Owen McIntire, a 19-year-old from Parkville, Missouri, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges after allegedly firebombing Teslas at a Kansas City dealership. The crime could carry up to 30 years in prison if the UMass Boston student is convicted.
McIntire’s case was elevated to the Justice Department’s national security division, which typically handles terrorism and espionage cases. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has called the incident “domestic terrorism.”
“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” Bondi said following McIntire’s arrest in April. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
Prosecutors allege that the transgender teen hurled Molotov cocktails at a local Tesla dealership in March, destroying two vehicles and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
The firebombing came amid a wave of vandalism and attacks on Tesla dealerships nationwide, allegedly carried out to protest Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump.
Others were reportedly motivated by Musk’s financial support for Trump in the last election and his anti-transgender activism — including relocating his businesses in response to a California law protecting trans students’ privacy, and reshaping the X platform’s moderation policies to allow users to insult, harass, or misgender transgender individuals.
In response, the FBI launched a new task force to investigate incidents of vandalism targeting Teslas, according to the New York Post.
Like Bondi, Trump has called the destruction of Teslas an act of “terrorism,” and has suggested that offenders be deported — regardless of citizenship status — to prisons in El Salvador, where the U.S. has recently leased space for deported undocumented individuals alleged to be gang members.
Prosecutors sought to keep McIntire in custody ahead of his August 11 trial. But a judge ordered the teen’s release last month so he could receive treatment for “serious and ongoing” medical needs — including daily gender-affirming hormones — according to Kansas City FOX affiliate WDAF. McIntire has reportedly been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and depression.
McIntire is currently living at his parents’ home but must wear an ankle monitor and stay away from all Tesla dealerships. He is also required to take all prescribed medications for depression and participate in recommended mental health support programs while on release.
A Christian school in the Atlanta suburbs forced a senior to withdraw just weeks before graduation after attending her prom with a transgender boy.
Emily Wright, who until recently attended North Cobb Christian School, went to her senior prom, which was held at an off-campus venue, with a friend who didn't attend the school.
"It was off-property. I did sign a form allowing her to bring a guest," Emily's mother, Tricia Wright, told Atlanta FOX affiliate WAGA-TV, noting that the only limitation on the form was related to the age of the guest.
Ten days after prom, Emily was called into the principal's office.
A Montana court has struck down that state's law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, finding that restricting their access to care -- and punishing the doctors who attempt to provide that care -- is unconstitutional.
Montana Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Marks found that the 2023 law, pushed through by Montana Republicans, violates transgender minors' right to privacy, equal protection, and free speech, as guaranteed by the Montana Constitution.
A lower court had previously issued an order blocking the law from taking effect in 2023, which the Montana Supreme Court upheld last December.
State has 10 days to ban transgender athletes from girls’ teams or risk losing federal education funding, under a Title IX ultimatum from the Education Department.
The Trump administration has issued an ultimatum to the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, demanding they ban transgender athletes from competing on girls' sports teams.
In a June 25 announcement, the U.S. Department of Education said California’s policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' teams violates Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions.
The department also proposed a resolution requiring California to bar transgender athletes from girls' sports teams and revoke any records, titles, or awards they’ve received. It further calls on the state to send personalized apology letters to female athletes who were denied honors or recognition after being displaced by a transgender competitor.
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