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Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann pleads guilty in decades-long string of murders
The man charged with killing seven women and scattering their remains throughout Long Island, New York pleaded guilty on Wednesday, marking the end of a decades-long case that instilled fears of a serial killer lurking within the region.
Rex Heuermann, a 62-year-old architect, was accused of brutally murdering seven women, many of whom were sex workers, and dismembering their remains over the course of 17 years.
He appeared in Suffolk County Court at 11 a.m., where he admitted to the killings dating back to 1993.
Heuermann was arrested outside his midtown Manhattan office in July 2023 and has maintained his innocence for nearly three years. A trial had been set for September.
"It’s a difficult day," Robert Macedonio, an attorney for Heuermann’s ex-wife Asa Ellerup, said Wednesday before the court hearing, according to the Associated Press.
"No one can envision ever in their life standing here in a courthouse on a line surrounded by media having their ex-husband accused of seven, potentially eight homicides," Macedonio continued. "It’s unimaginable. There’s no way to prepare for it."
The Gilgo Beach investigation was thrown into the spotlight in 2010 after police discovered numerous sets of human remains along an isolated beach highway on Long Island, while searching for 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert.
REX HEUERMANN'S FAMILY KEPT GRUESOME PIECE OF EVIDENCE, SOURCE SAYS
Investigators relied heavily on DNA analysis to identify the remains of several victims found scattered throughout Long Island.
Remains of six women – Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack – were recovered along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach.
The remains of a seventh victim, Sandra Costilla, were found more than 60 miles away in the Hamptons.
EX-WIFE OF ALLEGED GILGO BEACH KILLER STILL DEFENDS HIM, BUT DAUGHTER SAYS HE ‘MOST LIKELY’ DID IT
An eighth woman, Karen Vergata, was discovered nearly 20 miles west on Fire Island in 1996, and later near Gilgo Beach in 2011.
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Heuermann has not been charged with Vergata’s killing.
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In 2022, Heuermann, who was living in nearby Massapequa Park, was identified as a suspect after the newly-formed Gilgo Beach task force used a vehicle registration database to connect him to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one victim disappeared in 2010.
Detectives quickly began looking into Heuermann’s life, with prosecutors alleging he used burner phones to arrange meetings with the victims before abducting them.
Retested DNA found on the victim’s remains also pointed to Heuermann, with cell phone data indicating he had been in contact with a few of the women shortly before they disappeared.
Internet search history also revealed Heuermann’s interest in graphic torture pornography and news surrounding the Gilgo Beach killings – including the renewed investigation efforts.
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Investigators ultimately obtained Heuermann’s DNA after he threw a box of partially eaten pizza crusts into a sidewalk trash can outside his office in midtown Manhattan. The DNA found on the box was then linked to a male hair recovered from burlap used to restrain one of the victims.
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Following his arrest in 2023, detectives spent nearly two weeks scouring the backyard of Heuermann’s family home. There, they found a basement vault holding 279 weapons, along with a computer containing what prosecutors described as a "blueprint" for the alleged killings.
Last year, Suffolk County Judge Timothy Mazzei dealt a blow to Heuermann’s defense by ruling evidence gathered from newly-released DNA technology would be admissible at trial, with prosecutors claiming the evidence directly connects Heuermann to the murders.
Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Republicans win but Democrats also claim victory with ballot box surge in Trump territory
RINGGOLD, GA — Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller credited President Donald Trump in his victory speech after keeping a solidly red district in GOP hands and boosting Republicans’ razor-thin House majority.
"He was the difference maker," Fuller, who was backed by Trump, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview following his victory Tuesday night. "He was the key factor in us winning."
Fuller defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in a special election to fill the empty U.S. House seat in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, in the northwest corner of the crucial southeastern battleground state. The seat was left vacant when MAGA firebrand Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down at the beginning of January. Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a bitter falling out with Trump.
TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN PADS GOP'S FRAGILE HOUSE MAJORITY
The special election came as Republicans clung to a fragile 218–214 majority in the House. The GOP was under the gun to make sure the Democrats didn't pull off an upset in a district that Trump carried by a whopping 37 points in his 2024 presidential victory.
