As conflict in the Middle East raises fears of new shocks to global oil markets, one lesson should already be clear: the United States needs as much reliable energy production as it can get.

Artificial intelligence, massive data centers, advanced manufacturing and the electrification of industry are driving electricity demand sharply upward. According to analysis from Cleanview, nearly 680 data centers are currently planned in the United States, requiring electricity equivalent to roughly 186 large nuclear reactors. The nation that can generate abundant electricity at reasonable cost will have a decisive advantage in the technological competition with China, which is rapidly expanding its own energy infrastructure.

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are beginning to align America’s energy policy with this strategic reality. They are restoring a simple principle that Washington had largely forgotten: Energy demand should dictate energy policy.

In recent years, driven by climate ideology, federal policy moved in the opposite direction. The Biden administration tried to engineer the nation’s energy system through mandates, regulations and subsidies favoring specific technologies, rather than asking how much electricity the country would need and how best to produce it.

WHAT TRUMP'S RATEPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE MEANS FOR YOU

The results were predictable. Electricity costs rose, permitting slowed and concerns about grid reliability grew. At precisely the moment the United States needed to expand energy production, federal policy made it harder to build new power generation. In a world where geopolitical shocks — from Iran to Russia — can disrupt energy markets overnight, limiting domestic supply is a strategic mistake.

We are now reversing this approach by focusing on the conditions that allow every reliable domestic energy source to expand. The Trump administration has moved aggressively to expand domestic oil and natural gas production and directed agencies to prioritize permitting for power infrastructure and streamline environmental reviews.

Trump also instructed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy to accelerate licensing and demonstration projects for next-generation nuclear reactors, particularly small modular nuclear reactors — factory-built units designed to be deployed faster and at lower cost than traditional reactors.

TRUMP DIRECTS MILITARY TO STRIKE NEW DEALS WITH COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS: ‘GOING TO BE BUYING A LOT OF COAL’

The most significant policy shift, however, may come from the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which Republicans in Congress passed, and the president signed on July 4. Rather than creating new subsidies for specific power sources, the law improves the tax treatment of capital investment across the economy. By restoring 100% bonus depreciation, companies can deduct the full cost of major investments immediately.

This dramatically improves the economics of building new facilities — factories and industrial plants and the power generation and grid infrastructure needed to support them. Companies building large data centers can more easily justify investing in the electricity generation needed for their operations. Several major developers recently joined Trump at the White House to pledge they would cover the cost of the electricity needed for their facilities so local communities would not bear the burden of rising demand.

The same policies encourage companies to build manufacturing capacity, including facilities that produce components for energy systems. That matters because the United States has become heavily dependent on foreign supply chains, particularly Chinese manufacturing, for many energy technologies. A tax environment that rewards domestic production is one of the most effective ways to reverse this dependence.

TRUMP TROUNCES BIDEN ENERGY RECORDS IN JUST MONTHS AS ADMIN CELEBRATES 1 YEAR OF 'HISTORIC GAINS': DATA

Expanding domestic energy production also strengthens national security. America’s abundant natural gas resources already provide a reliable foundation for affordable electricity, and growth in nuclear and domestic solar manufacturing can further reduce the nation’s vulnerability to foreign disruption.

Critics argue the Working Families Tax Cut Act is hostile to renewable energy because it rolls back many mandates and subsidies created by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. But this misreads the policy change. The law simply shifts to a source-neutral approach that depoliticizes energy generation. We should let the market decide the best path for powering our future — not give preferential treatment to some sources over others.  This means supporting traditional power sources, nuclear energy, wind generation, hydroelectric dams, solar power, and battery storage technology — all of the above.

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In fact, renewable energy is well positioned to grow in this environment. The Energy Information Administration projects that most new generation coming online soon will be solar installations — a reflection of deployment speed and construction costs rather than political mandates. When electricity demand rises quickly, developers naturally gravitate toward technologies that can be deployed fastest while larger projects move forward.

The stakes could not be higher. Leadership in artificial intelligence will depend on software and semiconductors — and enormous amounts of electricity. China understands this and is building energy infrastructure at a staggering pace. The United States must respond with the same urgency but with a better model.

Instead of dictating the nation’s energy mix from Washington, policymakers should focus on encouraging investment, expanding supply and protecting consumers from rising electricity costs. The emerging approach under President Trump and congressional Republicans moves in that direction by allowing something far more reliable than ideology to guide the system: demand for electricity itself.

