DAVID MARCUS: What America owes Elon Musk after DOGE

As Elon Musk prepares to step back from his service in the Trump administration, the nation owes him a debt of gratitude for breaking through decades of empty promises about exposing and ending waste, fraud and abuse in Washington.

Musk shared on Tuesday that his time focused on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would “drop significantly” as he moves to refocus on the businesses and ventures he left behind to serve Trump and the American people.

As head of the DOGE, Musk has actually done something about out-of-control spending, and more importantly, he has put systems in place to further and continue this vital work even once he is gone.

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According to its website, DOGE has saved the federal government $106 billion dollars thus far, or about a thousand bucks per American citizen, which is not chump change. In fact, it is exactly the kind of change our country has long needed.

Some of these savings came from laughable software errors, or basic and obvious redundancies, but others, such as the firing of probationary employees in many departments, were hard choices to cut hard-working people.

If, as Musk believes, his big cuts in the size of federal bureaucracy do not result in chaos in government services, then it will represent a sea change in how we look at the federal workforce, one that could finally place America on a road to fiscal solvency.

It has been a bumpy ride for the eccentric richest man in the world, once a climate-saving liberal darling, now arguably as hated as President Donald Trump himself by the far left. And while his decision to take on the task of leading the DOGE may not have been entirely selfless, attaining power rarely is, it has come at real personal and economic cost.

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As far as Musk’s bottom line is concerned, his service at DOGE has undoubtedly hurt his Tesla electric car company as the vehicles went from symbol of progressive environmental virtue to some kind of supposed Hitler-mobile.

In fact, part of Musk’s decision to return to private life is to throw a life jacket to Tesla, as well as his other ventures such as SpaceX. But financial harm is not what has cut the deepest.

Elon Musk is a person who likes to be liked. He is playful and likes to make jokes. With bright wide eyes, he invites everyone into his extraordinary mind to explore getting to Mars, or saving the planet, or the implications of artificial intelligence and low birth rates. But now, millions absolutely hate him.

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As strange as sympathy for the wealthiest man to ever live might seem, no amount of money can purchase respect or a glowing legacy, both of which Musk has risked, and in the case of liberal opinion, sacrificed, at least for now.

Elon Musk has served as a heat shield, or lightning rod, throughout Trump’s tumultuous and historic second first 100 days. In fact, at the protests I have covered, it is Elon, not the Donald, who is the target of the most ire.

Now, the lunatic left will have to find a new public enemy No. 1. They won’t have Elon Musk to kick around anymore.

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One must wonder if anybody other than an eccentric outsider with screw you money could possibly have taken aim at so many powerful and moneyed interests on the government dole, without being completely destroyed.

Musk is anything but destroyed. Now, the man on a mission to bring a man to Mars may go back to making science fiction come to life, with his self driving cars and vaguely terrifying robots.

Whether Elon gets to witness that first human footprint stamped onto the Red Planet and into history remains to be seen, but few who have witnessed his furious race to cut government waste will tend to doubt him.

So thank you, Elon Musk, for doing the things that so many said could never be done, for challenging the status quo and tightening the belt of a federal government that had grown obese at the buffet of taxpayer dollars.

As the head of DOGE, just as he is was as an automotive and space innovator, and owner of X, a bastion of free speech in a deeply censorious social media landscape, Musk is challenging us to make our country and our world a better place.

Meanwhile, love him or hate him, nobody can wait to see what Elon Musk does next.

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'Jeopardy!' contestant called look-alike of 'Big Bang Theory' character

A “Jeopardy!” contestant had fans seeing double as they pointed out his strong resemblance to a beloved character from the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

On April 18, undergraduate student Liam Starnes from Barrington, Illinois, made his debut on the long-running game show when he faced off against fellow contestants Rachel Gray and one-day champion Steven Hoying.

During the episode, viewers flocked to social media where they called Starnes a look-alike of genius physicist Sheldon Cooper, the character played by Jim Parsons throughout “The Big Bang Theory’s” 12-year run.

“Seriously, that’s Sheldon!!!!!!!” a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Liam looks like a real life Sheldon Cooper,” another social media user commented.

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“Big time Sheldon Cooper vibes from Liam,” one fan wrote, while another chimed in, “Liam looks like Sheldon Cooper’s little brother.”

