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Legal expert calls for Smithsonian leadership overhaul over ‘self-loathing’ portrayal of history: ‘It’s bile’
A legal expert is calling for a leadership overhaul at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), arguing the museum has embraced a negative, "self-loathing" portrayal of the nation’s past.
"I think this is part of a broader effort by radicals on the left to redefine the history of the United States and reframe it in an oppressor-versus-oppressed narrative," Cully Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former assistant U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital.
"Instead of looking at American history chronologically with all the triumphs and tragedies, including slavery, and then the things that our country did to eradicate the vestiges of slavery, and then passing the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments and the Civil Rights Acts and getting rid of various other laws that were discriminatory in practice or in spirit. They take a very pro-reparations, ‘we’re a bad country,’ oppressor-versus-oppressed narrative."
The comments come after a July 2026 White House report accused the Smithsonian of advancing DEI and left-wing agendas, prompting a pair of heated congressional hearings that put National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig under the national spotlight.
Lawmakers accused museum leaders of allowing political activism to seep into exhibits and influence how history is presented, while Hartig maintained that the museum is nonpartisan and "does not take sides in America’s political debates."
Stimson said the hearings are exposing "bile that they’re trying to pass off as history," saying "sunlight’s a good disinfectant."
"If the head of the Smithsonian had any shame whatsoever, she would have resigned in disgrace already and she doesn’t have any shame because she’s perfectly happy with what she’s done," Stimson said. "She’s just the pointy end of the radical spear that’s out there trying to force this thing down the throats of Americans."
Stimson said Hartig should have been fired "the minute after the hearing" for what he called "smug and self-righteous" behavior during her testimony and for failing to take accountability.
"Her little writing the question down and her smugness was really evincing of what she really thinks of the American people and congressional oversight," he said.
Looking back to America's 250th anniversary celebrations in July, when hundreds of thousands of people came to D.C. to celebrate the milestone, Stimson said families and children were instead greeted with "all sorts of disgusting things, bondage, and all sorts of other nasty things" at the museum.
Some of the controversial exhibits highlighted in the report and hearings featured sexually explicit material, focused on race, gender and sexuality, and portrayed the Founding Fathers through their ties to slavery rather than their roles in building America.
"There should be an entire section dedicated toward the Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the Reconstruction Amendments and all the things that happened, the Civil War, but no," he said.
Stimson said America has gone through many ups and downs "to get beyond the ugly parts of our history," giving Americans reason to celebrate the country today.
"We should not have a museum dedicated to flagellation and self-loathing," he said. "That is not how you celebrate your country."
Many Democrats have also accused Republicans of trying to "whitewash" history, a claim Stimson rejected, saying that celebrating America does not mean ignoring the darker parts of its past.
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"Celebrating doesn’t mean whitewashing history," he said. "Every civilization throughout mankind has had slavery. That doesn’t make it right, it makes it reality."
But Stimson said this approach to teaching history goes further than the museums and that the concern is "something you need to be aware of."
"You see this in higher ed, you see this unfortunately in high school and even below in lower schools, and unfortunately at our premier national museums, including the American History Museum," he said.
Stimson said people should take away the same lessons that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when parents isolated at home got a firsthand look at what their children were being taught.
"That’s why you saw more and more homeschoolers, more and more people in the school choice movement just explode across the country," he said.
He added "parents are the first educators of their children" and it’s up to them "to present American history" the right way.
A complete reset could be what the museum needs, according to Stimson.
"That’s all it is," he said. "It’s bile. It needs to be ripped out, root and branch, and redone."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Man charged with assault, hate crimes after allegedly disrupting Shabbat services at NYC synagogue
A man was charged with multiple hate crimes after allegedly disrupting Shabbat services at a New York City synagogue Friday, striking a congregant and attacking a member of the security team, authorities said.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the man disrupted services at Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.
The NYPD later identified the suspect as Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, and said he was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, among other charges.
"As synagogue security was escorting him out, he struck a member of the congregation, damaged synagogue property, and then spit at and headbutted a member of the security team," Tisch said in a statement posted on X.
An NYPD sergeant working a paid detail at the synagogue immediately intervened and took Montes into custody, according to Tisch.
No one was seriously injured, and the incident remains under investigation, Tisch said.