In an era defined by rising electricity demand and volatile global energy markets, the most effective energy policy is the simplest one. Let demand lead — and let American innovation deliver the supply.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM NEWT GINGRICH

In a move sure to spark more 2028 speculation, former Vice President Kamala Harris will appear next week at a major Democratic Party cattle call in this preseason for the next White House race.

Harris will speak on Friday in New York City at the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention.

The gathering, hosted by the civil rights organization's founder, the Rev. Al Sharpton, will give the former vice president and other potential Democratic presidential contenders appearing at the confab an opportunity to speak directly to an influential gathering of Black leaders and activists who are key players among the party's base.

It's the latest sign that where Harris is going, and what she's saying and doing, is increasingly generating buzz that the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nominee is on a likely glidepath toward another White House bid in 2028.

KAMALA HARRIS: OUT OF OFFICE BUT BACK ONLINE

"Of course we are reading tea leaves," a veteran strategist in the former vice president's political orbit told Fox News Digital.

The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized that "the only signal that is very clear is that she is going to continue to be an incredibly important fighting force and voice for Democrats and for the country."

Harris was mostly out of the headlines for a couple of months after the end of former President Joe Biden's administration early last year. But she started stepping back into the political spotlight last spring and summer, including headlining Democratic National Committee fundraisers.

HARRIS, NEWSOM, STIR 2028 SPECULATION AT MAJOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEETING

Her strategic decision last summer to pass on launching a 2026 gubernatorial campaign in her home state of California was seen as a clearing of the runway for a 2028 presidential bid. And her nationwide book tour for her memoir on her abbreviated 2024 campaign, when she succeeded Biden as the Democrats' standard-bearer, has helped keep her very visible while building up her email lists and boosting donor interest.

With her six-month book tour coming to a close, Harris, who made history as the first female and first Black vice president in the nation's history, is set to make a swing through the South later this month. Her stops to help state parties fundraise include South Carolina, a key early-voting primary state in the Democrats' presidential nominating calendar, as well as the key general election battlegrounds of Georgia and North Carolina. Harris narrowly lost both states and the five other key battlegrounds to President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

"Kamala Harris continues to be an incredibly inspiring force within the Democratic Party, especially among women, among Black voters and voters of color," the strategist in her political circle emphasized.

Harris has also been getting more involved on the campaign trail, recording ads for the Democratic National Committee and for the Virginia Democrats with early voting underway in the state's April 21 congressional redistricting referendum.

After endorsing Rep. Jasmine Crockett in last month's Democratic Senate primary in Texas, Harris reached out to the nomination winner, state Rep. James Talarico. She's also talked to other winners in last month's primaries.

HARRIS RIPPED BY THE RIGHT OVER TRUMP IRAN WAR SPEECH PRE-BUTTAL

Harris has also been increasingly critical of President Donald Trump's military strikes on Iran.

"He brought America into a war that people don’t want, he has put American troops in harm’s way, costs are rising by the day, and, meanwhile, he has done nothing to address the needs of the people of America," the former vice president argued in a social media video posted ahead of Trump's primetime address to the nation last week.

Harris' comments quickly ignited a sharp rebuke from conservatives on social media.

Among those responding was Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the House Republican majority leader.

"It’s pretty disgraceful for you to claim President Trump has done nothing to meet the needs of the American people," Emmer posted on X. "Here’s the truth: He’s cleaning up the chaos YOU caused here in the United States and across the globe, and is making America great again."

The reaction from Republicans is a sign that it's not only Democrats who see Harris as a potential leading contender for the 2028 nomination.

Looking ahead, the strategist stressed that "no one knows what she is planning to do for 2028, but until she tells us herself, she is going to continue to travel, speak up about the issues she cares about the most, and the tremendous damage that Trump and this administration are doing to this country and how Democrats are going to continue to fight back."

As multiple agencies collect tips in the Nancy Guthrie case, the man funding a $100,000 reward says Crime Stoppers — not the sheriff — offers the safest path for witnesses to come forward and an enticing one for people who want to get paid for credible information without giving their name.

"I believe that people will come forward if they’re anonymous and if they get a reward," said Wisconsin attorney Michael Hupy, who is the president of Crime Stoppers Milwaukee.

In Pima County, Arizona, the local Crime Stoppers affiliate is known as 88-CRIME, and the number is 520-882-7463.