Fuller, who was a local district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, who's served in the Air Force since 2009, called himself a "reinforcement" for House Speaker Mike Johnson and said his victory was "extremely crucial."
PRIMARY PAUSE, POLITICAL FIRESTORM: HIGH-STAKES ELECTIONS THIS MONTH TAKE CENTER STAGE
But even in defeat, Democrats see cause for celebration.
Harris, a cattle farmer who spent four decades in the military and retired as an Army brigadier general, lost to Fuller by roughly 12 points, according to the latest election results. That's a significant improvement from the 29-point defeat he suffered to Greene in her 2024 re-election.
Democrats touted the results in Georgia's 14th Congressional District as their party's latest ballot box overperformance in the nearly 15 months since Trump returned to the White House and say they have the wind at their backs as they aim to win back congressional majorities from the Republicans in this autumn's midterm elections.
"In the deepest-red congressional district in Georgia — and despite more than $1.5 million in spending by Republicans to defend this Trump +37 seat — Democrat Shawn Harris notched a jaw-dropping more than 20-point overperformance in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s backyard," said Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, in a statement.
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And Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin highlighted that "Shawn Harris ran a fearless campaign in the reddest district in all of Georgia, delivering a double-digit overperformance."
Fuller pushed back on the Democrats' messaging.
"They lost. They've got to call me congressman, and they poured in millions of dollars, just lit millions of dollars on fire, and still got crushed," he argued, in his Fox News Digital interview.
And Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon said that "Democrats threw everything they had at this race... They made this the Super Bowl and they lost."
The runoff in Georgia wasn't the only major election on Tuesday night.
Liberals expanded their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, strengthening control in a key battleground state, in a ballot box showdown that drew limited national attention but had plenty riding on the results.
Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state representative, defeated Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, a conservative. Taylor will succeed a retiring conservative justice and with the victory, liberals will expand their majority on the state Supreme Court to 5-2.
While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin have become extremely partisan in recent election cycles.
Taylor ended up topping Lazar by roughly 20 points, a larger victory than expected. And national Democrats once again were quick to showcase the overperformance.
"Wisconsin voters showed up and sent another big message to Republicans, securing a liberal majority until 2030!" the DNC's Martin said in a social media post.
It's hard to deny that Democrats are on a roll in electoral showdowns since the start of Trump's second term.
The flipping of two GOP-controlled state Senate seats in Iowa last year denied Republicans their super majority in the chamber. Democrats also scored larger than expected victories in last November's gubernatorial elections in blue-leaning Virginia and New Jersey, and over performed in last December's special congressional election in a red-leaning district in Tennessee.
Earlier this year, plenty of Republicans were calling their party's double-digit shellacking in a state Senate election in a ruby red district in Texas in an early February special election a "wake-up call" for the party.
And in special elections two weeks ago, Democrats in Florida flipped a state Senate seat and a state House district that includes Mar-a-Lago, Trump's home turf in Palm Beach.
Partially fueling the Democrats' ballot box performances is their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.
Meanwhile, Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation's capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms, and a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns, an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump's underwater approval ratings.
"Enthusiasm for Democrats is growing everywhere. We’re closing the gap and Republicans are absolutely terrified," Martin claimed.
But Republicans say that Democrats are overemphasizing their ballot box performances, especially their special election successes in what are often low-turnout contests.
"A low-turnout state House special election is a snapshot of local quirks, candidate dynamics, and turnout math — not some grand verdict," RNC senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said after last month's special election in Palm Beach, Florida.
And veteran Republican strategist and communicator Jesse Hunt told Fox News Digital that "historically, special elections have been a poor barometer for what will occur during regularly scheduled midterm or presidential elections. Specials have unique dynamics that don’t play as much of a factor when the broader electorate feels the muscle memory of showing up to vote in November."
Olympic gold medalist discusses balance between celebrating one victory while vying for others
Growing up in Wisconsin, it was relatively easy for Jordan Stolz to get into speedskating.