 “Liam on #Jeopardy looks like he could be Jim Parsons’ much younger brother,” another viewer agreed.

With $19,600, Starnes was in the lead heading into Final Jeopardy! He emerged triumphant over Gray and Hoying after correctly guessing the answer and wagering $12,801, which brought his total to $32,401.

“I never doubted teenage Sheldon for a minute! Congrats Liam,” a fan wrote following Starnes’ win.

After claiming the title of one-day champion from Hoying, Starnes returned for Monday night’s episode of “Jeopardy!” and viewers once again noted his likeness to Sheldon.

“SHELDON IS LEGIT ON #JEOPARDY RIGHT NOW… LOL,” a fan commented on X.

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“Ok I can’t be the only one that thinks Liam is the real life Sheldon,” a second fan wrote as another added, “Rooting for Liam tonight on #Jeopardy He’s giving Sheldon vibes!”

“Is it me or is Liam Sheldon’s doppelgänger?” a X user wrote alongside a GIF of Sheldon.

The University of Chicago student became a two-day champion after he won Final Jeopardy, ending the episode with a haul of $52,802. He is set to compete on Tuesday night’s episode of “Jeopardy,” where he will square off against two new contestants.

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“The Big Bang Theory” ran for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. Along with Parsons, the sitcom’s main cast included Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Sara Gilbert, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Kevin Sussman and Laura Spencer.

The show was a ratings juggernaut and won 10 Emmy Awards. Parsons’ performance as Sheldon earned the actor four Emmys and one Golden Globe Award.

A spin-off prequel series titled “Young Sheldon” ran for seven seasons from 2017 to 2024. The show starred Iain Armitage in the titular role and followed Sheldon’s early years growing up as a child prodigy in East Texas.

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“The Big Bang Theory” already had a connection to “Jeopardy!” prior to Starnes’ appearance. Bialik, who played Sheldon’s love interest and later wife, Amy Farrah Fowler, co-hosted “Jeopardy!” from August 2021 to December 2023, alternating with the show’s current host, Ken Jennings.

President Trump blasts courts for getting in the way of deportation agenda

Speaking at the White House Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump blasted courts standing in the way of his administration’s immigration agenda of deporting “some very bad people,” who he said include “killers, murderers, drug dealers.”

The president touted his administration’s progress in shutting down the border and cracking down on illegal immigration, saying, “Honestly, it’s one of the great successes; we have virtually nobody coming in illegally.”

He noted, however, that certain rulings against his deportations pose a threat to his efforts to secure the country.

“I hope we get cooperation from the courts, because, you know, we have thousands of people that are ready to go out, and you can’t have a trial for all of these people,” he said. “It wasn’t meant–the system wasn’t meant–and we don’t think there’s anything that says that.”

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Since Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January, his administration has faced hundreds of lawsuits targeting his executive orders and actions, some of which have resulted in nationwide injunctions.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case on May 15 about three federal judges who issued separate nationwide injunctions blocking an executive order by Trump ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

On Mar. 15, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport criminal illegal alien gang members to El Salvador.

Trump said that court rulings slowing down his deportation agenda could lead to a “very dangerous country.”

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“We were having hundreds of thousands of people a month come in under Biden, and they came in from prisons. They came in from mental institutions. They came in from gangs in Venezuela and other countries all over the world, not just South America. They were emptying their prisons into the United States, Venezuela emptied its prisons out, but many countries emptied their prisons into the Congo as an example, in Africa, emptied their prisons into the United States,” he said.

“I won an election based on the fact that we get them out,” he went on. “We’re getting them out and a judge can say, ‘No, you have to have a trial’ … the trials going to take two years, and now we’re going to have a very dangerous country if we’re not allowed to do what we’re entitled to do.”

Trump also addressed his administration’s ongoing trade war with China, saying it is up to China to make a deal work.

“Ultimately, they have to make a deal because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States,” he said. “And we want them involved but they have to, and other countries have to make a deal. And if they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal because we’re the ones that set the deal.”

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The president said he expects that in whichever deal is ultimately reached, the current 145 percent tariff against China will be much lower, but noted it “won’t be zero” either.