Hupy has paid out $75,000 in rewards and posted another $200,000 in an effort to solve crimes in his hometown. But he told Fox News Digital this week he put up six figures in the Guthrie case due to the alarming circumstances of her disappearance.

NANCY GRACE SLAMS SHERIFF’S HANDLING OF GUTHRIE CASE: ‘THE FISH STINKS AT THE HEAD’

She is believed to have been taken from her bedroom in northern Tucson around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1. Responding officers found a thin trail of blood droplets from her front door to the edge of her driveway. Her back doors were propped open. Her Nest doorbell camera was missing. And the trail seemingly ended there, until the FBI and Google recovered home security video showing a masked man on her doorstep — who is still unidentified.

"I was very sad that an 84-year-old woman in poor health was taken from her home, without her medication, her heart pacemaker stopped [synching], there's blood at the crime scene, and I thought something had to be done quickly," he told Fox News Digital. "And I thought this is a place I could step in, as I have in Milwaukee."

He also criticized the early handling of the investigation, saying the sheriff released the crime scene too quickly and made other missteps.

LEAD NANCY GUTHRIE COP HAD NO HOMICIDE EXPERIENCE, SHERIFF BENCHED TOP DETECTIVES: SOURCES

"I don’t think they secured the scene long enough to process it," he said. "They went in, looked, opened it up, then they had to come back later."

Hupy said he believes that the anonymity guaranteed by Crime Stoppers can't be matched by the county sheriff's tip line or even the FBI, whose tip line the Guthrie family has promoted publicly.

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Tipsters can avoid being labeled "snitches" or facing retaliation, he said.

"That's the point of it," he added. "They get a reward anonymously, and they help society by getting criminals off the street."

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And with the investigation entering its third month this week, Hupy said the chance that someone who knows something about Guthrie's suspected abduction told someone else has only increased.

"Somebody will learn something," he said. "An ex-girlfriend will get mad and tell the authorities or Crime Stoppers that her boyfriend confessed to her. A bartender will say a drunk came in and spilled the beans on himself or someone else. So the longer it goes on, the more likely we are to get the criminal."

SEND US A TIP HERE

Tipsters who use Crime Stoppers can also avoid getting in the middle as both the PCSD and FBI vie for information on the case independently, Hupy said.

"Avoid the bickering and avoid the nonsense and call Crime Stoppers," Hupy said. "We know how to handle this. We have solved thousands of cases, and we're not in the middle of something."

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And because Crime Stoppers is not a government agency, Hupy said it is not subject to freedom of information laws and does not keep identifying records of the informants it pays.

Tipsters are not asked for their names and receive a unique code number when they give information instead, he said. If there's an arrest based on that information, they can collect by giving the code, not their name.

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"If your tip results in an arrest, you get a reward," he said. "We don’t even know your name or your address or your phone number."

And there are no records kept of those details either, he added.

The national crime fighting organization has given out tens of millions of dollars in reward money over the years, he said.

The Crime Stoppers reward is $102,500 for information that leads to an arrest. The FBI is separately offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to either Guthrie's recovery or an arrest and conviction. And "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie is offering $1 million for information that brings her mother home.

"Come forward, you'll be anonymous...and if you have the right information, you'll get a reward," Hupy said. "It's that simple."

The two men who face charges in what authorities are calling a "gang-related" shooting that left a 7-month-old baby dead in Brooklyn were captured on surveillance video crashing the moped they used to flee the scene of the crime.

In the video, the pair can be seen racing the wrong way down a one-way street before crashing into a black sedan driving towards them. The force of the crash flung both suspects forward off the motorbike before landing hard on the pavement.

The pair can be seen staggering to their feet, one hopping on his right foot, while both attempt to gather items that were strewn about during the crash, before moving back towards the moped.

The 7-month-old was identified as Kaori Patterson-Moore of Brooklyn. Her mother was pushing her in a stroller when shots were fired in their direction early Wednesday afternoon. Her father and 2-year-old brother were also present during the shooting. The family ducked into a bodega in an attempt to dodge the bullets.

MAN WITH PRIOR ARREST CAUGHT ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO SHOVE STRANGER INTO TRAIN TRACKS TWICE IN TERRIFYING VIDEO

Kaori was struck and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital soon after the incident.