"I have spoken with the rabbi of the synagogue, and I'm relieved that no one was seriously injured," she said. "Those who were hurt were evaluated at the scene and are doing well. There are no known additional threats at this time, and additional NYPD resources have been deployed to the synagogue."
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was "horrified" by the incident.
"I am horrified by the assault at Central Synagogue during services today," Mamdani said.
"I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city," he continued. "Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence."
"This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe," he added.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also condemned the alleged attack.
"What happened at Central Synagogue tonight is appalling," Hochul posted on X. "Jewish New Yorkers have every right to worship openly, proudly, and without fear. I’m grateful the suspect is in custody and that no one was seriously injured."
Tisch said the incident was particularly personal because she grew up attending Central Synagogue.
"I understand the sanctity of this space and its meaning for congregants," she said. "Central Synagogue is where I grew up. In joy and in sorrow, it has always been a place of comfort and peace. What happened there tonight is deeply painful. A place of worship should never be a crime scene."
Caitlin Clark overcomes injury scare, drops 29 points on Dallas Wings as Fever take top spot in East
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were back at the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as they welcomed another one of the league's biggest stars, Paige Bueckers, and the Dallas Wings.
Now, there's been a lot of drama in the WNBA as of late, and this one delivered some of that as well.
Just a different brand of drama. Not the clotheslining and rage-tweeting-about-White-privilege-from-the-locker-room kind.
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The Wings entered the game shorthanded, with Azzi Fudd among those sidelined.
Still, despite missing some serious firepower, Dallas kept things close.
It started slowly, with both teams failing to put more than 20 points on the board in the first quarter, but the offense ramped up a touch in the second quarter, with the Wings taking a 37-35 lead to the locker room.
Speaking of which, it was at the very end of the first half that one of the most notable moments of the game occurred.
Clark rolled her ankle while the Fever were on defense and, worse yet, hobbled off the court to the locker room.
The Fever were hoping to take over first place in the Eastern Conference, and that would be tough in a close game without Clark.
However, thousands of fans in the building breathed a sigh of relief when Clark started the second half and went on a roll.
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The floodgates opened offensively, with Clark finishing the night with 29 points and 10 assists. Bueckers also scored 29 points for the Wings, adding six assists and six rebounds.
But the Fever got an added scoring punch from Kelsey Mitchell — who finished with 23 points for a franchise-record 18th straight 20-point game — and Tyasha Harris, who went 4-for-4 from 3-point range, to pull away for a 98-87 win.
That gives the Fever first place in the East over the Atlanta Dream, who, coincidentally, will host them on Sunday in a big game for the conference's top spot.
Shake Shack worker allegedly calls out before robbing own restaurant, returns in uniform 2 days later
An Arizona Shake Shack employee is facing charges after allegedly robbing his own restaurant at gunpoint, locking two co-workers in a walk-in cooler and then returning to work in uniform just two days later.
Keondre Simmons, 33, allegedly called out of work at the Shake Shack at Kierland Commons in Phoenix around midnight on Aug. 3 before showing up at the restaurant later that morning to commit the robbery, according to court documents reviewed by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Investigators responding to the armed robbery learned that an employee opened a rear delivery door after hearing a bell and believing a scheduled delivery had arrived.
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"[The employee] opened the door after hearing the delivery bell, believing a scheduled delivery had arrived," court documents state.
"When the door opened, the suspect pointed a firearm at [the employee], ordered him inside, and escorted him at gunpoint toward the walk-in cooler. The suspect forced [the employee] inside and locked the cooler door."
Police said the suspect then forced the on-duty manager into the office and ordered him to open the store's safe.
"[The on-duty manager] unlocked the safe and, under threat of firearm, removed approximately $2,800 in mixed denominations and placed it into a black gun case-style container the suspect carried," police wrote. "The suspect subsequently forced [the on-duty manager] into the walk-in cooler with [the employee], and successfully locked the door."
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Investigators said both victims eventually managed to escape the cooler, but the suspect returned moments later, escorted them to the office and ordered them to kneel at gunpoint.
"The suspect took both victims' cellphones and the office landline, then destroyed them by throwing them into a sink filled with water. The suspect then exited the business through the rear delivery door," police wrote.
Investigators later identified Simmons as the suspect, according to the court documents.
Two days after the robbery, Simmons allegedly returned to the Shake Shack wearing his work uniform, where police arrested him.