Waters are frozen early and often in the frozen tundra, which has made the Midwest somewhat of a hockey hotbed.
But watching Apollo Anton Ohno as a kid, the direction was natural for the 21-year-old.
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This past February, he accomplished the dream by taking home not one, but two Olympic gold medals.
Of course, winning one is a success, but with three other medal events, celebrating wasn't exactly the easiest.
"Yeah, it's pretty tough," Stolz told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I mean, I wanted to celebrate, but actually I was really focused on the 500 (meters), because it's only one day off and then the 500 final."
Stolz's first gold came in the 1,000-meter race, but the pressure was on to win a second in the 500.
"I kind of felt like I really needed to win that 500. So I wasn't really messing around at all," he said. "So I wouldn't say it was hard to not celebrate, but competing throughout the entire time of the games, it got a little bit difficult, especially with the 1,500, and the minute I start, there's a lot of time in between. There's also things that can get messed up."
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It was a lifetime of training both on and off the ice in order for Stolz to bring home the hardware, as what's going into Stolz's body might be more important than what he does on the rink. Recognizing that importance, he also makes sure his cat, Mitzi, a stray who showed up on his porch looking for food when Stolz was a preteen, is getting a similar nutritional treatment with Nulo food.
"I'm so careful about what I put into to my body. Now I'm just eating, you know, kind of terrible food, not really paying attention, and it's like, man, I kind of feel like garbage," Stolz said. So it's like, I kind of get a taste of what it's like, you know, bad quality food. So Mitzi, I don't want her to be eating poor nutrition, because she doesn't even have a choice, right? It's up to me to give her what's right. So that's why I choose to give him a Nulo."
While Stolz accomplished his goal, there's much more work to be done. And he actually may not need to wait until 2030 to do it.
"I'm gonna keep training until the next Olympics," Stolz said. "Do some World Championships, World Cups, we'll see what I can do.
"I might try, you know, a little bit of track cycling this summer, maybe in LA '28's on the table, but we'll see."
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Far-left network activates to fly Iran's flag over America in victory and wage a 'smokeless war' on the US
Even as Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth declares a "historic and decisive victory" against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the U.S. still faces foot soldiers on another front: on America's streets.
There, a network of pro-communist groups funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon living in China, supporting the Chinese Communist Party and allies, like Iran, are flying the Iranian flag and declaring "Trump failed in his criminal war against Iran."
The rapid mobilization and quick narrative pivot illustrate how an interconnected protest infrastructure, spanning pro-communist political groups, pro-Palestinian advocacy networks and far-left activist organizations tied to international propaganda ecosystems, can coordinate demonstrations in U.S. cities within hours in a dynamic that national security experts call cognitive warfare, or a "smokeless war."
In the nation’s capital Tuesday evening, activists from the professional network of well-funded far-left anti-American groups pulled up to the curb at the corner of 16th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, unloading wagons with megaphones, pre-printed signs and protest-friendly arts-and-craft. Within minutes, they painted their hands blood-red and launched familiar chants, blurring one cause into the next, including a condemnation of "Trump’s war on Iran."
A few hours later, writers at the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a self-declared pro-China communist group in the Singham network, banged out a missive on their propaganda platform, "Liberation News," headlined, "Why Trump failed in his criminal war against Iran – and why we need to keep up the pressure."
The next morning, as Hegseth declared victory over Iran, officials in the Party for Socialism and Liberation's busy Atlanta chapter issued a call for members to meet at Marietta Street NW and Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW at 5:30 p.m. for a "National Day of Action" against the U.S., declaring the Trump administration "was compelled to temporarily step back from its genocidal threats," but its members have to "KEEP THE PRESSURE UP!"
SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA
"U.S. out of everywhere!" shouted Olivia DiNucci, a regular on the protest circuit and Washington, D.C., coordinator for CodePink, a theatrical protest group that just sent a "caravan" to Cuba to support the communist party there. DiNucci pressed her hands into the red paint and smeared them across a banner, then raised her paint-covered hands in the air as she stood beside a smiling Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink.
