precautions. 

"As long as the competitor has met all the hormonal requirements and complies with the policy, I would be OK with it," Lehfeldt said. 

Turner previously told Fox News Digital after the May hearing that she would work to lobby leadership changes to USA Fencing after stepping away from the sport. 

"I'm going to be pushing for people to resign, to be honest. I'd like to see some people resign for the comments that they've made, especially publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate concerned women, mothers and daughters," Turner said. 

USA Fencing's board voted to amend its current policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events, at its June 7 meeting.

The previous policies became one of the organization's biggest points of criticism after Turner's viral protest. 

USA Fencing then changed its transgender participation policy in July to only permit female competitors to participate in the women's category. The change was made to ensure compliance with the USOPC's new athlete safety policy, which now cites President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. 

USA Fencing responded to Geva and Salem's lawsuit in a statement previously provided to Fox News Digital. 

"USA Fencing proudly serves its members — athletes, coaches, referees and clubs — across our community with absolute transparency and integrity. This derivative lawsuit misrepresents our organization, and we will vigorously defend the organization in court; any attempt to disparage them will be addressed appropriately," the statement read.

"Because litigation is ongoing, we cannot discuss details. Our focus remains unwavering: advancing fencing nationwide, supporting every member’s success, and upholding the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.