Dallas County GOP’s push to hand-count 2026 ballots could upend voting for Democrats
The move could require a shift away from countywide polling sites and delay primary election results.
Texas youth camps say cost of implementing new safety requirements will force them to close
During a Friday state hearing, parents of July 4 flood victims said camps should prioritize the safety even if costs are high.
US judge vows to rule ‘soon’ on Abrego Garcia’s fate after marathon hearing
GREENBELT, MD— A federal judge in Maryland on Friday vowed to issue an order “as soon as possible” in a case involving the legal status of Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the Trump administration’s plans to deport him from the U.S. to a third country within days — capping an extraordinary marathon hearing in his case that stretched for nearly seven hours — and has dominated headlines and federal court dockets for as many months. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis adjourned the court Friday evening with a promise to order on the matter as quickly as possible. Much of the hearing, however, was punctuated by incredulous objections from Xinis and frequent requests to “sidebar” with lawyers arguing both sides of the case. For Xinis, a judge who has presided over various iterations of Abrego’s civil case since March, the frequent pauses were a bit of an abberration, which she acknowledged. “I’ve always been a proponent of smooth jazz,” she quipped. Certain portions of the day went far less smoothly. Xinis upbraided the Trump administration for its failure to produce a witness for the court to testify about what steps it had taken to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s deportation to a third country, describing the official who appeared on the stand as a witness “who knows less than nothing” about the case, and the countries they are considering removing him to. “This appears to be in direct contravention of the court,” she noted pointedly, shortly before adjourning for the day. ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT Xinis had ordered the evidentiary hearing Monday, with the stated goal of evaluating a request from Abrego Garcia’s lawyers, that he be released from immigration detention pending further action in his case, and to question a Trump administration official with “first-hand” knowledge of the government’s efforts to facilitate his deportation to the third country of Eswatini, where Trump officials said they intend to send him. Still, the hearing was much more notable for what it failed to produce than what it did. Judge Xinis struggled to clarify seemingly contradictory statements and testimony from Trump officials, including what countries agreed or did not agree to accept Abrego Garcia, and when. Lawyers for the Trump administration acknowledged to Xinis that they had previously identified three African countries — Uganda, Ghana, and Eswatini— as suitable third country locations to deport Abrego Garcia, pending dissolution of her emergency order keeping him in the U.S. But they mistakenly represented the positions of both Ghana and Eswatini. As of this writing, none of the three governments mentioned agreed to accept Abrego Garcia. Xinis honed in on this detail Friday evening. “Now that we know Costa Rica is on the table, have there been any conversations about removing him [there]?” she asked Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign, who said that there had not been. “Why not?” Xinis pressed. “You don’t want him in the country — you’ve said that,” she said, referring more broadly to the views of the the Trump administration. “You have a country that will take him. You have a plaintiff who says ‘I’ll go there.’” That the government is still pressing for other nations to accept him, she said, is a notion that is a bit “hard to swallow.” ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO Many of the crucial details emerged after hours of grueling questioning with John Schultz, the deputy assistant director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, whom the government produced as its witness. Despite his 20 years of experience at DHS, he appeared to know little about the case in question. He failed to answer most of the questions Xinis asked about the government’s plans to deport Abrego Garcia — including basic questions on who within DHS’s ranks had been assigned to handle Abrego Garcia’s case, and the status of various requests for deportation and communications with the countries it had identified. Asked if he had been involved at all in Abrego Garcia’s case prior to Tuesday, Schultz said only that he “looked into his case in March,” but could not recall “in what capacity.” Trump officials also told Xinis during court Friday that Eswatini’s government had initially declined to accept Abrego Garcia, but that they are currently having “additional discussions” on the matter and had not reached consensus. Should Eswatini’s government agree to take Abrego Garcia, Trump officials said, they could facilitate a plane to transport him “within 72 hours,” pending Xinis’s dissolving of her court order requiring Abrego Garcia be kept in the continental U.S. The other two countries, Uganda and Ghana, were much clearer in their denials. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE Ghana’s foreign minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, said on social media Friday morning that his country rejected the U.S. request to accept Abrego Garcia, something he said they “directly and unambiguously conveyed to U.S. authorities.” Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Andrew Rossman, pointed to the lack of assurances from the three African countries, including the two who have rejected his claim outright. The government’s goal, Rossman argued, has been to “to identify a series of countries that bear no connection to Abrego Garcia and that have not indicated any willingness to take him.” Rather, they argued, he should be sent to Costa Rica, the country DHS officials originally offered to send him to in coordination with a guilty plea in a separate criminal case in Nashville, where he was charged with two counts of smuggling. Hours after he declined the plea offer, the government sent his lawyers a notice of removal to Uganda. Despite the language of the notice, Uganda’s government had not yet been asked to take Abrego Garcia, let alone agree to it. That detail was one of many unearthed, laboriously, over the course of many hours Friday. Lawyers for Abrego Garcia, meanwhile, told the court he is “willing and able to board a plane immediately” to go to Costa Rica,
Trump declared in ‘excellent overall health’ by doctor after Walter Reed visit
President Donald Trump is in “excellent overall health,” the president’s doctor said in a memorandum after a follow-up evaluation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. Earlier this week, the White House announced that Trump, 79, would undergo a “routine” semiannual physical on Friday. The president also met with troops while at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. TRUMP’S STAMINA IMPRESSES THE EXPERTS “President Donald J. Trump successfully completed a scheduled follow-up evaluation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, wrote in a memorandum to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Barbabella said that the visit was part of an ongoing health maintenance plan that included “advanced imaging, laboratory testing and preventative health assessments conducted by multidisciplinary team of specialists.” He added, “Comprehensive laboratory studies performed in conjunction with the visit were exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic and cardiac parameters.” In his summary, Barbabella said Trump, “remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.” Barbabella also said Trump also received updated COVID-19 and flu shots in preparation for international travel. DOCTORS REACT TO ALLEGED TRUMP HEALTH CONCERNS AS PHOTOS SHOWING SWELLING AND BRUISING “President Trump continues to demonstrate excellent overall health,” he wrote, adding that his cardiac age was found to be “approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age. He continues to maintain a demanding daily schedule without restriction.” The medical checkup will be Trump’s second this year. He had a similar exam in April, during which his physician stated that he “remains in excellent health.” In July, the president was diagnosed with a vein condition known as chronic venous insufficiency. At the time, Leavitt said Trump had noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House medical unit. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs struggle to allow blood to flow back up to the heart. Leavitt attributed the bruising on the president’s hand to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”
War Department launches new counter-narcotics task force under Trump directive to crush cartels
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday announced that the Department of War (DOW) is establishing a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force in the Caribbean Sea. Hegseth said the task force’s aim would be to “crush the cartels, stop the poison and keep America safe. The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold.” The task force is launching at the direction of President Donald Trump, he said, in the SOUTHCOM area, which covers the Caribbean and Latin America. US STRIKES ANOTHER ALLEGED DRUG-TRAFFICKING BOAT NEAR VENEZUELA, KILLING 4 The U.S. Southern Command said in a release that the task force was being launched under the II Marine Expeditionary Force on Friday “to synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere.” “Transnational criminal organizations threaten the security, prosperity, and health of our hemisphere,” Admiral Alvin Holsey, the commander of SOUTHCOM, said in a statement. “By forming a JTF around II MEF headquarters, we enhance our ability to detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit trafficking networks faster and at greater depth – together with our U.S. and partner-nation counterparts.” TRUMP ORDERS ‘LETHAL KINETIC STRIKE’ ON DRUG TRAFFICKING BOAT IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, THREE KILLED This comes as the administration has begun strikes against boats in the Caribbean it says are linked to drug trafficking networks. The administration has conducted a series of fatal strikes against four small boats believed to be carrying drugs over the last few months. It said 21 people were killed in the strikes. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The attacks have alarmed Democratic lawmakers because the administration hasn’t detailed what evidence it had against the targeted boats or their passengers.