DiNucci moved through the crowd with a wagon, handing out stickers, chatting with demonstrators and pausing with Benjamin to pose for photos.
Nearby, members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation handed out their trademark signs with the group's brand along the bottom and messages in bold sans-serif font, this time reading, "STOP THE WAR ON IRAN!"
"Free, free Palestine!" shouted members of the Palestinian Youth Movement, as flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran flew overhead, beside Palestinian flags.
"Zionism will fall, brick by brick, wall by wall," another chant began.
Nearby, Nadine Seiler, a regular on the protest circuit who sometimes dresses in costumes, including as a pink frog, stood with her spray-painted banner, raising a question about U.S. "war crimes." Recently, she acknowledged the performative nature of the protests.
"It is political theater," she told Fox News Digital, "and we need more of it!"
Experts say scenes like this are not simple expressions of dissent, but part of a broader geopolitical contest played out in cognitive warfare, where adversaries use narratives, imagery and street theater to shape how Americans perceive conflicts unfolding far beyond their borders, even after bombs stop dropping.
In cognitive warfare, experts note, the battlefield isn't territory, like the Strait of Hormuz, but the public mind, where propaganda, protests, social media messaging and ideological narratives are used to influence how citizens interpret events and pressure governments to change policy.
In this case, proxies for U.S. adversaries, including Iran and China, are pivoting to declare the ceasefire a "victory" for Iran.
Many of the groups, including CodePink, are part of the broader protest network funded by Singham, who has financed a global constellation of activist groups and media projects promoting narratives sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party, while depicting the United States as a "fascist" and "rogue" nation.
In 2017, as reported in a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham married a co-founder of CodePink, Jodie Evans, and started pouring a documented $278 million into a network of groups that fuel anti-American protests in the United States, support the People's Republic of China and now back the Islamic Republic of Iran, a strategic partner of China and a major source of its oil imports. Code Pink has waged a pro-China campaign for years under the slogan "China Is Not Our Enemy."
CHINA'S AMERICAN MAO: INSIDE SINGHAM’S BLUEPRINT TO ‘WAGE WAR' FOR A 'NEW WORLD ORDER'
U.S. Justice, State and Treasury officials, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Oversight Committee are investigating several of these groups for possible violations of federal laws, including statutes that require individuals and groups acting on behalf of foreign interests to register as foreign agents with the Justice Department.
Gordon Chang, an expert on China's global influence, has warned about an expanding anti-American campaign emanating from China, writing, "Now, the Chinese regime has help funding propaganda and protests in America. After all, it has Singham’s cash and world-spanning network."
In their call to action, organizers criticized Trump's Tuesday night deadline for Iran, writing: "Trump has given a deadline for genocide — either Iran surrender by 8 p.m. ET or the country’s ‘whole civilization will die tonight.’"
They added: "This is the criminal threat of a madman, but a madman who controls the deadly might of the Pentagon war machine."
Within hours, the same messaging began circulating across the network as additional organizations promoted similar protests nationwide.
Soon afterward, another cluster of organizations, including CodePink, joined forces with the Chicago chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine and Students for Justice, to announce an emergency protest at Federal Plaza in Chicago at 6 p.m. today.
Even as news emerged of the ceasefire, the protests remained scheduled because for these foot soldiers the war continued.
Outside the White House, several self-described communist organizations, including "Refuse Fascism," the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, were among the crowd at the corner of 16th Street NW, unfurling their banners and unpacking their pre-made signs.
The coalition also included Muslim advocacy organizations such as Emgage Action and the National Iranian American Council, a pro-regime Iranian-American lobbying group.
By 8:02 p.m., the CodePink crew posted a fast film from its protest at the White House with the headline, "PROTESTING US WAR ON IRAN AT THE WHITE HOUSE."
Minutes later, at 8:09 p.m., the Party for Socialism and Liberation's D.C. chapter published a hyperbolic message of success, declaring, "TONIGHT: While Trump threatens people with war and genocide abroad, the people of the U.S. call for a total end to endless imperialist wars!"