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Simmons later told investigators that he "discarded the clothing worn during the incident, and a firearm is inside his residence," according to court documents.
Simmons faces charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault and kidnapping.
He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 25.
Construction workers uncover $10 million in gold while building sewer under former brewery
Construction workers in Belgium this week uncovered $10.4 million in gold while building a new sewer below a former brewery, according to local police.
Police in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, a Flemish community outside Brussels, said the workers contacted them immediately about the find, which officers cataloged, then placed in a "high-security federal government vault."
An 18-year-old worker on the site named Kobe told VRT news he at first thought the gold pieces were 1 Euro coins.
"Our first reaction was actually disbelief, surprise. Of course, we didn't expect to find gold," Kobe said, adding that the workers had to remove a piece of foundation to lay down pipe for the sewerage.
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"When we did that, we suddenly saw something lying around," he said.
Project leader Mario said it was a "crazy feeling."
"They shouted, 'We found gold,'" he told the outlet of his workers. "I went to look and took the gold in my hands. We also continued to dig up new coins and bars. Only then did what we had found really dawn."
He called his boss and then the police.
The construction workers don’t actually get to keep the gold. Under Belgian law, the rightful owner has the right to claim the gold within five years.
When asked if it had crossed his mind to keep it, Mario told VRT, "It's about so many coins and bars, that almost wouldn't be possible. Besides, it would also be theft."
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Kobe said he still hoped for a finder’s fee. "That would be nice."
The building is owned by an organization that provides welfare support to the Flemish community.
The director of the organization said he hoped the gold could be used to help with the "enormous need we experience daily," according to the BBC.
The local police warned treasure hunters against visiting the site, saying it’s a fenced-off construction site with "several dangerous pits" and that the gold has all been removed.
Police added, "We hope this treasure ends up in the right hands and that this unexpected discovery positively changes many lives!"
DFW Airport scraps controversial Islamic foot-washing station plan as Texas Gov Abbott takes aim
FIRST ON FOX: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday directed a review of state grants to entities operating two major Texas airports over religious accommodations after Dallas Fort Worth International Airport said it would no longer move forward with a proposal to install Islamic washing stations.
Abbott said the state will review grants to entities operating DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for possible revocation and denial of future funding. He also referred both airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation.
"Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others," Abbott wrote on X Friday. "DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I've directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW & IAH to USDOT for investigation.
"Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities."
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DFW told Fox News Digital Friday it had been evaluating a proposal to add ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, its international terminal, but accelerated that review in response to increased public attention.
"DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, the international terminal. Like all proposed projects, the airport ultimately considers the operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks and costs before approving them," the airport said.
"While that evaluation was planned, the airport accelerated its review due to elevated public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project as it would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits."
The project was registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation July 31. The filing initially listed the project as privately funded, estimated its cost at $300,000 and indicated construction would be completed by the end of the year.
DFW previously said those details resulted from administrative errors by the airport's outside design firm and stressed that the project had not received final approval.
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"While the estimate noted was $300,000, that was a preliminary high estimate, and we expect the project, if it were approved to proceed, would cost closer to $120,000," a spokesperson for DFW previously told Fox News Digital.
The airport said the design firm also mistakenly selected "privately funded" when submitting the regulatory filing.
"That was an error, and it should have indicated that airport funds would be used to pay for the work like all our projects," DFW said.
DFW said it does not use taxpayer dollars for airport operations and instead relies on revenue streams, including parking and concessions.
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Abbott's office said Friday that George Bush Intercontinental Airport already has an ablution station and an adjoining prayer room.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Abbott asked the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration to review religious facilities and accommodations at both airports.
"These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal," Abbott said. "Both airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view over all others."
Abbott's office said recipients of state grants must certify compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination.
Similar low-level basins and interfaith spaces exist at other major U.S. airports, including Chicago O'Hare, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Houston Airports and the U.S. Department of Transportation for comment.
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.
US flag football team stunned by American Samoa in shocking first loss in 14 years
Just about every team you can think of at any level, in any sport, has lost at least once since 2012.
But the U.S. Men's Flag National Team hasn't... at least not until Friday.
That's right: a 14-year winning streak has come to an end for our nation's top flag football players, but if the streak had to end, it may have come at the best possible time.
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As you're no doubt aware, the IFAF World Championship is taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany — which is precisely where everyone's brain goes when they think "flag football" — and the Americans had a date with American Samoa.
