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Justice Department says Paramount’s Warner deal wouldn’t harm competition

2026-06-12 21:56:40 UTC / Reuters

By Reuters
June 12, 2026 9:56 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

The Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, U.S. November 18, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

June 12 (Reuters) – The United States Justice Department said on Friday its antitrust division had completed a review of Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros and determined it was not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.

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Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by David Ljunggren

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

伊朗外长披露伊美谅解备忘录草案部分内容

2026年6月13日 07:18 / 联合早报

伊朗外长说，霍尔木兹海峡管理机制将进行调整，不会简单回到战前模式。阿曼飞地深入这条海峡，6月8日无人机照片显示海面上有许多船舶。 （路透社）

伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐披露伊朗-美国谅解备忘录草案部分内容，涉及停火安排、霍尔木兹海峡航运和经济议题等。

新华社报道，阿拉格齐在星期五（6月12日）晚播出的伊朗伊斯兰共和国广播电视台节目中说，当前讨论的谈判框架分为“两阶段”。第一阶段聚焦结束冲突和恢复地区稳定，第二阶段就核问题及相关事项展开正式谈判。

他强调，伊方高度警惕美方的履约能力和意愿，通过“分阶段安排和严格执行机制”防止对方违约。

关于停火安排，阿拉格齐说，谅解文件涉及结束所有战线军事冲突，涵盖黎巴嫩。伊方明确告知美方，达成协议需要以色列从黎巴嫩南部撤军。

据目前讨论情况，美国将承诺不主动发动战争、不以武力相威胁；伊美双方将彼此尊重主权，互不干涉内政。

就霍尔木兹海峡航运，阿拉格齐说，美国解除对伊朗的海上封锁是谅解文件首先涉及并被重点强调的内容之一。

他进一步说，霍尔木兹海峡主权属于伊朗和阿曼，两国长期承担海峡航行安全保障及相关服务工作。未来海峡管理机制将进行调整，不会简单回到战前模式，航运服务将进行收费。伊朗正与阿曼就此协调，联合方案预计近期公布。

在经济议题方面，阿拉格齐说，如果谅解文件最终签署，伊朗被冻结海外资产将逐步解冻。围绕战争赔偿问题，双方正在讨论一项重建与经济发展方案。

关于核问题，阿拉格齐说，伊方目前尚未作出任何实质性决定，相关议题留待后续谈判处理。伊方坚持，若需处理现有高丰度浓缩铀库存，唯一可接受的方式是在伊朗境内进行“稀释处理”，而非转移至境外。

他强调，谅解文件尚未最终签署，相关内容仍可能进行调整，伊方将在最终敲定后公布具体细节。如果有关内容无法落实，最终协议谈判将无法推进。

伊朗外长：美伊谅解备忘录或数日内远程签署

2026年6月13日 07:21 / 联合早报

伊朗外长：美伊谅解备忘录或数日内远程签署

5月14日，伊朗外长阿拉格齐（中）到印度新德里出席金砖国家外长会议。 （法新社）

伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐说，与美国的协议草案定稿后，双方将以远程方式签署，这可能“在未来几天内”发生。

法新社报道，阿拉格齐星期五（6月12日）接受伊朗国家电视台访问时说：“一旦完成最后阶段的谈判，谅解备忘录将立即签署并公布。第一阶段将以远程电子方式签署。“

他说：“这可能在未来几天内发生。我对此感到乐观。”

阿拉格齐还说，在伊美谅解备忘录的谈判中，美国承诺不发动战争，也不以武力相威胁，双方彼此尊重主权，互不干涉内政。

阿拉格齐早前在社媒平台X发文称，伊朗和美国距离达成名为“伊斯兰堡谅解备忘录”的框架协议“仅一步之遥”。

Kennedy Center must remove Trump’s name tonight, appeals court rules

2026-06-12T23:20:23.409Z / CNN

By Devan Cole

Updated Jun 12, 2026, 7:28 PM ET
PUBLISHED Jun 12, 2026, 7:20 PM ET

An appeals court is keeping intact a federal judge’s ruling requiring the Kennedy Center to remove President Donald Trump’s name from its building by the end of Friday.