“It used to be zero. We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride and it’s just not going to happen,” he said. “We’re going to be very good to China, I have a great relationship with President XI. But they would make billions and billions and billions of dollars a year, and they would build their military out of the United States on what they made so that won’t happen.”

“But they’re going to do very well,” he continued. “And I think they’re going to be happy and I think we’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together. So, I think it’s going to work out very well.”

During the Q and A Trump also put to bed rumors that he would be firing Jerome Powell from his role as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve over a disagreement about lowering interest rates.

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In response to a question on whether he had any intention to fire Powell, Trump replied, “None whatsoever. Never did.”

“The press runs away with things. No, I have no intention of firing him,” said Trump.

“I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” he noted, adding, “This is a perfect time to lower interest rates. If he doesn’t, is it the end? No, it’s not, but it would be good timing. It would be it which could have taken place earlier. But, no, I have no intention to fire him.”

Livvy Dunne posts emotional 'thank you' to gymnastics after career ends

Livvy Dunne has said her farewell to gymnastics.

Dunne’s career wrapped up earlier this month after her LSU Tigers failed to repeat as national champions.

The 22-year-old had a fifth year of eligibility and decided to return, but after competing since the age of two, the leotards are being hung up.

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Dunne posted a video of herself watching a montage of her gymnastic career, which included footage from her toddler days and even her LSU acceptance. With herself on the narration, she couldn’t help but let tears flow watching the video.

“‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’ Something said that when you’re enjoying yourself to the point time seems to slip away from you. That’s exactly how the past 20 years in this sport have felt,” Dunne said in the video. “The highs, the lows, making the USA national team and competing for our country. Every risk was worth the reward. Finishing my career over the past five years at the best university in the world has been an incredible journey, and I’m forever grateful.

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“Gymnastics, you have filled my heart and will always be a part of me. You shaped me into the person I am today, creating memories and sisterhoods that will last a lifetime beyond the sport. You were my first love…

“And yes, time did fly by. And I will cherish every memory for the rest of my life. Thank you for everything, gymnastics. You were so good to me.”

Dunne had not competed since Jan. 24 against Arkansas, as she was dealing with an “avulsion fracture of my patella.”

Dunne, who is dating Pittsburgh Pirates pitching sensation Paul Skenes, was one of the NCAA’s top NIL earners and boasted millions of followers across several social media platforms. She played a role in helping LSU win its first NCAA title last year.

While LSU failed to defend its title as a No. 1 seed, Utah clinched its fifth straight Final Four appearance at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship. It joins UCLA, Oklahoma and Missouri.

Fox News’ Paulinda Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Maine Rep Laurel Libby appeals Biden-appointed judge's verdict on controversial trans athlete censure

Maine GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby filed an emergency appeal with the First Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday over a recent ruling that upheld her censure in the legislature.

The state’s Democrat majority voted to censure her for writing a social media post that identified a trans athlete who won a girls’ state pole vault competition in February. Libby filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Ryan Fecteau to have it overturned, but Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose ruled against Libby on Friday.

DuBose was appointed by former President Joe Biden just before he left office in January.

Libby previously told Fox News Digital that she would appeal the ruling once it was announced, and now she has, and she is willing to take her case to the Supreme Court.

“Our appeal asks the court to correct this abuse of power and reaffirm that legislative leadership cannot use procedural maneuvers and sweeping assertions of immunity to sideline dissenting voices and disenfranchise entire communities,” Libby told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“I remain optimistic that the court will recognize what is plainly at stake: the integrity of representative government and the foundational principle that no elected official, no legislative leader, and no partisan majority is above the Constitution. The people of House District 90 deserve full representation, and we intend to see that right restored.”

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Libby represents 9,000 constituents in Maine’s 90th District and has not been able to speak or vote on their behalf in the state legislature for two months.

“This appeal is about far more than one legislator’s seat – it’s about defending the constitutional rights of 9,000 Mainers who currently have no voice and no vote in the Maine House of Representatives,” Libby said.

“I’m grateful for the support of my constituents and so many others across Maine who understand the importance of speaking truth and standing firm. I will continue to press forward until the voices of the people I was elected to represent are heard once again in Augusta.”

DuBose presided over the case after every district judge in Maine refused to take it.

Judges John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torresen signed recusal orders shortly after the case was initially filed. No reason was given.