Obviously, the Americans came in favored, seeing as they hadn't lost since Obama was in office, "The Dark Knight Rises" hit theaters and the London Olympics took place.
But the squad from American Samoa — led by former Maryland QB and current Tua brother Taulia Tagovailoa — did the unthinkable and handed the Americans an L.
Unbelievable.
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The U.S. is still alive in the tournament, and while having your 14-year win streak snapped has to sting, I think it happened at a good time.
I'm one of those people who thinks every dominant team needs that wake-up loss. The one that reminds you that even if you boatraced every other team for nearly a decade and a half, you're not invincible.
So, this is one of those moments, and it comes just two years before flag football is set to take a spot at the Olympics.
And there will be a lot of eyes on that competition, because there's talk of NFLers trying to crack the roster... and also, what else is everyone going to watch instead? Rhythmic gymnastics?
Of course not.
So, fourteen lossless years was a good run, and it should make going two years without a loss seem like an absolute cakewalk.
Ex-Cambridge professor found dead after plagiarism scandal led to abrupt resignation
Jason Arday, the ex-Cambridge professor who sparked an international controversy over plagiarism allegations, was found dead Friday, according to multiple reports.
BBC News reported that a man at a south London address was found "unresponsive" and that, according to the Metropolitan Police, "a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin have been informed."
"At this time, his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious," Met Police said in a statement to BBC News.
"We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news," Cambridge University Vice Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice told Fox News Digital. "Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
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The Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Last week, Arday resigned as a sociology professor at Cambridge University after the university announced an investigation into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments amid plagiarism accusations, with one accuser telling Fox News Digital Arday had been hired to be the "face of DEI."
This week also marked the release of his memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things," which had also come under scrutiny due to some of the questionable claims Arday had made about his background. Publisher Simon & Schuster had stood by releasing the book in statements to the media.
Accusations against Arday resurfaced last month from former Cambridge philosophy researcher Nathan Cofnas, who published a Substack article alleging that Arday was a known "plagiarist and fabulist" for more than a year, and much of his personal biography was questionable.
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Cofnas first expressed doubt about Arday's background after the educator said he had been nonverbal until age 11 and practically illiterate until 18, while still being able to get a Ph.D. in 2015 and eventually becoming the youngest Black professor at Cambridge University in 2023.
Using the plagiarism detection program Copyleaks, Cofnas said he found several examples of Arday directly lifting materials from a 2009 dissertation without proper citation and sometimes even retaining copy editing mistakes. Other earlier papers written by Arday were also issued corrections to add more citations, which Cofnas characterized as an admission of plagiarism.
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Arday's appointment in 2023 received massive media attention, much of it celebrating the hiring as a landmark moment.
In addition to the plagiarism allegations, Arday faced further scrutiny about his biography. Among his boldest claims was that he once ran 30 marathons in 35 days to raise money for charity, an astonishing long-distance feat for even standout runners.
After initially rushing to Arday's defense, Cambridge ultimately launched an investigation into the professor.
"The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Professor Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments. In order to ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded," the statement said.
Shortly after the statement was released, Arday released his own statement through the Good Law Project announcing he was resigning with "immediate effect," noting "public scrutiny" as a factor.
"Sadly, the years since my appointment have also been marked by an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack. While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement. The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love," Arday wrote.
"I have tried to continue because I believe deeply in the values of higher education, in rigorous scholarship, and in the transformative power of universities. I have tried because of my students, my colleagues and the countless people who have written to tell me that my journey gave them hope. But there comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great."
Fox News' Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
Wisconsin Democratic candidate says her party 'left behind' rural America
Blue Dog Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a Wisconsin congressional candidate, discussed in an interview Thursday how she is trying to set things right after she accused her party of abandoning rural and working-class voters in recent years.
She appeared on the "Politics War Room" podcast with co-hosts James Carville and Al Hunt, known for calling out the far left of the Democratic Party.
"I don’t wanna put you in a box, but you say you’re a Blue Dog and a New Democrat. Tell me what it means to be a Blue Dog Democrat," Hunt asked.
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"They are folks that are fiscally conservative, socially liberal, are really working from, like, a place-based perspective," Cooke said. "They're people that understand rural Democrats, working-class Democrats, that are showing up in rural communities and working-class spaces that historically our party has left behind.