The NYPD announced Thursday that 21-year-old Amuri Greene is the suspected triggerman. Police say he was a known affiliate of a gang that operates out of a housing project in Brooklyn. They are investigating whether Kaori's father might have been the intended target of the shooting.

Greene was the rear passenger on the moped. He suffered a broken leg and was taken to the hospital after the crash, where he was subsequently arrested on unrelated domestic violence charges.

BIKE MOB'S BAY BRIDGE BLITZ FOILED AS COPS STOP ROGUE RIDERS STORMING CITY STREETS BEFORE FREEWAY CHAOS

The NYPD announced Thursday that he has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He will be taken into custody and arraigned after his hospital stay.

Police announced Friday the second suspect, Matthew Rodriguez, was arrested in Pennsylvania. The 18-year-old, who can be seen driving the moped in the surveillance video, was taken into custody by NYPD detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force. Charges are pending.

The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered, though police say they have found two shell casings related to the incident.

At an emotional news conference, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch decried the heinous crime.

"This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscious," she said. "As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain that this family is feeling or the grief that they now carry with them. It is unspeakable."

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips online or on X @NYPDTips.

Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been called out by a local resident over an incident at the local airport, where TSA agents allegedly stopped him at the security checkpoint with a loaded, undeclared firearm in his carry-on bag.

And the hits keep coming, with a recent independent investigation into bullying and retaliation allegations against the sheriff finding that the "preponderance of the evidence" shows he abused his office for political gain during a close race in 2024 against former PCSD Lt. Heather Lappin.

Amid that contentious race, a woman named Cory Stephens complained to the county board of supervisors at a public meeting on Nov. 12, 2024 that the sheriff did not face the same consequences a regular citizen would have.

"If a private citizen had encountered that at the airport, the consequences would have been greater," Stephens, a longtime Tucson resident and president of the Conservative Coalition of America, told Fox News Digital over the phone Friday.

NANCY GUTHRIE UPDATE: RETIRED K9 OFFICER SAYS DECISION NOT TO USE CADAVER DOGS ‘DEFIES LOGIC’

Nanos' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident, which did not result in any charges.

Stephens said she found the incident alarming after hearing about it in local circles and was disappointed it received little attention in the media, so she brought it up during public comment at a board of supervisors hearing.

Nanos is facing heightened scrutiny amid the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie. While the complicated case remains unsolved, the sheriff's critics have seized on other issues — including lawsuits against him from his own current and former deputies and an allegation that he lied about past disciplinary problems under oath.

"We as citizens want answers," Stephens said. "The safety of our community is at stake."

An incident report obtained by Fox News Digital from Nov. 6, 2024, shows a TSA X-ray technician saw the weapon in the sheriff's bag and flagged an officer.

NANCY GRACE SLAMS SHERIFF’S HANDLING OF GUTHRIE CASE: ‘THE FISH STINKS AT THE HEAD’

"As a law enforcement officer, he should know the TSA rules, how to declare a weapon, secure it and follow the same rules as everyone else," Stephens said.

Airport police found five rounds in the magazine and another in the chamber.

The sheriff missed his flight, stowed the firearm in his vehicle and flew out later.

SHERIFF SHRUGS OFF MISSTEPS IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE, CALLS FOR CAPTOR TO ‘LET HER GO’ AS FAMILY PLEADS FOR HELP

James Gagliano, a retired FBI agent and Fox News contributor, said he found the whole incident surprising because as a law enforcement officer, the sheriff could've taken measures to fly with it legally.

"You declare yourself as a law enforcement officer ahead of time," he said.

The protocol requires confirmation between the TSA and the individual's agency, but typically allows active-duty personnel to fly with their weapons, he said.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SET TO RETURN TO NBC’S ‘TODAY’ AS HER MOTHER REMAINS MISSING

After the X-ray tech found the weapon in Lane 1 at the Tucson International Airport's B Concourse, the first responding officer recused himself due to an apparent conflict of interest, according to the incident report.

SHERIFF WARNS NANCY GUTHRIE SUSPECT COULD 'ABSOLUTELY' STRIKE AGAIN, HINTS AT MOTIVE

The second officer brought Nanos to a private screening room, where he asked the sheriff where in his bag the gun was located, according to the incident report.

Nanos told him it was in a zippered pocket, where the officer removed it and found five rounds in the magazine and another in the chamber, according to the incident report.

Read the incident report:

"The firearm was in a hard plastic holster," the officer wrote. "The firearm was not artfully or purposely concealed."