So the case went to DuBose in Rhode Island.

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The censure so far has cost her a chance to vote on the state’s biannual budget and propose a bill to expand access to mental health resources for residents. It also prevents Libby from voting on or speaking on the House floor about a bill that would add trans inclusion in girls’ sports to the state constitution.

Her colleagues will vote on the Democrat majority’s bill after it passed with a slim simple majority in the House on Thursday, but it needs a two-thirds majority in both chambers before it can go before voters. If passed, it would codify in the state’s constitution the Maine Human Rights Act, which protects the rights of transgender athletes to compete for sports teams of the opposite sex.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state for its ongoing defiance of Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order. Maine has faced federal pressure in the last two months over its refusal to comply, including two federal investigations, a funding freeze by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and now a lawsuit.

The Democrat leadership in the state, led by Gov. Janet Mills, has fought back by filing its own lawsuit against Trump over the funding freeze. Another federal judge has already ruled the USDA must unfreeze the funding.

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As REAL ID rollout approaches, congressional privacy hawks largely silent on concerns

With President Donald Trump back in the White House and the final rollout of federal REAL ID requirements set to take effect in May, many of the loudest privacy advocates in Washington have been largely silent.

While privacy-minded lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have spent years blasting the Patriot Act, among other measures, few are raising alarms over the Trump administration’s looming implementation of the REAL ID Act — a law passed in 2005 that critics describe as a national identification system.

Some of the privacy-hawk lawmakers remaining silent on REAL ID were very vocal when another expansion of the national security surveillance apparatus came about – the Patriot Act of 2001 – but not so when the U.S. is only days away from REAL ID implementation.

Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., were all in Congress when the Patriot Act faced ultimately-successful renewal in 2010s and when the 2020 bill amending and reauthorizing the related Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court came up for a vote.

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“Congress has a duty to safeguard Americans’ privacy, but the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act fails to adequately limit the types of information that the government can collect about Americans, and it fails to adequately limit how long the government can keep the information it collects about us,” Markey said in a 2020 statement objecting to the FISA renewal.

“I am unwilling to grant any president surveillance tools that pose such a high risk to Americans’ civil liberties,” he said.

In 2011, Merkley was one of eight senators who voted to prevent the Patriot Act renewal from even coming to the floor for debate, according to Oregon Live.

His Beaver State colleague, Wyden, ultimately voted to allow debate, but said on the Senate floor during such discourse that it needs to be potentially reconsidered.

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“The Patriot Act was passed a decade ago during a period of understandable fear,” Wyden said at the time.

“Now is the time to revisit this… and ensure that a better job is done of striking that balance between fighting terror and protecting individual liberty.”

Merkley expressed concern at the time about the Patriot Act’s ability to let law enforcement collect many types of personal data like emails and phone records.

In order to get a REAL ID, licensees must provide their Social Security number and other documentation.

While the REAL ID implementation was delayed 20 years by several factors including COVID-19, Merkley cast a “protest vote” at the time of the Patriot Act renewal that a four-year extension of the post-9/11 act was being put forth without sufficient time for debate.

In 2005, Wyden also gave a Senate floor speech opposing the first reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

Markey did not respond to multiple requests for comment, left at his Washington and Boston offices. Merkley also did not respond to a request for comment.

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A representative for Wyden acknowledged Fox News Digital’s comment request, but said the Oregonian was traveling and holding town halls with constituents back home and could not be immediately reached.

On his senatorial webpage, Wyden offered a rundown of all his comprehensive actions in favor of privacy, as well as “le[ading] the fight to address the Intelligence Community’s reliance on secret interpretations of surveillance law.”

“When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry,” he said in 2011.

Wyden was also outraged in 2013 when the NSA was found to be secretly interpreting the act to collect personal data of millions of Americans without a warrant.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on privacy concerns with REAL ID, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said REAL IDs rightly “make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists.”

“Eighty-one percent of air travelers [already] hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs,” McLaughlin said.

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“DHS will continue to collaborate with state, local, and airport authorities to inform the public, facilitate compliance, curb wait times and prevent fraud.”

Fox News also reached out for comment to a bipartisan series of lawmakers who have been party to pro-privacy bills or taken pro-privacy stances in the past, including Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Mike Patrick, longtime ESPN play-by-play announcer, dead at 80

Mike Patrick, a 36-year play-by-play announcer for ESPN, died of natural causes on Sunday.

