An emergency hearing took place regarding Iran’s old flag being present at World Cup games ahead of its tournament opener on Monday in Los Angeles.

A lawsuit was filed on Thursday by the Institute for Voice of Liberty and an Iran fan, arguing that hoisting the “lion and sun” flag, which represents the country’s previous regime and changed in 1980 following the Islamic Revolution, is a form of freedom of speech.

FIFA banned the flag ahead of the tournament, and Los Angeles Judge Curtis A. Kin upheld it.

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An official talks with people holding pre-revolutionary Iranian flags before the World Cup group stage match between Iran and New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 15, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“Free speech is incredibly important, it is sacred, a bedrock of our society, but it is not without limitation, such as private actor, on private property, and as shown by previous cases, regulating in reasonable way,” Kin said, via The Athletic.

“There may be harm to some 2,500 staff members who have to deal with safety protocols,” he added. “It is a tremendous burden to change a long-standing stadium protocol for a massive event in a period of hours. It is hard to see how FIFA could make a change at one stadium and not the rest.”

After attorney Shahrokh Mokhtarzadeh pushed back on Kin’s ruling, Kin then asked a hypothetical on whether fans could “walk in with a Nazi flag or Confederate flag or Soviet flag or that of the KKK?” Mokhtarzadeh said he believed such a fan should be able to.

An Iranian fan displays a pre-revolutionary Iranian flag ahead of the 2026 World Cup Group G match between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 15, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

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FIFA has said that political materials are not permitted and ruled that the flag is “political” in nature. Some of the flags were still spotted inside of SoFi Stadium.

Iran’s presence in the World Cup has garnered some controversy surrounding the ongoing war in the Middle East. After its game on Monday, the team was ordered to go back to its practice camp in Mexico as soon as possible.

Iran played New Zealand to a 2-2 draw in Los Angeles hours after the hearing — its next game will be against Belgium on Sunday in Los Angeles before wrapping up group play against Egypt on June 26.

The game was played in a crackling atmosphere created in part by a conflicted, diasporic fan base that remains furious with the current Iranian government, but is still largely supportive of Team Melli.

Fans of Iran pose with a pre-revolutionary Iranian flag joined with an Israeli flag during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, 2026. (Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)

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Yet the vast majority of the crowd vocally supported the Iranian players once the match kicked off.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Last year marked 50 years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the momentous law that secured federal protections for infants, toddlers, and students with disabilities and their families. Today, more than 8 million individuals with disabilities are served under IDEA and guaranteed early intervention and a free appropriate education — more than double the number since the law passed in 1975.  

I had the privilege of celebrating this milestone at an elementary school. I imagined a time when many of the students before me would have been excluded from public education and felt proud that our nation opened school doors wider for all children.  

IDEA is a generational achievement. But 50 years later, we still have work to do. As many reading this can attest, families still navigate a difficult day‑to‑day reality. 

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Over the past several months, my team and I have held listening sessions with over a thousand parents, educators, state early intervention and special education directors, and advocates across the country to better understand the current state of services for individuals with disabilities.

These conversations underscored the promise and importance of IDEA and the importance of federal civil rights protections for children with disabilities. Yet even with IDEA’s protections, many parents recounted fighting tooth and nail for timely and appropriate services, draining their savings to give their child the best chance to succeed. They described the challenges that abound in every part of their child’s life when they are not receiving necessary educational services. 

It should not require herculean effort to obtain what the law guarantees. 

As the Trump Administration scales back federal micromanagement when it hinders success, we are equally committed to bolstering the efficacy of federal oversight where it is essential.    

The work ahead requires a federal partnership that supports state and local efforts to make systems that are successful for parents, educators, and communities serving individuals with disabilities. 

After careful deliberation and collaboration with stakeholders, we are partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the administration of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and with the Department of Justice to bolster the Office for Civil Rights’ enforcement of federal civil rights laws. 

With federal law as the heavy anchor, our goal in this partnership is to break down the bureaucratic barriers and strengthen the coordination of resources to improve programs that serve infants, toddlers, children, and adults.

By closely partnering with HHS, which oversees programs for millions of individuals with disabilities, we will align federal services to improve academic outcomes, strengthen access to programs and information, and support people with disabilities so they can gain self-sufficiency, life tools, and meaningful employment that they need to succeed in their lives. 

While we strengthen program alignment with HHS, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (ED-OCR) will partner with DOJ to provide more responsive and coordinated enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws. ED-OCR and DOJ will combine their expertise and capacity to bolster evaluation, investigation, resolution of complaints, and, above all, enforce critical protections for all students. 

We heard from numerous stakeholder groups and parents. It’s important to me to provide you with some assurances:

IDEA predates the Department of Education and will continue to exist long after. 

Likewise, the government’s obligation to enforce civil rights law predates the existence of the Department of Education and will continue to exist long after. No partnership can alter OSERS’ or OCR’s legal responsibilities, or the rights individuals are afforded under federal law. 

IDEA, as an education law, ensures that a child’s disability isn’t viewed as a medical condition that needs to be treated. IDEA ensures a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and federal civil rights laws prevent discrimination on the basis of disability for students in K-12 settings. 