The political theater accomplished, most of the crowd, including DiNucci, with her hands still painted red, dispersed to ready for today's "EMERGENCY NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION."
Sure enough, this morning, on cue, at about 6:53 a.m., allies of the Party for Socialism and Liberation's Florida chapter summoned their foot soldiers to the corner of East Colonial Drive and North Bumby Avenue in Orlando, to support the regime in Iran, issuing an urgent dispatch for "RAPID RESPONSE MASS MOBILIZATIONS."
What comes next in the Iran war? What this ceasefire will and won't do
The Iran ceasefire was less than three hours old when missiles began flying from Iran toward Israel and the Gulf states. That detail — documented in real time — tells you more about the durability of this agreement than any official statement. A pause is not peace. A handshake in Islamabad is not a settlement. And a region that has been at war for 40 days does not stand down because two governments issued parallel social media posts.
The two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief Gen. Asim Munir is genuinely welcome. It stepped both sides back from a precipice with real humanitarian and strategic consequences. But Vice President JD Vance himself called it a "fragile truce." That is the most honest thing anyone in this administration has said about it. Hold that phrase.
What the Ceasefire Actually Says
Under the agreement, Iran has committed to allowing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week period, "with due consideration of technical limitations" — Iran’s qualifier, not ours. The United States and Israel have suspended bombing operations. President Donald Trump declared Iran’s 10-point proposal "a workable basis on which to negotiate," adding that "almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to." That claim requires scrutiny. Iran’s demands include lifting all sanctions, withdrawing U.S. combat forces from regional bases, war reparations, Iranian control of Hormuz transit at $2 million per vessel, and — critically — the right to nuclear enrichment. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council declared the ceasefire "an enduring defeat" for Washington. Trump called it a "total and complete victory." When both sides claim the same agreement as their triumph, what you have is a temporary suspension of hostilities while each side repositions.
The Fractures Are Already Showing
Israel is not bound by this ceasefire in Lebanon. Netanyahu’s office stated plainly that the deal does not cover the fighting there, directly contradicting Pakistan’s public claim that the ceasefire applied everywhere. Hezbollah has issued no statement. Iran-backed militias in Iraq declared a two-week operations suspension — but that declaration came from a group that follows its own timeline. Oil futures dropped 13% on the news. Markets are relieved. They should also be watchful. A single maritime incident, a proxy rocket or an intelligence miscalculation could collapse this arrangement before talks in Islamabad even open.
The Hidden Winners: Beijing and Moscow
While Washington and Tehran negotiate, two other capitals are quietly counting their gains. Russia and China have not been idle spectators in this conflict — they have been active participants, and the ceasefire does not change that calculation one degree.
Russia’s role has been documented in intelligence assessments reviewed by multiple major news organizations. Russian satellites conducted at least 24 surveillance surveys of 46 military and infrastructure sites across 11 Middle Eastern countries in the final 10 days of March alone — including U.S. bases at Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia, Al Udeid in Qatar and Diego Garcia. Within days of those surveys, Iran struck many of those same facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was 100% confident Russia was sharing that targeting data with Tehran. President Vladimir Putin’s stated goal, according to Zelenskyy: a "long war in the Middle East."
The financial incentive is equally clear. The Peterson Institute for International Economics calculates that Russia could pocket between $45 billion and $151 billion in additional budget revenues in 2026 from the oil price spike alone — revenues that flow directly into financing the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration’s temporary easing of sanctions on Russian oil, described as a market-stabilization measure, has compounded that windfall. Every dollar Moscow earns from Iran’s disruption of the strait buys another day of war against Kyiv.
China’s role is subtler, but equally calculated. Reports emerged after the ceasefire that Beijing had been working through intermediaries — including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt — to quietly encourage Iran toward negotiations. China welcomed the outcome publicly. That is the posture of a power that wanted the crisis to end on terms it helped shape, not the posture of a bystander. Intelligence reporting also indicates that China may have provided Iran with financial assistance, spare parts and access to its BeiDou navigation satellite system — which analysts say may explain the improved accuracy of Iranian missile targeting throughout the conflict.