Democrat prematurely announces Senate campaign launch, but quickly deletes post
Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills appeared to announce the launch of her campaign for the Senate on X on Friday, but then quickly deleted the post. In a since-deleted announcement video, the 77-year-old Maine governor asked, “Folks, do you want Democrats to take back the Senate? Well, I’m Gov. Janet Mills, and I’m running to flip Maine’s Senate seat blue.” In the video, Mills took aim at incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican, saying she has “sold out Maine and bowed down to special interests and to Donald Trump, but that ends now.” SUSAN COLLINS FIRES BACK AT SCHUMER-LINKED PAC ADS ACCUSING HER OF STOCK ‘GREED’ The video directed supporters to donate to an ActBlue page that has also since been deleted. On the donation page, Mills touted her bona fides, saying, “I’ve spent my career standing up for Maine families as prosecutor, Attorney General, and Governor. I’ve taken on Big Pharma, expanded health care access, and took Donald Trump to court – and won.” After the posts were deleted, reactions started to flood in online. “In a now deleted tweet at 4:30pm on a Friday before a holiday weekend, Janet Mills confirms she is in fact running for Senate … Some poor digital staffer is about to get fired!” posted National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer Joanna Rodriguez. A progressive political commentator named Jack Cocchiarella commented, “If you thought democratic politics was missing geriatric candidates with no charisma, wait until you meet 77 year old Janet Mills Chuck Schumer’s pick for Senate. She posted this launch video today then deleted it after two hours.” Mills’ announcement has been long anticipated. She is seen as the favored candidate by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The top Democrat in the Senate urged Mills to run and sees her as the best candidate to defeat Collins, the only Republican senator up for re-election next year in a state the Democrats carried in the presidential election. A Collins defeat would be essential for the Democrats to have any chance of winning back the Senate majority. DEM GOVERNOR’S BURIED COCAINE INVESTIGATION DOCS HIT WITH OFFICIAL INQUIRY AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER SENATE RUN But before she reaches the general election, Mills first has to navigate a likely competitive and divisive primary among a crowded field of contenders that includes a much younger rising star on the left who’s backed by longtime progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Mills, a former elected county district attorney and former state lawmaker, made history serving as Maine’s first female attorney general. She later won election in 2018 as Maine’s first female governor, and, in 2022, she comfortably defeated former Republican Gov. Paul LePage by double digits to win re-election. While she will be considered the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination, thanks in part to her vast name recognition in blue-leaning Maine, she could face a serious challenge from 41-year-old Graham Platner, a U.S. Marine, Army veteran and oyster farmer who launched his campaign in August. Platner, who hauled in over $3 million in fundraising during the first six weeks after declaring his candidacy, is backed by Sanders, the two-time Democratic presidential nomination runner-up, who recently stopped in Maine to headline a campaign rally. In a warning to Mills, Sanders said on social media last week that “Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins.” FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS “It’s disappointing that some Democratic leaders are urging Governor Mills to run. We need to focus on winning that seat & not waste millions on an unnecessary & divisive primary,” Sanders added. Other candidates vying for the Democratic Senate nomination include Dan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Co., and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, who raked in roughly $3 million during the July-September third quarter of fundraising. Phil Rench, a former senior engineer for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is running as an independent candidate. Collins first won election to the Senate in 1996 and won comfortable double-digit re-elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS She chairs the influential Senate Appropriations Committee. In her 2020 re-election, Collins faced off against Democratic State House Speaker Sara Gideon in a hotly contested race that became the most expensive in Maine history. While polls indicated Collins trailing her Democratic challenger, she ended up winning the election by more than eight points. Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Can Jay Jones be replaced?
