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Mother Testifies Daughter Murdered by Venezuelan Illegal in Chicago Sanctuary City

Reality Check with Ross Coulthart · Supreme Court blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order | On Balance Full Show · July 2, 2026
Mother Testifies Daughter Murdered by Venezuelan Illegal in Chicago Sanctuary City
Reality Check with Ross Coulthart
Reality Check with Ross Coulthart
Supreme Court blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order | On Balance Full Show
"My daughter paid for those failures, your failures with her life. No family should ever have to bury a child because public officials fail to put American lives first. I'm just asking you to choose us. We choose you. We choose you. Choose us. Why does my child matter less than an illegal immigrant? Why?"
Jessica Gorman testified before Congress about her 18-year-old daughter Sheridan, a University of Loyola freshman murdered in Chicago by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant gang member. The killing occurred during a gang initiation as Sheridan walked along the lakefront on a Friday night. Gorman's testimony came during a House hearing on sanctuary city policies, and sparked a heated confrontation with Democratic members of Congress who attempted to silence discussion of the case.

About this episode

Host Leland Vittert examines three major political flashpoints following the Supreme Court's mixed rulings on Trump administration policies. The Supreme Court handed President Trump both wins and losses this week, upholding transgender sports restrictions while striking down his birthright citizenship executive order in a 5-4 decision. Vittert argues this proves the Court's independence, as both Democrats and Republicans attacked different rulings, with Trump appointees Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voting against him on birthright citizenship. Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and constitutional attorney Tom Dupree defended the Court's legitimacy while conservative commentator Isabelle Brown criticized the legal reasoning. The episode shifts to international affairs with former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta declaring Vladimir Putin "cornered" as Ukrainian drone strikes devastate Russian energy infrastructure, creating fuel shortages in Moscow for the first time in four years. Panetta credited Trump's Ukraine policy while urging continued military support. The show examines the rise of socialist candidates within the Democratic Party, focusing on 29-year-old Malat Curaos, who leads a Colorado primary despite being fired for anti-Israel views and justifying 9/11 as an inevitable consequence of U.S. foreign policy. Political analyst Mark Halperin and others debated whether the Democratic Party has become dominated by "champagne socialists" - wealthy, college-educated elites pushing policies the working class opposes. The episode concluded with emotional testimony from Jessica Gorman, whose daughter Sheridan was murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in Chicago, sparking a confrontation with Democratic members of Congress during a hearing on sanctuary city policies.

Key takeaways

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