Patrick was 80 years old.

Patrick’s doctor, as well as the City of Clarksburg, West Virginia, confirmed the longtime broadcaster’s death on Tuesday.

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After starting his career in 1982, Patrick became well known as the voice of ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football,” a role he starred in for 18 years.

He began that job in 1987, calling some of the best in NFL primetime until 2005. He was in the booth with former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, and then Paul Maguire.

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He was also well known for his roles in college football and basketball for the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.”

For college basketball, Patrick was most known as the voice for ESPN’s Women’s Final Four coverage, which began in 1996 to 2009.

“Thursday Night Football” and “Saturday Night Football” saw Patrick provide play-by-play coverage for college football as well.

“It’s wonderful to reflect on how I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” Patrick said when he retired from ESPN in 2018. “At the same time, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some of the very best people I’ve ever known, both on the air and behind the scenes.”

Before breaking out with ESPN, Patrick began working for WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania, in 1966. He would eventually take the trip down to Jacksonville, where he became WJXT-TV’s sports director.

Patrick also worked for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., as a sports reporter and a weekend anchor. It was there where he called Maryland football and basketball games.

Other than sports, Patrick served in the U.S. military, being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force following his undergrad at George Washington University.

Many mourned the loss of Patrick, including fellow ESPN broadcaster Dr. Jerry Lee Punch.

“I learned so much from this man. Mike Patrick could do it all,” he wrote on X. “His preparation, his delivery, his voice inflections & his amazing dry humor made him the GOAT in my book. I was so honored to work @ESPNCFB [with] him, & so blessed to call him a dear friend. RIP Mike, u earned it.”

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Trump admin will seize wages, pensions, tax refunds to repay student loans: 'Debt cannot be wiped away'

Those who default or refuse to pay their federal student loans could have their wages, federal pensions and tax refunds garnished, the White House said Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in her weekly briefing that the Trump administration will go after those who don’t repay the loans instead of placing the burden on taxpayers.

“The government can and will collect defaulted federal student loan debt by withholding money from borrowers, tax refunds, federal pensions and even their wages,” she said.

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The Department of Education on Monday said it would resume collections on defaulted federal student loans in May for the first time since 2020. The student loan portfolio is nearly $1.6 trillion, Leavitt said, with fewer than four out of ten borrowers up to speed with their loans.

Altogether, the official said that there are 4 million borrowers who are in the late-stage delinquency stage on payments, meaning that they are between 91 days and 180 days late on payments.

“This is unsustainable, unfair and a huge liability for American taxpayers. Debt cannot be wiped away. It just ends up getting transferred to others,” she said. “So why should Americans who didn’t go to college, or went to college and responsibly paid back their loans, pay for the student loans of other Americans? The Trump administration will never force taxpayers to pay student loan debts that don’t belong to them.”

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In a few months, there could be almost 10 million people in default, the Education Department said.

The Biden administration attempted to bail out millions of student loan borrowers, but was blocked in some instances.

“American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear. Hundreds of billions have already been transferred to taxpayers.”

The Trump administration has long said that taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for trillions of dollars in student debt.

“We must get our fiscal house in order and restore common sense to our country,” Leavitt said. “If you take out a loan, you have to pay it back. It’s very simple. President Trump will not kick the can down the road anymore.”

Rahm Emanuel has fiery clash with leftist podcaster over party's focus on trans bathroom issues

Former Democratic mayor Rahm Emanuel faced some heat on the “I’ve Had It” podcast on Tuesday for dismissing transgender issues as a core party value.

The argument began after host Jennifer Welch called on the Democratic Party to fight back more against President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Emanuel, who has been considered a contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, agreed that Democrats need to stand up for their party but added that they needed to remember the issues that matter to people.

“I will just tell you we looked mighty strange having some of these arguments,” Emanuel said. “We had the luxury of being a superpower. We’re having frivolous arguments about things that didn’t matter to people. We became not a party that was built on the culture of acceptance, but a party that became an advocate for certain things that, in my view, were just nuts. And they weren’t core.”