Trump has repeatedly identified China as America’s most significant long-term security challenge. That assessment is correct. Which makes the strategic arithmetic of the past 40 days deeply troubling: every Patriot interceptor fired over Riyadh is one fewer available for Kyiv or Taiwan. Every week consumed by ceasefire negotiations in Islamabad is a week not spent shoring up the Indo-Pacific deterrence architecture Beijing is systematically probing. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy noted bluntly that Putin hopes "successive crises in Iran will continue distracting the United States from pressuring him about the Ukraine war." Both Moscow and Beijing understand something Washington must not forget: the enemy of your enemy is your strategic opportunity.
The Nuclear Question Is the Whole Ballgame
I have spent years arguing — in my 2024 book "Preparing for World War III: A Global Conflict That Redefines Tomorrow" — that Iran’s nuclear ambitions are the engine driving this conflict. A ceasefire that leaves that question unresolved has postponed the most dangerous phase, not solved it. Trump said Iran’s uranium would be "perfectly taken care of," but declined to confirm whether the deal permits enrichment. Iranian state outlets reported it does. The English-language version omitted that clause. That is not a translation problem. It is a substantive gap of the kind that generates wars when it resurfaces. The Pottery Barn rule of my former battalion commander, Colin Powell, applies to diplomacy as surely as it applies to war: "You break it, you own it." If we accept terms that paper over the nuclear question to secure a headline-friendly announcement, we own every consequence that follows when enrichment resumes. The mullahs played that game in 2015. Nothing in this framework suggests a different outcome.
The Bottom Line
Catastrophe avoided is not a small thing. But the underlying issues remain: Iran’s nuclear program, its proxy network, its regional ambitions, and Russia and China calculating every move to their advantage behind the scenes. The next two weeks will reveal whether both sides negotiated seriously — or whether each used the pause to reposition for the next confrontation. A fragile truce in a volatile region, with two great powers working the margins, is not an endpoint. It is a moment of decision. Use it wisely.
Biden ally tells Spanberger to exit ‘bunker’ as ex-gov renews debate push
A former top official in the Biden administration slammed Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger as wrongly following Joe Biden’s playbook, squandering "goodwill" and allowing the GOP to define her, demanding she "come out of her Biden bunker."
The swipe comes as former Gov. George Allen offered to debate her virtually on the subject of redistricting if timing was an issue in her original rejection, and Spanberger briskly avoided a Fox News Digital reporter who confronted the tight-lipped governor in Richmond this week.
Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s longtime top aide and spokesperson, slammed Spanberger on Tuesday, unfavorably comparing her to former President Joe Biden and calling a Washington Post poll showing her as the governor with the highest unfavorables dating back to Allen’s era "entirely self-inflicted and avoidable."
LaRosa called Spanberger’s fall from a landslide-winning candidate to a controversial chief executive "a classic, but all too familiar tale."
"[She] came in with a mandate and genuine goodwill, and within months, the GOP succeeded in branding her a wolf in sheep’s clothing," he said.
"Instead of confronting it, the governor defaulted to the old 1990s ‘don’t give it oxygen’ playbook prescribed for Biden throughout his four years: duck and cover."
Biden remained out of public view during some controversial points in his tenure, leading pundits to claim he was hiding or stowed away in a "bunker."
LaRosa added on X that ignoring "attacks, smears and misinformation" doesn’t make them disappear but instead creates a vacuum for Spanberger and allows her opponents to define her.
"What started as silly right-wing noise is now a mainstream narrative, and it’s reflected in her first report card. She needs to channel the badass, confrontational Abby Spanberger from that Nov[ember] 2020 caucus call — spicy, direct and pragmatic."
‘GIVE ME LIBERTY’ FOUNDING FATHER’S DESCENDANT BLASTS SPANBERGER’S REDISTRICTING PUSH
He suggested she hold regular pressers, get combative with reporters and accept interviews with mainstream media.