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -First lady Melania Trump announces 8 Ukrainian children reunited with families after being taken into Russia -Pentagon agrees to host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots at Idaho air base –Ivy League professor who mocked Charlie Kirk’s death still employed despite public outcry and ‘resignation’ When asked whether Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones should drop out of the race following violent text messages coming to light, many Democrats have either been silent or defended Jones’ candidacy while condemning the messages. The situation raises questions about whether Democrats may be concerned about the idea of replacing Jones on the Democratic ticket against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares — and whether it is even legally possible. Fox News Digital contacted the Commonwealth of Virginia about what could happen and whether Jones is locked on the ballot as his scandal unravels…READ MORE. ‘COWARD’ CAUGHT: Bondi announces arrest of ‘coward’ who allegedly threatened conservative influencer following Kirk’s murder ‘CHAMPION OF PEACE’: Nobel Peace Prize goes to Maria Corina Machado despite calls for Trump to receive the award PATRIOTS ANSWER CALL: EXCLUSIVE: USCIS sees massive surge in ‘homeland defender’ job applications ICE COLD WAR: US turns to Finland to close Arctic ‘icebreaker gap’ as Russia, China expand polar presence TRADE WAR ERUPTS: Trump threatens ‘massive’ China tariffs, sees ‘no reason’ to meet with Xi PEACE DIVIDEND: White House to begin work on new Abraham Accords ‘very soon’ after Gaza deal GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY: Washington’s shadow war: How strikes on cartels threaten to collapse Maduro’s regime PINK SLIPS: Sweeping layoffs ‘have begun’ as government shutdown drags on PRIVACY QUESTIONS: Hagerty presses Verizon over FBI’s access to his phone records during Jack Smith probe LIGHTS OUT DC: Johnson raises stakes on Schumer as government shutdown barrels into week 3 ENERGY UNDER SIEGE: Scalise leads GOP fight at SCOTUS to stop radical left’s ‘war on American energy’ NO PAYDAY: Senate leaves Washington as government shutdown nears 3rd week, military pay at risk SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: GOP senators back Russ Vought’s hardball shutdown strategy as standoff intensifies GROUNDED IN GA: Georgia’s Mike Collins needles Ossoff in new ad over shutdown’s toll on airports, workers HIGHWAY HAZARD: Blue state in the hot seat after ICE busts Illegal immigrant with ‘NO NAME GIVEN’ on license CATCHING UP: New poll reveals Mamdani’s lead is shrinking as Cuomo gains ground in NYC showdown CIRCLING THE WAGONS: Allies stand by Katie Porter despite controversial videos sparking political firestorm in California campaign ‘CROSSES THE LINE’: NJ Republican Ciattarelli threatens to sue Sherrill over opioid claim NO MORAL COURAGE: Spanberger excoriated online as a ‘coward’ for refusal to ditch ‘unhinged’ Jay Jones TRANSGENDER TENSION: ‘Nude men in locker rooms’: Earle-Sears blasts Spanberger over transgender locker room stance in heated debate ALARM BELLS: Top Insurance CEO in the hot seat after scathing ad campaign exposes China ties NO ANSWER GIVEN: Spanberger refuses to urge Jay Jones to exit race, dodges questions after ‘two bullets’ texts OLD DOMINION CLASH: Earle-Sears comes out swinging in heated debate as Spanberger dodges Jay Jones questions Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Long-held SCOTUS precedents could undercut Portland, Chicago National Guard lawsuits
President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in Oregon and Illinois faced dual tests in court this week, as his administration argued the two Democrat-led states are obstructing federal immigration enforcement. Drawing on a well of constitutional provisions and court precedents, government lawyers have sought to justify deploying the National Guard in Portland and Chicago. Some legal experts say the president has the law on his side, while others worry Trump is threatening state sovereignty. Democratic leaders have responded with outrage and indignation to Trump’s attempts to send federal troops to their jurisdictions. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson established “ICE-free zones” across Chicago to prevent federal agents from using any city-owned property in their ongoing operations. Conservative critics have compared this action and similar opposition to the Trump administration from Democratic leaders to attempts to nullify federal law, hearkening back to the 19th century. “Illinois’s own Abraham Lincoln had some ideas about how to deal with this John C. Calhoun-esque ‘nullification,’” attorney and conservative commentator Josh Hammer wrote on X. PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS Joshua Blackman, South Texas College of Law professor, said the federal government does not need permission from states to defend federal facilities. The Trump administration’s position is that it needs to deploy the National Guard to protect federal personnel and Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings. “This is a principle that goes back to the beginning of the Republic,” Blackman told Fox News Digital, pointing to the landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland, which found that Maryland could not tax a national bank created by Congress. The high court said in that case that allowing a state to impose such a burden on a federal institution would violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says federal law trumps state law. During one set of oral arguments this week before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, a Trump administration lawyer argued that unrest in Portland, prompted by ICE activity, justified the deployment of about 200 National Guard soldiers. “For months, the ICE facility in Portland and the federal law enforcement officers who work there have faced a steady stream of violence, threats of violence and harassment from violent agitators bent on impeding federal immigration enforcement,” said Eric McArthur, arguing for the Justice Department. The rebellion statute that Trump is using to federalize the National Guard, which governors have shared authority over, can be invoked in those situations, McArthur