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He went on to describe how Democrats went “really south” on “family room issues,” but Welch disagreed “one hundred million percent” and attacked him for “selling out” to the “MAGA” narrative.

“The only room we do really well was the bathroom, and that’s the smallest room in the house,” Emanuel remarked.

“That is such bulls—t,” Welch fired back. “That is total bulls–t. That is buying into the right-wing media narrative, and I’m so sick of Democrats like you selling out and saying this. You know who talks about trans people more than anybody? MAGA. MAGA is the most genital obsessed political party I have ever seen.”

Emanuel argued that he had dealt with the issue of bathrooms and marriage equality during his time as Chicago mayor but emphasized that it was not his core issue at the time. Welch went on to claim that Emanuel and other Democrats will continue to lose by not targeting the “gender-obsessed weirdos.”

“I see politicians that are supposed to be leaders in the Democratic Party buy into the narrative that Republicans have defined us by instead of fighting and saying ‘You’re the weirdos that are obsessed with it. Yeah, we’re not going to bully some trans kid,’” Welch said.

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She added how people like her need to live with the consequences of being in a red state. Emanuel, who was seen smirking at her comments, joked how “there is U-Haul if you want to move out.”

He concluded, “I’ll just tell you this: my view is there’s a whole set of issues, and these are side tangential issues. They’re not core, and they’re not core to what we believe in.”

Emanuel also called out his party’s fixation on niche issues like transgender bathroom policies during an episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” in March.

“I don’t want to hear another word about the locker room, I don’t want to hear another word about the bathroom. You better start focusing on the classroom,” Emanuel said.

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'Growing heat': Sotomayor spars with Alito during LGBTQ classroom books case

Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor snapped at each other during Tuesday’s arguments over parental rights in LGBTQ curriculum after the liberal justice attempted to jump back into the questioning as Alito was speaking.

The short quarrel happened as the high court listened to arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which a coalition of parents sought to solidify the right to be informed about and opt their children out of reading LGBTQ-related material in elementary schools — which they argue conflicts with their faith.

“There is a growing heat to the exchanges between the justices. Sotomayor just tried to disagree with Alito’s portrayal and Alito pushed back and asked to allow him to finish,” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley observed on X.

Sotomayor initially asked Mahmoud attorney Eric Baxter about a particular book titled “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” that included a same-sex relationship storyline and whether exposure to same-sex relationships in children’s books could be considered coercion.

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“Our parents would object to that,” Baxter responded.

Sotomayor continued with her line of questioning to further clarify Baxter’s objection to the books. Baxter stated, “Our objections would be even to reading books that violate our client’s religious beliefs.”

Alito then jumped in with additional questions related to the book.

“I’ve read that book as well as a lot of these other books,” Alito began. “Do you think it’s fair to say that all that is done in ‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding’ is to expose children to the fact that there are men who marry other men?”

Baxter objected to Alito’s question. Alito then said that while the book “has a clear message and a lot of people think it’s a good message,” some with “traditional religious beliefs don’t agree with” it.

As Alito continued with his explanation, Sotomayor jumped in.

“What a minute. The reservation is—” Sotomayor began.

‘LET US BE THE PARENTS’: SUPREME COURT SHOULD LET PARENTS OPT KIDS OUT OF LGBTQ SCHOOL LESSONS, LAWYER ARGUES

“Can I finish?” Alito said.

“It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It’s just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with,” Alito finished.

As arguments wrapped, the Supreme Court appeared inclined to agree with the parents.

A coalition of Jewish, Christian and Muslim parents with elementary school children in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland brought suit against the school board after it introduced new LGBTQ books into the curriculum as part of the district’s “inclusivity” initiative.

The curriculum change came after the state of Maryland enacted regulations seeking to promote “educational equity,” according to the petitioner’s brief filed with the high court.

THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH PARENTS IN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER STORYBOOKS

The parents lost both at the district court and the appellate level. The Fourth Circuit held that the parents had not shown how the policy violated the First Amendment.

The case comes at a time when President Donald Trump and his administration have prioritized educational and DEI-related reform upon starting his second term. The Supreme Court has notably also heard oral arguments this past term in other religious liberty and gender-related suits.

The high court heard oral arguments earlier this month in a suit brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief. The decision could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions.

Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream, and David Spunt contributed to this report.