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a last-minute effort by the center to freeze the judge’s ruling so that it wouldn’t need to comply while more court proceedings play out.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Justice Department clears way for Paramount Skydance to buy Warner Bros. Discovery

June 12, 2026 / 7:39 PM EDT / CBS News

By

Federal antitrust enforcers on Friday cleared Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

In a statement, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division said it had closed its probe of the acquisition after determining that the transaction “is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.”

“The extensive investigatory record reviewed by the division suggests that the impact of the transaction will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers,” it said.

Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News, owns the Paramount studios and cable networks, including Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Warner Bros.’ movie studio has produced hits such as the “Harry Potter” franchise and the company also owns cable networks including CNN, HBO Max, TBS and TNT.

In a statement, Paramount said, “This deal is pro-competitive, resulting in a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment. We remain focused on completing the transaction as soon as possible and delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole.”

The Justice Department’s decision to close its investigation into the deal removes a major obstacle to Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros.

The transaction still faces potential legal hurdles from multiple state attorneys general who have threatened to challenge the deal.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta posted on X:,”The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount is not a done deal and remains under investigation by my office.”

The takeover has drawn criticism from some lawmakers and prominent figures in Hollywood, who contend that merging two of the largest U.S. entertainment companies could result in lower pay for actors, writers and other movie industry professionals.

But the Justice Department rejected such claims, concluding that the deal is unlikely to reduce competition in developing, producing or distributing movies for theatrical release.

“Instead, the evidence shows extensive competition within the industry, which has generated greater output and diversity of film offerings, and is likely to continue unabated,” DOJ said in its statement.

Critics have also raised concerns that combining the two companies would give it excessive power over TV programming, news and other forms of content.

“This is terrible news for every American who doesn’t want Trump-aligned billionaires to control what they watch and how much they pay,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement on social media. “The Paramount-Warner Bros. deal has reeked of corruption and influence-peddling. This fight isn’t over. State AGs must block this merger.”

Paramount Skydance clinched a deal for Warner Bros. earlier this year after outdueling Netflix, which had bid $83 billion.

Edited by Paula Cohen

Trump’s name remains on Kennedy Center as appeals court weighs emergency request

2026-06-12T17:39:44-04:00 / Fox News

Scaffolding was erected around portions of the signage as the board sought an administrative stay by 7 p.m. Friday

By Jasmine Baehr, Bill Mears Fox News

Published June 12, 2026 5:39pm EDT

President Donald Trump’s name remained on the Kennedy Center’s facade late Friday afternoon, ahead of a 7 p.m. deadline imposed by the District Court of Appeals to remove it.

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The Kennedy Center board on Friday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block a judge’s order requiring references to President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the institution’s signage and official materials, as signage bearing Trump’s name remained visible on the building’s facade late Friday afternoon.

In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the board requested both a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay, arguing that physical changes to the building should not occur before appellate judges review the dispute.

The filing asks the court to issue an administrative stay by 7 p.m. Friday.

Fox News Digital observed Friday afternoon that Trump’s name remained mounted on the Kennedy Center facade as of 5:30 p.m. ET, with scaffolding erected around portions of the signage.

Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s request to pause enforcement of his ruling while the appeal proceeds, finding that the defendants had not demonstrated either a likelihood of success on appeal or irreparable harm.

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE WITH TIES TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY HIT WITH MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT

People watch construction workers build scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center board sought an emergency appeal to block a court order requiring the removal of Trump’s name, but a judge denied the request.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Kennedy Center board argued in its emergency filing that removing and potentially reinstalling signage would force it to incur costs that could not be recovered if it ultimately prevails on appeal.

The board also argued that removing Trump’s name could impair fundraising efforts and create public confusion if the Center’s name changes again following a successful appeal. The motion further contends that the case raises significant questions regarding the board’s authority and whether Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, had standing to bring the lawsuit.

The latest filing stems from Cooper’s May 29 ruling that Congress, not the Kennedy Center board, has authority over the institution’s name. The judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from physical signage, digital materials and official branding and directed the Center to comply within 14 days.

BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS

Construction workers build scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, D.C., on Friday.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In a lengthy opinion, Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center’s governing statute “makes crystal clear” that the institution is to be named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot be formally renamed through unilateral board action.

The judge concluded that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and that only Congress can change it.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.

Following the May 29 decision, Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said the board intended to appeal.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, speaks near scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Friday, as construction workers work nearby.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration — a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi told Fox News Digital at the time.

“With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place, and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

Beatty praised the ruling, saying in a statement that the Kennedy Center “belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.”