The sheriff, of course, had no active warrants. But the officer read him his Miranda rights and informed his superiors as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

"Mr. Nanos was escorted off the concourse to place his firearm in his vehicle, and he was rebooked to fly out at a later time," the report concludes.

MISSING WOMAN’S SISTER SAYS NANCY GUTHRIE CASE NOW A ‘HOPE ROLLER COASTER’ FOR FAMILY AS SEARCH CONTINUES

That appears to have been the end of the incident.

But it's one of many allegations against the sheriff to resurface during the stalled search for Nancy Guthrie.

Lt. Lappin's retaliation complaint led to an independent investigation by Northstar Employment & Legal Solutions, which cleared the sheriff of bullying allegations but found that "the preponderance of the evidence supports a finding that Sheriff Nanos used his authority and department resources for political gain."

NANCY GUTHRIE’S FAMILY URGES RENEWED ATTENTION, WON'T CEASE UNTIL SHE'S 'BROUGHT TO A FINAL PLACE OF REST'

He is also accused of violating department rules on courtesy and civility for allegedly putting confidential information about Lappin in a press release during the campaign.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SAYS FAMILY IN 'AGONY' IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE MOTHER NANCY'S DISAPPEARANCE

However, while the review found the sheriff's actions "inconsistent with the listed policies," it also found that he is not subject to those policies because he is an elected official.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's department said Nanos has been made aware of the investigation's results.

"The findings do not support allegations of bullying but note additional concerns," she said in a statement. "The Sheriff has requested the full report for review."

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE BELIEVES TWO RANSOM NOTES HER FAMILY RESPONDED TO WERE GENUINE

PCSD declined to comment further, citing a pending civil lawsuit, and Lappin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Last year, the Pima County Board of Supervisors referred Nanos to the state attorney general for investigation into whether he behaved inappropriately during the campaign. Lappin was suspended over what county officials said appeared to be unsubstantiated allegations and prevented from actively campaigning.

The sheriff is also facing a First Amendment lawsuit from another deputy who alleges he was retaliated against for supporting Lappin ahead of the vote.

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The Pima County Board of Supervisors, which has a 4-1 Democrat majority, also moved unanimously last week to have outside counsel draft proposed questions for Nanos and plans to bring him in front of the panel to answer questions about his workplace history and other concerns.

The sheriff, who declined to comment on the board's decision, was not accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Guthrie investigation during the meeting.

SEND US A TIP HERE

"We have information that we need as an electorate to know who we’re voting into office," Stephens told Fox News Digital. "We need all the information that we could possibly have to put the right people into office."

Stephens, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the board as a Republican in 2024, has called on Nanos to step down following allegations that he lied under oath in connection with a lawsuit from another deputy as well as on his application to join the department back in the mid-1980s.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"He was not properly vetted," she said.

The search for Guthrie remains unsolved more than two months after she is believed to have been taken from her Tucson home in the dead of night. No suspects have been publicly identified.

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A masked intruder wearing long sleeves and rubber gloves appeared on Nest doorbell camera video at her front door around the time of her suspected abduction. Although the video has been widely circulated, it has not led to his identity.

And a DNA sample taken from inside the home containing genetic material from an unknown male has not yet been unraveled.

The family is asking anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that leads to an arrest or Guthrie's recovery.

While delivering an update to the nation on "Operation Epic Fury" on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump said the families of the 13 slain U.S. service members have urged him to "please finish the job" to defeat Iran.

Trump emphasized that "every single one of the people, their loved ones, said, ‘Please, sir, please finish the job.’ Every one of them."

He commended the fallen service members who served in the Army and Air Force.

"We salute them," he said. "And now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives."

TRUMP TOUTS MILITARY MIGHT AGAINST IRAN AS ALLIES PUSH FOR DIPLOMACY

Thirteen U.S. service members, ages 20 to 54, have been killed in the Middle East since the Trump administration launched its Iran operation. 

Six U.S. Army soldiers were killed in a March 1 Iranian drone strike at a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Six others, U.S. Air Force airmen, died in a refueling plane crash on March 12 in Iraq. Another, Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, died in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

During his Wednesday night address, Trump announced that the "core strategic objectives" of the operation "are nearing completion."

"As we celebrate this progress," Trump said, "we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran."