"And that's, like, I think why I was connected with them originally or why I — you know, what they were doing resonated with me so much."
She cited multiple examples of other moderate Democrats who "understand how to talk to people in rural America, where I feel like a lot of folks in the Democratic Party don't anymore, and I certainly do.
"I think we've built strong coalitions across this district with farmers, you know, healthcare workers, people in rural communities that feel really left behind," Cooke added.
Hunt cited her past comments, asking, "You've said that, in Congress, Republicans are too right-wing, and congressional Democrats are too left-wing. Specifically, how has Hakeem Jeffries [been] too left-wing?"
"I'm talking just, I think, in general when I talk. I did an ad last cycle where I was standing in the middle of the road on my parents' farm talking about how folks in D.C. are either too far left or too far right, and we need more people in the middle that want to work across the aisle to get things done," she said.
"I'm somebody that wants to work in a really bipartisan way and not put, you know, party before people or politics before people, and I think that's … what's important."
Cooke suggested the Democratic Party needs more candidates from a working-class background, citing her own experience.
"I've been a waitress since I was 16 years old," she said. "I've run a small business here in my community, but I also waitress to make ends meet. I did some fellowships last year also with the group called Third Way, around, you know, how do we get more working-class folks to run for office? How do we connect more with working-class voters in general?
"And I'm proud of that work because I think there's this disconnect in the party. And when we run working-class people, folks come out to vote because people trust those people, right? Folks trust me because I have some of the same lived experience that they've had, right?" Cooke added.
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She cited other examples from her life, saying many politicians cannot relate to such experiences.
"We've had to sell our cows because of the low price of milk," Cooke said. "I've had to struggle to compete with the Amazons of the world in running a small business. I know what it's like to sign the front of a paycheck as well as the back of a paycheck, right? And I know what it's like to do hourly wage work.
"There's a lot of members of Congress that have never done those sorts of things. So, when they're making policy that's impacting working families, they're out of touch with that."
Fox News Digital reached out to Cooke's campaign, asking what specific issues she would push for the Democratic Party to moderate on to win back rural and working-class voters.
"Rebecca grew up on a dairy farm and has been campaigning in every county, rural and urban, in the 3rd district because she wants to earn support from Wisconsinites of all backgrounds, including Republicans and Trump supporters," a spokesperson said.
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"On MSNOW this week, she said if she sees someone with a MAGA hat, she’s going to shake their hand and introduce herself.
"She’s running to fight for working people and has no problem disagreeing with other Democrats, like when she said she’d ‘stand up to Democrats to fight for a secure border.' She ‘support[s] funding the police fully and doesn’t believe in universal student loan forgiveness because it only sticks a Band-Aid on a structural problem.’"
California teen faces prison after viral video shows him squaring up, repeatedly kicking sea lion in the face
A California teenager pleaded guilty Friday to repeatedly kicking a sea lion in the face and chasing the animal as it tried to escape, according to video of the attack.
Tyler Muehl, 18, who lives in the San Diego seaside neighborhood of La Jolla, entered his plea in a federal courtroom to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s prohibition on harassing wildlife, the Justice Department said.
"Federal crime. Federal consequences," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon wrote in a statement.
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The incident was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Muehl admitted to kicking the sea lion on July 22 as the mammal was peacefully sitting on a seawall, federal prosecutors said.
"Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal, it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal," said NOAA official Eric Morgan.
The teen approached the animal with his hands squared up as if he were preparing to fight, authorities said. As he made his approach, Muehl referred to himself as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Max Holloway.
He then kicked the animal four times, "which caused the sea lion to rear, flinch and immediately recoil," prosecutors said.
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"After the second kick, the sea lion turned and tried to flee, but Muehl chased after the animal and kicked at it a third time," a DOJ news release states. "As the sea lion tried to get away, it stumbled on the sea wall as it fled."
Officials said the teen kicked the sea lion again and chased it until the animal made its escape.
As part of his plea agreement, Muehl said the video, which went viral online, was a "fair and accurate recording of what occurred."
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) commented on the incident on its social media accounts.
"Assault is ASSAULT, no matter the species," the group wrote on X in a July 24 post. "Leave animals ALONE, and always speak up when you witness abuse."
Muehl faces up to one year in prison and $100,000 in fines. He is expected to be sentenced Oct. 20.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Muehl's attorney for comment.