Trump’s name was added to the venue in December after a unanimous vote of the board. Signage bearing the president’s name was installed above the existing Kennedy Center lettering shortly afterward.

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As of Friday afternoon, the appeals court had not publicly ruled on the emergency request, leaving unresolved whether Trump’s name would remain in place beyond the court-ordered compliance deadline.

The emergency appeal asks the D.C. Circuit to preserve the status quo while it considers the board’s broader appeal of Cooper’s ruling.

The White House and a representative for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this reporting.

Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.

位于伊朗南部的格什姆岛，是波斯湾和伊朗最大的岛屿，扼守波斯湾进出印度洋的海上咽喉要道。 （路透社示意图）

伊朗媒体称，伊朗霍尔木兹甘省锡里克地区及格什姆岛附近传出的爆炸声，实为海上警告性射击所致，相关地区未发生袭击事件。

新华社引述伊朗迈赫尔通讯社报道，星期六（6月13日）凌晨，伊朗锡里克沿海及格什姆岛一带居民听到数次爆炸声。经媒体向相关部门核实，这些声响来自海上警告性射击，上述区域未发生任何冲突或军事打击。

报道说，霍尔木兹海峡海域当前通航形势敏感，海域内军事力量发出的警告性射击声有时会传至较远的沿海地区。霍尔木兹甘省有关部门说，当地安全局势总体稳定，并呼吁公众不要轻信谣言，应以官方渠道发布的信息为准。

As SpaceX IPO launches, Texans near its Starbase HQ offer mixed opinions of the rocket company

June 12, 2026 2:27 PM EDT / CBS News

SpaceX’s headquarters in Starbase, Texas, which sits at the state’s southern tip in the Rio Grande Valley, emerges almost unexpectedly after miles of long, dusty dirt roads.

Before SpaceX arrived, the area was known primarily for its coastal wildlife, especially bird watching. Locals say there were a few dozen homes, mostly winter residences for retirees, while the nearest major city, Brownsville, is more than 20 miles away on the border with Matamoros, Mexico.

The cities are a study in contrasts. Starbase is a company town. Its residents are largely transplants from cities like Austin and San Francisco who come not for the birds but for the work. Brownsville’s predominantly Latino population works mostly in farming and shrimping.

Yet Starbase and Brownsville also share resources, with some SpaceX employees living in Brownsville, which has a population of roughly 192,000, and sending their children to school in the city.

SpaceX employ over 4,000 workers at its Starbase facilities, with roughly 70% coming from the local area, according to company records. The company plans to nearly double that workforce to around 8,000 employees this year.

SpaceX’s growth took a major leap forward on Friday when its shares went public in the largest-ever initial public offering. The IPO instantly lifted the company’s market value to more than $2 trillion and made SpaceX founder Elon Musk the first person to be worth at least $1 trillion.

SpaceX’s Starship 39 rocket launches from the company’s Starbase facility during a test flight, as seen from South Padre Island, Texas, on May 22, 2026. RONALDO SCHEMIDT /AFP via Getty Images

Marco Colorado, who owns El Buen Pescador restaurant in nearby Port Isabel, Texas, said SpaceX has been good for business, bringing employees from the company along with other visitors drawn to the area by the rocket launches.

“Whenever there’s a launch or an event going on, we get flooded,” Colorado said. He noted the SpaceX crowd is easy to spot — they often pull up in Tesla vehicles.

At Double Day Bar of Champions, a restaurant and bar in nearby Port Isabel, Texas, that also hosts a sports paraphernalia museum, owner Mikael Hinojosa has seen a similar surge.

Hinojosa described the SpaceX-driven business as “a new type of tourism.” On rocket launch days, patrons gather on the patio to watch liftoffs, then move indoors to follow along on TV as the rockets tear through the sky.

View of SpaceX’s headquarters outside Brownsville, Texas, on May 28, 2025. SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images

“It’s been positive for the business, but there’s a downside to it. In our museum, cannonballs fall over when there’s a launch. We don’t want to ruin the tourism we already had,” Hinojosa said.

Others in Brownsville are more openly critical of the impact Starbase and SpaceX have had on the local community. Environmental activist group Save RGV (for Rio Grande Valley) contends the company’s rocket launches have left nearby homes covered in debris, disrupted native wildlife and harmed air quality.