OSERS and OCR will maintain their independent statutory functions without interruption, and will continue to partner together, just as they always have, to vigorously enforce the law to ensure states and schools are in compliance. 

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Not only will IDEA funds still flow to states, but under the Trump Administration, we proposed to Congress that special education funding should increase. President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes a request for a historic increase of more than half a billion dollars above the previous appropriation Congress made for special education services and proposals to reduce paperwork burdens so special education teachers can spend more time serving students. And just last month, we announced a new $144 million boost for states and local agencies for IDEA programs.  

Parents: I’ve heard you. The decision I’ve made ensures programmatic alignment, bolsters enforcement of the law, and provides us with the best opportunity to address the very things you’ve told me need to be fixed.

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I will not relent in advocating for you and your children, so that 50 years from now, we can look back and be amazed at the progress we have made. 

My team and I are honored to walk side by side with you in this work. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with you to make this partnership successful.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., told comedian Jon Stewart during an interview on Monday that he wasn’t in love with politics when pressed on whether he could separate it from his faith.

Stewart jokingly asked Warnock if he would rather convert someone to Christianity or to being a Democrat, which prompted laughs from the senator and the audience. Stewart followed up by asking if the Democratic senator is able to separate politics from faith.

“Absolutely. Look, Democrats have got some issues too,” he said, and Stewart agreed.

“I am honored that I get to work in that arena. But for me, I put up with politics. I am not in love with politics,” Warnock continued.

JON STEWART SAYS HE’S ‘NOT A BELIEVER’ IN GOD, BUT WISHES ‘I COULD GET THERE’

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., attends a rally to speak out against the SAVE America Act outside the U.S. Capitol on March 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

“Why do you? What is it about politics? Is politics the vessel by which you can execute the plan that you believe is more godly?” Stewart asked.

Warnock touted being able to write legislation that capped insulin costs for seniors and said he was in love with change.

“Public policy is a matter of life and death. Faith and politics is about life and death. I put up with politics because every now and then I get to do something amazing like that,” he said. “For me, as much as I love this office, I don’t need this office. I think leadership is about an orientation, not about an office. And I am always going to find some way to serve, because that is what gives me fulfillment and joy. That is what I have been put here for.”

Warnock argued in an interview in May that Democrats need to ditch the jargon and communicate with young men who have fled their party in recent years.

KHANNA TORCHES DEMOCRATS FOR RUNNING ‘STATUS QUO’ CANDIDATES, ADMITS WORKING-CLASS VOTERS WERE ‘SHAFTED’

Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks to comedian Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” on June 15, 2026. (ComedyCentral/TheDailyShow)

“We have to resist the false dichotomy between standing up for women and standing up and being a very clear voice against misogyny and sexism, which I talked about at length a couple of Sundays ago in my pulpit, and at the same time, seeing the ways in which men and young men, in particular, young, Black men in unique ways and Latino men, are hurting and somebody’s got to speak to that,” he said.

“It’s a whole range of issues,” Warnock, who is a pastor, continued. “I think so many of our young people feel demoralized.”

He said that Democrats often get caught up with jargon.

“I think sometimes we get caught up in our jargon on the left, and people sometimes don’t know what the heck you’re talking about,” he warned. “I think speaking plain English — because more often than not, our policies would actually be more helpful. Right? But you got to speak plain English to folks.”

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Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE — President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general has earned the endorsement of a sprawling sheriff’s association in what is expected to be a contentious confirmation process.

The Western States Sheriffs’ Association sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., along with high-ranking Senate Judiciary Committee members expressing their support for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s permanent confirmation to the position.

The organization represents sheriffs and their command staff from 19 states in The West, from Missouri to Washington state.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We believe Mr. Blanche possesses the experience, integrity, and commitment necessary to lead the Department of Justice effectively during this important time,” the letter says.

“His background as a seasoned prosecutor, his demonstrated leadership as Acting Attorney General, and his focus on upholding the rule of law, supporting law enforcement, and prioritizing public safety align closely with the values and operational needs of America’s Sheriffs.”

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The letter notes that western sheriffs face “unique challenges,” particularly with border security concerns and policing vast rural areas — and they believe Blanche will help address those issues.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel at the Department of Justice on April 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C., following the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“As an organization dedicated to assisting Sheriffs with federal and state legislative issues, addressing policy matters, and promoting the strength and effectiveness of local law enforcement, we have long recognized the critical partnership between federal leadership at the Department of Justice and the frontline work performed by Sheriffs across The West,” the endorsement states.

The group said it is encouraged by Blanche’s understanding of the role that local and state officials play in federal law enforcement operations, and his willingness to work with those local and state officials to combat violent crime, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other community threats.

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“WSSA members stand ready to partner with Attorney General Blanche to advance policies that empower Sheriffs, enhance officer safety and wellness, secure our borders, and ensure that federal resources are directed toward the real-world problems facing our counties and states,” the letter says.

It concludes with a call to action for Congress, urging the Senate to quickly confirm Blanche as U.S. Attorney General.

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Blanche’s nomination was formally sent to the Senate on June 8 after he was installed as Acting AG following former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s bombshell ouster in April.

Republicans are reportedly targeting late summer for a full Senate confirmation vote.