"She has to show and tell and climb out of the Biden bunker," LaRosa said, before borrowing a line President Donald Trump used toward African American voters unsure of whether to break with Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party orthodoxy in 2016:
"What the hell does she have to lose?"
Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did representatives for Biden.
After she declined Allen’s invitation to an in-person debate on the merits of the redistricting effort — what some call gerrymandering — being put in front of voters, the Republican said Monday he would re-up his offer with even more favorable terms for Spanberger.
"All of this is a bit confusing; it's unusual, and it helps the people to hear both sides of it," Allen said of the redistricting referendum while speaking with Rich Herrera on Richmond’s WRVA radio.
Allen, son of Washington Redskins icon George H. Allen, said Spanberger declined his invitation, citing her busy schedule and a pile of bills to review.
He told Herrera that he responded in a letter telling her he fully understands that experience and instead would like to debate virtually, but televised, for one hour, at a time and date and with a moderator of her choosing before the April 21 election.
The last time Democrats held this much power in Virginia, the "Byrd Organization," led by segregationist former Gov. Harry F. Byrd, maintained it for decades. The Post’s poll shows Spanberger similarly swept Republicans out of Richmond but has already lost much of her political capital just four months in.
Forty-six percent of Virginians disapproved of her job performance, while 47% approved, only four months into her term.
In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator — with a 78-20 rating.
Husband of American woman missing in the Bahamas speaks out for first time, says he is 'heartbroken'
HOPE TOWN, Bahamas —The husband of a missing American woman in the Bahamas has spoken out for the first time since she disappeared off a small boat, writing that he is "heartbroken."
Bahamian officials said Lynette Hooker, 55, and Brian Hooker, 58, left Hope Town's Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and went on a smaller boat, known as a dinghy, to travel to their yacht. Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, causing the engine to shut off. The current carried her away, according to Brian, who paddled back to a marina at Marsh Harbor. He reported Lynette missing at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Brian Hooker spoke out about his wife's disappearance for the first time on Wednesday.
"I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus," Brian Hooker said in a Facebook post.
"Our family is deeply grateful for the Bahamian people's assistance, especially that of the Hopetown Volunteer Fire & Rescue team, Royal Bahamas police force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and the US Coast Guard, who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us. Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time," he added.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Kirk Cousins declares the Raiders' uniforms the 'best jerseys in pro sports'
New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins made a major proclamation about which franchise had the best jerseys in the game.
Cousins, who played on a few teams with nifty threads, told the team’s website that it’s Las Vegas that has the best in all sports.
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"Best jerseys in pro sports I think," Cousins said. "I remember being in warm-ups once playing the Raiders and our head coach looked at me and said, 'Those have to be the best jerseys that they are in pro sports.' And I said, 'You know what, Coach, I have to agree. Those are really sharp.'"
Cousins probably wouldn’t want to ruffle the feathers of the franchise he just signed a long-term deal with. The two sides agreed on a five-year deal, reportedly worth $172 million. He will likely be seen as a mentor should the team decide to select Francisco Mendoza with the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft later this month.
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The veteran quarterback may believe the Raiders’ jerseys look "really sharp," but the Atlanta Falcons uniforms weren’t so bad either when he was playing in them.
GQ Magazine compiled a list of the 31 best uniforms since 2000. The Raiders’ jerseys were not among the ones on the list.
The outlet, in terms of NFL teams, gave the nod to the Philadelphia Eagles' alternate black jerseys, the Baltimore Ravens’ alternate black jerseys and the Los Angeles Chargers’ powder blue home jerseys.
The silver and black of the Raiders may be iconic for several reasons, but it’s clear there’s room for debate over which team has the best.
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Drew Barrymore breaks down in tears over 'wrecked' body: 'I don't want anyone to see this'
Drew Barrymore is not afraid to share her vulnerable side.
