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Tokyo theme park worker dies after being trapped inside ride mechanism during routine maintenance
An employee conducting routine maintenance at a Tokyo theme park reportedly died after becoming trapped for an extended period inside the mechanism of an attraction ride.
The incident occurred at Tokyo Dome City Attractions on the "Flying Balloon" ride on Tuesday, the company said.
"During routine maintenance work on the ride, one of our employees became trapped within the ride's gondola mechanism," the company said. "Following rescue operations, the employee was transported to a hospital, where their death was subsequently confirmed."
According to local media outlet NHK World Japan, the worker was identified by police as 24-year-old Kamimura Hina. It took roughly five hours for personnel to free her, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at a hospital.
"Flying Balloon" is reportedly a 12-seat ride where passengers sit in a circle around a central pillar. The seats rotate and rise along the structure to a height of roughly 30 feet.
During the operator’s monthly inspection, the seats were elevated, allowing Kamimura and five colleagues to access and inspect the ride’s mechanisms, according to the outlet.
The victim is believed to have been working on a stepladder when the raised seats suddenly fell, trapping her against the central pillar.
10 INJURED AFTER CARS ON GIANT PENDULUM RIDE BREAK APART MIDAIR, HORRIFYING VIDEO SHOWS
"We offer our deepest prayers for the repose of the deceased employee's soul, and we extend our profound condolences and apologies to their bereaved family," the companay said. "We also wish to offer our sincere apologies once again to all customers and stakeholders who have been inconvenienced and caused anxiety as a result of this accident.
The corporation said it is conducting a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident in coordination with relevant authorities, including police and the fire department.
Operations at all the attractions of the amusement park were immediately suspended until further notice, "as we dedicate our full efforts to thoroughly investigating the cause of this incident and implementing measures to prevent its recurrence," they added.
Appeals court rules 'Alligator Alcatraz' can stay open, rejecting push for federal environmental impact review
"Alligator Alcatraz," an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, can remain open, an appeals court ruled on Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge's order for the facility to wind down operations for failing to comply with federal environmental law.
In a 2-1 decision, the majority on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found the state-run facility was not under federal control and was not subject to federal law requiring an environmental impact review.
"Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility," the majority wrote. "They control the land and 'entirely' built the facility at state expense."
The legal dispute centers in part on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a federal law that requires agencies to assess environmental impacts before major actions.
GUARDS AT 'ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ' BEAT, PEPPER-SPRAYED DETAINEES, LAWYER SAYS
The court wrote that Florida had received no federal reimbursement when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ preliminary injunction ordering a gradual winding down of operations was issued last year. Williams had found that a federal reimbursement plan had effectively already been made.
The appeals court paused Williams' order just days after it was handed down in August, pending a hearing, which was held earlier this month.
In a dissent to the appeals court's latest ruling, Judge Nancy Abudu wrote that immigration is a federal responsibility and that the federal government cannot relinquish its authority just because Florida officials built an immigration detention center.
"The facility would not, and could not, have been built and used as an immigration detention center without the federal defendants’ request," Abudu said. "The evidence of federal control perhaps is most apparent when we acknowledge that immigration remains uniquely and exclusively within the federal government’s domain."
Two of the environmental groups that brought the lawsuit — Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity — said they would continue pursuing the case as it returns to Williams for further litigation.
"This fight is far from over," Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said in a statement. "Alligator Alcatraz was hastily erected in one of the most fragile ecosystems in the country without the most basic environmental review at immense human and ecological cost."
The facility is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site, an area surrounded by protected wetlands within the Everglades ecosystem, according to court filings.
Officials in the Sunshine State also built a second immigration detention center in northern Florida.
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Earlier this month, a lawyer for two migrants detained at "Alligator Alcatraz" said in a court declaration that guards severely beat and pepper-sprayed detainees, causing injuries to their heads, shoulders and wrists.
"The officers beat several people during this incident and broke another detained individual’s wrist," lawyer Katherine Blankenship wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: DHS honors angel families during National Crime Victims Week, calls crimes 'completely preventable'
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday recognized National Crime Victims Week by shining a light on those impacted by crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants and resources available to angel families.
After being shut down by the Biden administration, the Trump administration re-opened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office to prioritize American victims and their families.
Over the past year, the office has fielded nearly 900 calls seeking assistance, according to DHS.
The office restores critical support services, such as helping victims track immigration enforcement cases, providing automated ICE custody updates, and connecting families with local social services.