argued. He also said it was the government’s position that the courts had no say over Trump’s assessment of the need for the military. Blackman made a similar point. “The statute lets the president make the judgment over the need. It’s not clear to me that a court can second-guess it,” Blackman said. In court papers, the Trump administration has also cited a case from 1890, Neagle v. Cunningham, which established that the president has authority under the Constitution’s take care clause to “take care” that federal laws be carried out, including by doing what is necessary to protect those executing immigration laws. In Neagle, a U.S. marshal shot and killed a person who attacked a Supreme Court justice, and the Supreme Court found that the State of California could not prosecute the marshal for murder since the marshal was protecting a federal officer. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND AMID CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE Blackman said that states have for years been “frustrating” federal immigration enforcement and that these blue-state lawsuits trying to challenge the National Guard’s presence were an instance of that. He said the states’ resistance did not “quite rise to the level of nullification,” like when states in the South tried to block integration of segregated schools, but that it was “in the ballpark.” If states were to defy court orders, that could escalate matters, Blackman said. The lawsuits, which could rise to the Supreme Court, especially if the circuit courts were to rule against Trump in the coming days, could help to sharpen the dividing line between state and federal authority over law enforcement. Like Oregon and Illinois, Matt Cavedon, a director at the CATO Institute, said the 10th Amendment is also in play in these cases and that it implies that the Trump administration cannot typically take over a state’s law enforcement responsibilities. Cavedon also said it was unusual, in his view, that a Republican government would adopt a more expanded view of federal power. “It’s not usually conservatives who are arguing that there are just vast unenumerated federal powers belonging to the president, certainly in the domestic context,” Cavedon told Fox News Digital. Cavedon said the events in the two states are “really core issues of public security and safety, which are at the heart of what a state’s responsibilities are.” Oregon and Illinois leaders have made similar claims that nothing extraordinary was playing out crime-wise to warrant National Guard intervention. “I think the 10th Amendment answers a question: Any powers that are not conferred on the federal government are reserved to the states, respectively,” Cavedon added.
Biden-era ‘unvetted’ immigrants nabbed after Virginia highway gunfire as border debate hits governor’s race
EXCLUSIVE: Hours after Virginia gubernatorial candidates Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger sparred over illegal immigration concerns in Virginia, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital it had filed detainers to deport two teen “thugs,” allegedly unscreened by the Biden administration, accused of firing guns on a busy suburban interstate. Earle-Sears, a legal immigrant from Jamaica, claimed Spanberger will make Virginia a “sanctuary state,” while the Democrat rebutted that assertion, saying she would “absolutely” cooperate with the feds during official criminal investigations involving illegal immigrants. Two “criminal illegal alien thugs whipped around” Interstate 295 near the Chickahominy River bridges east of Richmond, Virginia, “with complete neglect for the safety of Virginians” while allegedly firing weapons on the typically busy bypass of the Old Dominion’s capital, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital Friday. McLaughlin said the two males were allegedly released “unvetted” under the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies, and ICE lodged a detainer request after state authorities captured them and sent them to a juvenile prison in Williamsburg, Virginia. EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS “We are not going to allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens,” McLaughlin said. The two 17-year-old illegal immigrants from Honduras had allegedly acquired a BMW and sped northbound on I-295 and caught the attention of a Hanover County, Virginia, sheriff’s deputy who had pulled over another motorist several miles southwest of Old Church, Virginia. DHS said the deputy noticed the BMW matching the description of one announced over the radio, and the teens immediately led the officer on a chase. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’ The teens eventually exited the highway and crashed on a side street off Mechanicsville Turnpike, according to DHS, which otherwise could have taken them into downtown Richmond, Virginia. The illegal immigrants were arrested and charged with shooting from a vehicle, possession of a firearm under age 18, possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and reckless handling of a firearm, according to a DHS statement. A Virginia State Police official told Richmond’s CBS affiliate the swift apprehension of the suspects was a testament to interdepartmental cooperation between Virginia State Police and local Henrico and Hanover authorities. Interstate 295 is a heavily traveled alternative to Interstate 95, which proceeds through Richmond, Colonial Heights and Petersburg, Virginia, while traffic bound for North Carolina or Washington, D.C., tends to use the higher-speed alternative.