Etienne Rosas, a Brownsville native who ran for Congress earlier this year in Texas’s 34th district, also said SpaceX’s growth has triggered a surge in housing prices throughout the Rio Grande Valley as employees bought homes. In 2026, the average home price in Brownsville is $196,920, up nearly 75% from $112,705 in 2018, according to Zillow.

“While SpaceX has created more economic momentum, there’s been a huge gap widening in equality,” he said.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

SpaceX’s arrival has also reshaped downtown Brownsville, drawing new investment and development aimed at a tech-oriented demographic. Yet Rosas said the jobs and investment have come at a cost to families who have lived in the region for generations.

“Brownsville had a certain dynamic pace, and now that’s gone,” he said.

Progressive Talarico knifes Biden’s open border, tries moderating stance on key issues in Texas Senate race

2026-06-12T15:15:49-04:00 / Fox News

James Talarico’s campaign could not produce evidence he ever publicly clashed with Biden on the border before his campaign

By Peter D’Abrosca, Fox News

Published June 12, 2026 3:15pm EDT

Kayleigh McEnany: Talarico’s claims are ‘blatant mistruths’https://www.foxnews.com/video/6397473843112

‘The Five’ co-hosts discuss President Donald Trump’s comments about Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico and the candidate’s campaign.

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The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas torched former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies as he races to clean-up past comments amid criticism he is too radical to be elected in Texas.

James Talarico hardened his stance on border security and pitted himself against the former president during a podcast interview on “Cogdell Law Uncensored” earlier this week.

The Democrat member of the Texas legislature has a far-left track record that includes calls to “tear down” Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), an agency which he has called “secret police,” and claiming the border should act as a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants.

He is now the Democratic nominee taking on Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the race for a Senate seat in Texas in November.

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico addresses supporters at a rally in Houston.(F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’

“I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. “But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.”

Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens.

When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office.

Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature.

Talarico said in the podcast: “The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.”

President Joe Biden speaks during an official transition event to thank Ron Klain for his work and to welcome his successor Jeff Zients.(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

While he has accused ICE of “terrorizing our country,” called for Americans to “stand up and fight back” and in 2019 slammed Texas Republicans for passing an “anti-immigrant bill” that funded President Donald Trump’s border wall project, Talarico said on the podcast this week that public safety should be a priority.

TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES

“But I also think we need to keep out folks who want to do us harm, and public safety is the most important thing the government does,” he said.

Under Trump, ICE has been tasked with zeroing in on the “worst of the worst” illegal aliens for arrest and deportation, especially those with violent criminal records.

“James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security — which is why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more Border Patrol agents,” Talarico’s press secretary JT Ennis told Fox News Digital.

“Both parties have failed us on the issue of immigration, so James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a runoff election night event in Plano, Texas, on May 26, 2026.(Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Speaking to Cogdell, Talarico also pitched himself as a defender of the Second Amendment while simultaneously calling for strict gun control methods.

TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK

“I am a believer in the Second Amendment. I don’t pick and choose between the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,” he said. “We have a right to bear arms, to protect ourselves, our families. We have a right to own weapons for sport or for hunting, but like any freedom in the Bill of Rights, it’s not absolute.”

“We’ve gotta keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve got safe storage laws and background checks so that we’re keeping everybody safe,” the candidate qualified.

He positioned himself during the conversation as a moderate Democrat, chastising people on the political left who are “trying to take away people’s guns” and people on the political right who “don’t want to see any regulations.”

MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT

But only a few months ago, Talarico said he favored “red flag laws,” which allow judges to order Americans to be stripped of their firearms if they think a person is a danger to themselves or others. Talarico also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children.

Democratic Texas State Rep. James Talarico speaks during a campaign launch rally in Round Rock, Texas, on Sept. 9, 2025.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“You can’t be the party of freedom and control women’s bodies,” he said at a 2024 event with the Travis County Democratic Party. “You can’t be the party of family and love your guns more than our kids. You can’t be the party of faith and worship at the feet of Donald Trump.”

Ennis said that the candidate has “always believed, like the vast majority of Texans, that we must protect the Second Amendment while also enacting popular, common sense measures like universal background checks that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.”

MARK HALPERIN: IS DEMOCRAT JAMES TALARICO THE REAL DEAL — OR BETO 2.0 HEADED FOR A TEXAS FLOP?