During a segment called "Scared to Wear" on the Monday episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," the actress and talk show host — who is mom to daughters Olive, 13, and Frankie, 11 — got emotional when talking about her body image struggles.
"The other day, I was walking down the street, and I’ve had two C-sections, and I’m so wrecked down there that I permanently just… I can’t wear a lot of different types of pants," she told one audience member who shared her own body insecurities.
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"But the other day I was walking around, and I had this shorter shirt on, and I couldn’t keep my jacket closed. And I was walking around like, ‘I don’t want anyone to see this,'" she added. "And I so get when you have kids, and you have a busy life, and your body changes, and you get older, and things just aren’t the same. I totally get it."
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During the segment, Barrymore, along with two fashion experts, encouraged two audience members to step out of their comfort zones when it comes to their individual styles.
"Listen, you know what my daughter does? She encourages me to dress differently. And a lot of the times I feel really good," said Barrymore. "I’ll never wear those pair of jeans again… We all can find something that fits us right."
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This isn't the first time Barrymore has been candid about her body struggles.
During a January episode of her talk show, the actress revealed that she was once told she was "too heavy" when she was 10 years old.
"I was 10 years old, and I just was told by everybody, ‘You don’t look how you did in 'E.T.' You’re too heavy. You’re not blonde enough. You’re not old enough. You’re too young. You’re not tall,’" she said. "And everybody just started getting involved in the way I looked."
"What I’m so relieved about now is that it’s four decades later, I’m 50… I do know what’s important now, and the look in my eyes is so clear."
Judge Boasberg weighs curbing Trump FTC demand for trans minors’ data after heated court clash
Lawyers for a coalition of medical groups on Tuesday urged a federal judge to block the Trump administration's effort to access data on transgender procedures for minors, arguing the FTC demand is unconstitutional and retaliatory.
The case marks a high-stakes legal clash over the Trump administration’s investigation into transgender treatments for minors, with the FTC arguing it is policing potential consumer harm while medical groups say the probe is politically motivated and unconstitutional.
At issue in the lawsuits, filed by the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, is the FTC's demand for information from the groups regarding "pediatric gender dysphoria treatment[s]" they provided, according to the FTC, and whether the organizations engaged in false advertising or unfair practices as part of the process.
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The FTC in January launched an investigation into the medical groups, and issued the Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, that prompted the lawsuit.
During back-to-back hearings Tuesday, lawyers for the medical groups urged U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the FTC's wide-ranging demand for information.
Plaintiffs argued the effort by the FTC was not a legitimate consumer protection effort, but rather a political effort to crack down on transgender procedures for minors and retaliate against the organizations for providing them.
"Unable to prevail in the marketplace of ideas, the FTC has resorted to burdening AAP with an intrusive and expensive investigation that is unconstitutional and outside the scope of the FTC’s statutory authority," lawyers for the pediatricians' group told the court.
Lawyers for the Trump administration sharply disputed that notion, however. They argued that the FTC has a mandate to ensure consumers are not misled — including in cases when medical procedures are provided to minors.
Boasberg used the hearing to grapple with concerns about the scope of the FTC's wide-ranging demand, broader constitutional concerns, as well as the administration's assertion that the court lacked reviewability to consider the matter entirely.
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Justice Department lawyer John Bailey said any concerns about the scope or limitations of the FTC action should play out via the typical "agency administrative agency process" recognized by the Supreme Court.
"So the answer is no, that I must quash it or let it proceed — that I have no power to narrow?" Boasberg asked, clarifying.
"My answer, respectfully, would be that you have to let this proceed within the typical agency administrative process," Bailey responded.
Boasberg ultimately adjourned court without ruling from the bench, though he indicated he would move quickly on the matter.
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The hearings come as Trump takes steps to limit gender transition procedures for minors in his second term.
Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order, "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation," which cut off federal support for transgender procedures for minors. Last year, the Health and Human Services Department proposed a new rule to strip federal Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide "sex‑rejecting procedures" for children under the age of 18.
Concerns over the regulations have prompted dozens of hospitals to shutter their transgender treatment programs in fear of losing federal funding.