Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to assault weapon bans
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether states and local governments can ban semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15, which are popular among gun enthusiasts but have also been used in high-profile mass shootings.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that generally backs gun rights, will hear challenges to laws in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois, which covers the Chicago area. The two combined cases will be argued and decided in the court’s next term, which starts in October.
The measures in question ban what are described by gun violence protection advocates as “assault weapons,” which include AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles.
AR-15-style weapons have been used in multiple high-profile mass shootings, including the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, in which 20 children and six adults were killed, as well as the 2022 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.
The Connecticut law was revised as a direct result of the Sandy Hook shooting.
When the court declined to hear a similar case last year, four conservative justices indicated they believed AR-15 bans are unlawful under the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms. One of them, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote separately to say that “in my view, this court should and presumably will address the AR-15 issue soon.”
The court in a 2022 ruling expanded on the right to bear arms, ruling for the first time that the Second Amendment applies outside the home.
The Chicago-area law was challenged by Cutberto Viramontes and Christopher Khaya, who live in Cook County and would like to own semiautomatic rifles. They are joined by two gun rights groups, the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation.
The Second Amendment Foundation and the Connecticut Citizens Defense League both challenged the Connecticut measure, along with three individuals.
Lower courts upheld both laws.
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Lawrence HurleyLawrence Hurley is a senior Supreme Court reporter for NBC News.
MLS hero on World Cup changing soccer in USA - with help from France
Former Philadelphia Union hero Sebastien Le Toux believes the World Cup will transform the soccer landscape in his adopted homeland of the United States - with his beloved France team spearheading the revolution.
Frenchman Le Toux played nearly all of his career in Major League Soccer, mostly with the Union, and has seen the game transform from his arrival in 2007.
But as he says himself, there is further to go and the World Cup, he believes, will propel that growth. He hopes that Kylian Mbappe and his team - the favorites to lift the trophy at New York/New Jersey Stadium in July, where he is speaking to Daily Mail - can lead the way.
'Football is like a religion in France,' Le Toux says. 'Obviously they’ve won more World Cups than most countries, so expectations are always high. France has a very strong squad and a lot of talent. Other countries are scared of that.
'But like anything else, everything has to click. If it does, and they avoid injuries and everyone plays their part, I really like their chances.
So far, it has been pretty good. France were one of three teams to advance from the groups with three straight wins and begin the knockout rounds on Tuesday against Sweden.
Kylian Mbappe leads France into the last-32 of the World Cup on Tuesday against Sweden
Mbappe has four goals to his name and is the undoubted star of the team. But it is the supporting cast around the star that has Le Toux feeling so optimistic.
'I think Michael Olise is someone people don’t know enough about,' Le Toux adds. 'He’s had an amazing year with his club, Bayern Munich, and finished the season really well. You can see he's in great form.
'He’s young and hasn’t played in a major international tournament before besides the Olympics. I think France will rely on him a lot now and in the future.'
But Le Toux also wants to see Mauricio Pochettino's United States team advance further and build a new era of soccer fandom in the country. They face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday night in the San Francisco Bay.
'I really hope the U.S. national team does well because when your national team succeeds it brings people together,' Le Toux says.
'Soccer isn't the number one sport in the U.S., but having millions of fans from all over the world come here lets Americans experience how important the game is globally.
'They'll see supporters wearing jerseys from everywhere and realize it's much bigger than just one country. I think it can really change people’s perception of soccer.'
One key indicator of the game's popularity will be when the World Cup is over and Major League Soccer resumes. The difference from his 2007 arrival to today, Le Toux explains, is extraordinary.
'MLS has expanded from around 13 teams when I got here to almost 30. Television rights have become much bigger, bringing more money into the league. Franchise values have increased dramatically, stadiums have been built, and ownership groups are committed for the long term,' Le Toux says.
'One thing I noticed is that in America people often become fans because their parents or grandparents supported a team. That’s how sports traditions are built.
'When I first played here, a lot of today’s young adults were kids. Now they’re bringing their own children to games. That's how you build lifelong supporters. MLS doesn’t have the century-long history of clubs in England or France, so it takes time, but you can really see the fan bases growing.'
Le Toux, now 42, retired from soccer in 2018 and remains in the game through coaching. But he also flies the flag for one of France's most famous exports in the world of sports - the muscle pain relief brand Arnicare, by Boiron.
Sebastien Le Toux spoke to Daily Mail as an ambassador for Arnicare by Boiron
Le Toux used the cream all the time as a kid and when he got to America, he was at first surprised to discover it wasn't as commonly used as he had anticipated.
'My mother always kept it in the medicine cabinet, and she’d use it whenever I got hurt playing soccer,' he said. 'Later, when I became a professional, it was something you’d always find in the training room. It was just a normal part of recovery.
'When I came to America, I didn’t really see the product very often. After I retired, I met the CEO of the U.S. business. They’re actually based near Philadelphia, which I didn't even know.
'For me it’s a great product that helps me feel younger and recover after activity. I'm happy to be an ambassador, it's a great product.'
Rosie O’Donnell Slammed for Posing in Front of Private Jet After Blasting Wealthy People as 'Embarrassing'
Rosie O’Donnell Slammed for Posing in Front of Private Jet After Blasting Wealthy People as ‘Embarrassing’
Millionaire left-wing comedian Rosie O’Donnell is being slammed on social media for posing with fellow comedian Kathy Griffin in front of a private jet after recently attacking wealthy people as “embarrassing” and asking, “How much [money] can you have?”
“The resistance has landed,” Griffin wrote in a Friday Instagram caption, sharing a photo of herself with O’Donnell in front of a jet. “Are you guys gonna watch the week that @Rosie guest hosts for @jimmykimmellive??? It will be a must watch week.”
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Amusingly, O’Donnell is apparently back in the U.S. — again — after fleeing the country for Ireland early last year and previously vowing not to return while President Donald Trump is in office.
Viewers quickly took to social media to share their reactions to O’Donnell standing before the private jet.
“Whatever democrats accuse you of doing, THEY ARE DOING,” one X user proclaimed.
“Rules for thee not for me!” another wrote.
“They are both embarrassing enough no matter what they’re standing in front of!” a third exclaimed.
“Envy is a terrible thing, usually displayed extensively by champagne socialists,” another X user remarked.
“These celebrities are hypocrites… and the general public doesn’t care what they have to say anyways,” another commented.
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“It’s okay when they do it,” the popular X account Catturd quipped.
“This is the perfect example of why the left cannot be taken seriously,” another X user reacted.
“I used to think these 2 women were funny until they contracted severe #TDS and a ragingly high level of hypocrisy,” another commented.
“Interesting… private Jets… what about the environment?” another X user asked in a nod to the left’s constant “climate change” alarmism.
“The problem for these limo-liberals is how they define ‘wealthy people,'” another pointed out. “It’s not about money, it’s about politics. ‘Wealthy people’ are really only those with money who don’t support the causes that Rosie and her comrades support.”
A few months ago, O’Donnell — who has an estimated net worth of $80 million — said, “It should be embarrassing to be a billionaire.”
“It should be embarrassing to have the ability to help society and choose not to, I mean, I don’t understand, how much can you have?” O’Donnell added at the time.
Watch Below:
Notably, leftists are commonly seen blasting “millionaires,” until they become one themselves, at which point they then segue to attacking “billionaires.”
As Breitbart News reported, millionaire left-wing TV host Jimmy Kimmel was slammed earlier this month for warning against “obscenely wealthy weirdo” Elon Musk getting richer.
“The class envy from multi millionaires of billionaires is really something to behold,” one X user quipped in reaction to Kimmel.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