Talarico also distanced himself from child sex change surgeries, sometimes called “gender affirming care,” and said he does not support them despite often earning criticism for his comments regarding children who identify as the opposite of their biological sex.

“I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors,” he told Cogdell, claiming “the people that are in power” are trying to distract from “corruption in our government.”

“So they’re gonna use a tried and true playbook to get out of this,” he said. “Distraction and division. That is how corrupt public officials stay in power.”

‘GOD IS NON-BINARY’: TEXAS DEM NOMINEE TALARICO’S PAST REMARKS ON ABORTION, RACE AND GENDER DRAW SCRUTINY

Talarico’s emphatic support for transgender children has raised eyebrows since he’s entered the national spotlight.

He has said he loves them on multiple occasions, including on a podcast in 2023 when he was asked to name something that he loved other than his friends and family.

“I love, I’m just saying this because it’s all on my mind, the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capitol to advocate for their humanity,” he said on the Superbloom Podcast.

At the time, he had voted against a state bill to ban cross-sex hormones for minors.

Rep. James Talarico, Vanessa Fuentes and Jessica Weitz attend the Featured Session: State Of Being: How To Care in 2024 at the SXSW Conference and Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, on March 8, 2024.(Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals)

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“I just want to say, I love you and so do a lot of people in this room, and so do a lot of people around this big state. I know it may not seem like it tonight, but you are loved beyond measure,” Talarico also said in 2023 on the Texas House floor, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“James opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors,” said Ennis. “While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton spread lies to divide Texans, James will continue to stand up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system and support Texas families.”

Paxton’s campaign did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Talarico’s apparent flip-flop on the border, Second Amendment or transgender youth

Peter D’Abrosca is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering politics.

Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.

US judge won’t block Trump’s White House UFC mixed martial arts event

2026-06-12T17:04:24.213Z / Reuters

A view of the setup ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci Purchase Licensing Rights

WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) – A federal judge declined on Friday to block President Donald Trump from hosting a ​special Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts event on the White House grounds, letting the fights set to be ‌held on Sunday inside a towering new structure proceed.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta

ruled against two Washington-area residents who argued in a lawsuit that Trump’s administration exceeded its authority in staging the event, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” by among other things failing to obtain congressional authorization. The plaintiffs had sought a judicial order to block the ​event.

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Mehta said the two challengers “fall short of showing they are ‘directly affected’ by defendants’ actions” and had unreasonably delayed bringing their lawsuit.

A ​White House spokesperson in a statement said the judge “rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous” effort. Brett Shumate, the ⁠head of the Justice Department’s civil division, said in a post on social media: “Fight’s on.”

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they were disappointed ​but respected the ruling.

“This isn’t a case about a sporting event, it’s about corruption, as a handful of people and companies stand to ​profit from our public monuments,” they said in a statement.

The UFC event is scheduled to take place on Trump’s 80th birthday as part of the Republican president’s plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. The event features mixed martial arts bouts contested in an octagonal cage situated inside ​a 92-foot-tall (28-meter-tall) claw-like structure erected in recent weeks on the White House’s South Lawn.

The plaintiffs sued on June 6, arguing that professional sporting ​events are barred at the site and that the arena constructed for the fights lacks required authorization from Congress.

“This nation’s public monuments should not be ‌loaned out ⁠for private exploitation,” the lawsuit said.

The UFC’s parent company is publicly traded TKO Group Holdings

(TKO.N). TKO is also the parent company of the professional wrestling organization WWE. Longtime former WWE executive Linda McMahon serves as Trump’s education secretary.

The plaintiffs objected to the commercial motives of the event, which is being held on federal land, and called it “deeply corrupt.”

The Trump administration said

in a court filing that the plaintiffs had not ​shown how they would be harmed ​by the UFC event. There ⁠is a history of holding public events on the White House South Lawn, the Justice Department told Mehta.

The administration said more than 4,000 spectators are expected to attend.

Trump’s ties with UFC date back to ​the early 2000s, when he agreed to host events at his since-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in ​Atlantic City, New Jersey. ⁠UFC Chief Executive Dana White is a close Trump ally.

Trump is facing other lawsuits over construction projects on the White House and elsewhere in the U.S. capital, including his plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the East Wing that he had demolished, and his proposal ⁠to close and ​renovate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario, Will Dunham and Andrea Ricci