Former NCAA swim captain warns Virginia elections could decide future of women’s sports
A former NCAA swim captain from Virginia who has alleged retaliation by university officials after objecting to a transgender student joining her team said she is “100%” concerned about the results of the upcoming statewide elections and the impact they could have on women in sports. Former Roanoke College swimmer Lily Mullens spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of Virginia’s upcoming elections about her experience raising concerns with her college about a transgender classmate, who was born a biological male, joining the school’s female collegiate swim team. The concerns about the matter fell on deaf ears and were brushed aside by college administrators, Mullens said, but she noted that Republican officials in the state came to her and her teammates’ defense. ‘NUDE MEN IN LOCKER ROOMS’: EARLE-SEARS BLASTS SPANBERGER OVER TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM STANCE IN HEATED DEBATE “Gov. Youngkin had reached out to the captains and I personally and asked how we were and how things kind of played out. And that was such a huge thing, because not even the president of my school was able to do so,” Mullens told Fox News Digital. “Seeing somebody who’s the leader of an entire state do that and then not have my school president, who’s only overseeing 2,000 people … it’s hard to describe. I was so shocked, and I was grateful at the same time.” The state of Virginia is gearing up for several consequential statewide elections later this year, including a race for the governor’s seat and for attorney general. Incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reached his term limit, so Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was handed the baton to keep the governor’s mansion Republican. She is facing off against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Current Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is also up for re-election and is being challenged by Democrat Jay Jones, who is dealing with the fallout from resurfaced text messages showing him wishing death upon a Republican colleague. Earlier this year, Miyares said he found reasonable cause to determine that Roanoke College discriminated against Mullens and her teammates on the basis of sex and retaliated after the girls spoke up. It was a finding the college subsequently contested, calling the allegations “unsubstantiated” in a press release the school put out at the time and sent to Fox News Digital. The issue stemmed from a transgender student who previously swam on the school’s all-male swim team but wanted to switch to the all-female team following hormone therapy and other transitioning measures in the fall of 2023. A meeting of the swim team and its members to discuss the new swimmer’s upcoming participation was one moment Mullens saw firsthand that her college’s administrators were unlikely to support her objections. SPANBERGER REFUSES TO URGE JAY JONES TO EXIT RACE, DODGES QUESTIONS AFTER ‘TWO BULLETS’ TEXTS “The purpose of the meeting was to bring us all together with this individual to, in a way, hash out whatever feelings or opinions we had to the individual with administrators in the room,” Mullens recalled to Fox News Digital in August. “At one point, it was discussed that this individual, without the transition, had thought about and gone through with planning a suicide. So, that was something that was told to all of us.” Mullens, who described herself as a religious person, said she and her teammates’ first reaction was confusion after the swimmer shared specific details about a suicide plan. “All of us felt emotionally confused. We didn’t know what to do,” Mullens previously shared with Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, school administrators present at the meeting “didn’t say anything,” according to Mullens recollection of the event. And on-campus mental health professionals were never notified about the situation until after Mullens and others went public with the matter in a press conference. Following the press conference, Mullens and her teammates were denied opportunities to study abroad in locations of their choice despite good academic performance and a history of extensive extracurricular activities, according to Miyares’ findings. Mullens told Fox News Digital the explanations she and other swimmers got for their denials only added confusion to the whole matter even further. “Basically, it said, ‘Not only is the professor responsible for the student’s academics, but also for their behavior,’” Mullens said. “I had no idea what that means. I’ve never had any sort of disciplinary action to me.” CAN JAY JONES BE REPLACED? DEMOCRATS’ DEFENSE OF SCANDAL-PLAGUED CANDIDATE DRAWS QUESTIONS In additional conversations with Fox News Digital leading up to Virginia’s November elections, Mullens said she felt like the college simply brushed aside all of her concerns, while taking actions that suggested support for the transgender swimmer. “Every single email that was sent in response to us Roanoke girls speaking out — I remember our original press conference, as well as when we spoke at the Trump rally in Salem that he had last year — our president sent out emails where he said, ‘We love and support our LGBTQ students.’ So, it was like, ‘Well, if you preach inclusion and diversity that includes of ideals.’ So, when people kind of brush over that and then don’t say anything else about it, it’s so hypocritical to me and I don’t … I’ve never understood how we can have one without the other. “We need leaders who are able to say, ‘Absolutely not, we’re just not going to let this happen,’” Mullens said. Approximately a week ago, Youngkin issued Executive Directive 14, which directed the state board of health to begin drafting new policies requiring private spaces, such as locker rooms and bathrooms, and for sports teams to remain separated by students’ gender assigned at birth. Mullens said she feared that, just like a new president could overturn President Donald Trump’s plethora of executive orders, a new Democratic governor could do the same in her state. During a gubernatorial debate Thursday night, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, Democratic Party candidate, would not answer definitively whether she would rescind Youngkin’s Executive Directive 14, but she