TRUMP DECLARES IRAN CONFLICT 'NEARING COMPLETION' AS POLL INDICATES AMERICANS' DISAPPROVAL

Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware twice since the start of the conflict to honor the fallen service members as their remains were returned to the U.S. in a dignified transfer for burial.

"I wanted to be with those heroes as they returned to American soil," Trump said. "And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands."

Trump touted America’s military might. He said the U.S. is "on track" to complete all of its objectives "very shortly." However, he announced, "We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next 2 to 3 weeks," adding, "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong."

TRUMP CALLS ON WORLD TO BUILD ‘DELAYED COURAGE,’ SEIZE KEY OIL ROUTE FROM IRAN

Despite their losses, Trump emphasized that "every one" of the fallen service members’ families asked him to keep going.

"Every one of them," he repeated. "And we are going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close."

Western Michigan freshman softball player Kendall Kotzmacher is in the process of filing her taxes for the first time. She does so knowing her federal and state taxes, as a Minnesota resident, will go toward litigation over her home state's refusal to keep males out of girls' sports. 

Kotzmacher had to compete against a biological male transgender pitcher in the Minnesota state playoffs in her final high school season in 2025. She had to watch the trans athlete dominate her team and end her season. Now, as the state continues to let that pitcher compete against girls, she may have to watch her younger sister compete against that athlete again this season. 

Kotzmacher, who earned income as a part-time youth softball coach and through NIL deals, including one with the activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics, will have to stomach some of that money financing the legal battle to "save girls' sports." 

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"I feel like I can justify spending that money more, knowing that it's going to these young girls that should not have to do with something like that, you know, it's going for these girls that I've worked their whole lives and can't do anything about," Kotzmacher told Fox News Digital.

"It's definitely really frustrating, you know, and an ideal world, this never happens, and this money doesn't need to go to a lawsuit, such as the one that's going on right now. And this all could be easily pushed to the side if the state complied, and if Governor [Tim] Walz could just get some common sense. And fight for women and take our side for once when we've all been pushed to this side." 

The DOJ announced it is suing education agencies in Minnesota on Monday for its continued refusal to comply with President Donald Trump's mandate to keep biological male trans athletes out of girls' high school sports in the state. The DOJ alleged that the state’s Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are in violation of Title IX.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a preemptive lawsuit last year, saying the state’s human rights act supersedes President Donald Trump’s executive orders. The lawsuit said at the time that the state was already in compliance with Title IX. A ruling is pending on the federal government’s motion to dismiss the case.

FORMER WYOMING VOLLEYBALL STAR REVEALS HOW THE SJSU TRANS SCANDAL PERMANENTLY RUINED FRIENDSHIPS ON HER TEAM

Much of the conflict between the state and the administration centered around the participation of the transgender pitcher, Marissa Rothenberger, for Champlin Park, who led the school to a state title. The athlete is set to compete again this season for Champlin Park. 

"My little sister, she played with me last year. She's still playing, so it's really hard," Kotzmacher said. "I'm lucky enough that it's not allowed at the NCAA level. But there's all of these girls that I do not want them to ever have to go through the situations that I did, and I do not want my sister to have to deal with what I had to do and what she had to deal with last year again."

During a Minnesota state tournament semifinal last spring, Rothenberger held Kotzmacher's White Bear Lake team to just two runs on seven hits. Rothenberger also hit a double to lead-off the final inning and set up a pinch-runner to win the game for Champlin Park.

EX-VIKINGS CAPTAIN IS 'SICK' MINNESOTA IS IN LEGAL CONFLICT WITH TRUMP ADMIN OVER MALES IN GIRLS' SPORTS

Kotzmacher previously told Fox News Digital that once that game ended, she fell into the arms of her little sister and began to sob. 

"I honestly just wanted to leave right away. I didn't want to do anything else," Kotzmacher said. "I couldn't even process what just happened.

"How do you acknowledge that you lost to a biological male? How do you process those events that happened? And that was something that entire night, I still couldn't do it… we lost to a biological male in a female state tournament."

Now, as she tries to excel in her college career, Kotzmacher said she is also invested in the high school season in Minnesota as an activist. 

"I hope that people are truly, truly working on getting this finished before high school season ends, because the last thing that should happen is for this to be a repeat of last year," she said. "And I truly believe that Champlin Park's championship title should be stripped away and there's no reason that on the high school league records or documents, Champlain park's name should be anywhere near the winning season and that they had." 

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