Of the incidents reported, DHS said 32% involved violent assault, 15% involved rape or sexual assault and 9% involved homicide or manslaughter.
"For too long in this country, victims of illegal alien crime have been ignored by the media and sanctuary politicians," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This National Crime Victims Week, Secretary Markwayne Mullin is honoring the victims of illegal alien crime."
TOM HOMAN VOWS ACTION AS CALIFORNIA SET TO RELEASE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO KILLED TWO TEENS
"DHS will never stop fighting for victims of illegal aliens and will ALWAYS put America first," she added. "Every crime committed by an illegal alien is completely preventable."
Some of the victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, who DHS is remembering this week, include:
In April 2025, Megan Bos’ body was found partially decomposed in a garbage can in Waukegan, Illinois.
Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is charged with abuse of a corpse, two counts of concealing the death of a person and obstructing justice in connection with her death.
Despite the charges, DHS said he was released under sanctuary Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. On July 19, 2025, he was arrested by ICE officers in Chicago.
Joshua Wilkerson, 18, was killed by his classmate Hermilo Moralez, an illegal immigrant from Belize, on Nov. 16, 2010, according to DHS.
After his disappearance, Wilkerson’s body was found dumped in the woods, severely beaten and burned.
Less than five months before killing Wilkerson, DHS said Moralez was arrested for harassing his ex-girlfriend.
Dalilah Coleman was seriously injured after illegal immigrant Partap Singh allegedly caused a car crash while driving recklessly behind the wheel of a semi-truck.
The 5-year-old was in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment, according to DHS. Now 7 years old, she will need life-long therapy.
Singh first entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, but was released by the Biden administration, officials said. Despite his immigration history, he was also granted a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in California.
Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old Ohio University student, was killed on Jan. 19, 2025, in a car crash in Urbana, Illinois.
A drunk driver, later identified as Julio Cucul-Bol, rear-ended the vehicle she was riding in at high speed and then fled the scene. Abraham's friend Chloe Polzin was also killed in the crash.
Cucul-Bol pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated Driving Under Intoxication (DUI) resulting in death and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to DHS.
Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin, both 19 years old, were hit and killed on Nov. 19, 2021, by an illegal immigrant, Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, while he was driving impaired and speeding at nearly 100 mph on the 405 freeway near Los Angeles.
Ortega-Anguiano, has a lengthy track record that includes multiple felonies and convictions for driving without a license, according to DHS. Despite being deported, he re-entered the country illegally twice.
He was sentenced to serve two 10-year sentences, to be served concurrently. However, local outlet KABC reported last year he was set to be released from the blue state after serving only three-and-a-half years.
On Aug. 24, 2003, Lacy Marie Ferguson and her boyfriend were caught in the crossfire of a shootout between multiple illegal immigrants, according to DHS.
Ferguson was killed and her boyfriend, along with a third person, were wounded, officials said. She left behind her 3-year-old daughter.
In 2016, the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office announced the arrest of David Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, for Lacy’s murder, according to DHS. He was convicted the following year.
Chrishia Odette was killed by an unlicensed illegal immigrant on Sept. 12, 2014, after being hit by a car while crossing the street on the way to a slumber party at a friend’s house, according to DHS.
The driver of the car, Ramiro Guevara, was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who spent less than 35 minutes behind bars before posting a cash bond, officials said.
Guevara had been encountered twice before in 1994 and 2004 by Customs and Border Protection, before being returned to Mexico both times.
On Dec. 17, 2018, Rocky Paul Jones, 51, of Visalia, California, was shot and killed at a gas station during a 24-hour shooting and crime spree perpetuated by Gustavo Garcia, an illegal immigrant, DHS said.
In addition to killing Jones, DHS said Garcia shot a farm worker in the chest while he was on a ladder picking fruit, followed a woman to her car and attempted to shoot and kill her, fired multiple gunshots at his ex-girlfriend’s home and robbed a gas station.
Garcia was previously deported from the U.S. in 2014 by ICE after being charged with crimes including illegal possession of a firearm, according to DHS.
Hailey King, 18, was hit and killed on Nov. 7, 2016, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, by illegal immigrant Sergio Rodriguez.
Instead of stopping to help, he fled the scene, according to DHS. She left behind a 2-year-old daughter.
Rodriguez also struck Osmin Gutierrez, rendering him a double amputee. Gutierrez died from his injuries in 2021 at 25 years old.
Officials said Rodriguez pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and has twice been denied parole, with the most recent denial being in 2022.
Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old cheerleader at Edna High School in Texas, was found dead in a bathtub by her mother at their family home on Dec. 5, 2023, after she was stabbed to death by Rafael Govea Romero, an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
Romero, who had been placed on an ICE detainer because of an expired visa, pleaded guilty to the killing and received two concurrent life sentences, according to DHS and local reports.
Of the total number of illegal immigrants arrested by ICE, DHS claims nearly 70% have committed a crime or been charged with a crime in the U.S.
DHS said it is "protecting American communities every day from another senseless tragedy like these taking place in another town, to another family."
Victims of illegal immigrant crime can receive support from the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by contacting 855-488-6423.
Josh Allen annihilates a beer to fire up the Sabres crowd
We all knew things would get wild in Buffalo with the Sabres making their first postseason appearance since Barack Obama's first term, and they brought in the big guns for Game 2 against the Boston Bruins.
Did anyone order up Josh Allen downing a brewski for the boys?
Because that's what you're getting.
The Sabres and their fans are riding high after coming into the playoffs as the top seed in the Atlantic Division. Then, in Game 1, they pulled off a come-from-behind over the Bruins.
HOCKEY ANNOUNCER CONFRONTED BY RAUCOUS FAN, HIT WITH CHAIR DURING LIVE BROADCAST
So, to get the second game started on the right foot, the team recruited the Buffalo Bills' signal caller to come out and fire everyone up by banging on a big, team-branded drum.
But he had one more move up his sleeve: a frosty cold one.
Now that's how you do it.
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Also, how about that "goathead" sweater? I'm honestly stunned they didn't wear those. Especially since we've seen two other teams — Dallas and Pittsburgh — bust out alternates for their first home games this postseason.
Those sweaters have so much mojo, as shown by Allen just demolishing what looked to be a Corona.
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He showed some stellar form, and I think it's safe to say that if he wasn't busy on most Sundays in the fall, he'd be one of the lunatics diving through folding tables or squirting that one guy with ketchup and mustard.
Allen fits in nicely in Buffalo, which is just going wild right now. Part of me wants to say it's a shame that they've gone playoff-less as long as they have, but I feel like it takes 15 years of regular seasons ending in mid-April to make people behave like this:
You love to see it.
This series they're in with Boston is going to be a tight one, but I'm not going to lie: I wouldn't mind seeing what happens if the Sabres make it to the next round.
Acting AG Todd Blanche says SPLC fraud indictment is not politically motivated, calls conduct 'egregious'
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said a federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was not politically motivated during an appearance Tuesday on "The Ingraham Angle."
The Alabama-based civil rights group was federally indicted Tuesday on fraud charges and is accused of funneling millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
"That indictment is free for everybody to read, and if the takeaway is that that's political, I mean, I think the opposite is true," Blanche told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
Blanche described the SPLC's alleged conduct as "extraordinarily egregious," saying the group paid $3 million to people associated with the United Klans of America and other extremist organizations from 2014 to 2023.
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER SAYS IT'S UNDER DOJ INVESTIGATION
The group faces charges including wire fraud, false statements to a bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The SPLC, which uses litigation to fight White supremacy and dismantle extremist groups, performed counter to its mission, Blanche said.
"The very entities that this group was raising money to go against are the very entities that they were taking the money in and paying to these entities and these individuals associated with those groups," the attorney general told Ingraham.
Blanche claimed SPLC-funded informants helped initiate the deadly Ku Klux Klan rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
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"What we allege in the indictment and what the grand jury found is that one of the individuals that they paid was one of the folks who helped organize that terrible event," the acting attorney general said.
"They were part of it."
Blanche also said the SPLC did not alert law enforcement about its funding of informants in the extremist organizations.
The SPLC pushed back on the indictment, defending what its interim CEO Bryan Fair described as "prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups."
"There's no information that we have that suggests that the money that they were paying to these informants and these members of these organizations, they then turned around and shared what they learned with law enforcement," Blanche said.
In a video responding to the indictment, Fair said his civil rights group was "targeted" by the Trump administration and expressed outrage over the "false allegations" from the Justice Department.
"The actions by the DOJ will not shake our resolve to fight for justice and ensure the promise of the Civil Rights movement becomes a reality for all," Fair said.
Fair also said the organization "will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff and our work," according to The Associated Press.
Blanche said the investigation remains ongoing and said if allegations are proven to be true, the case is "very troubling."
"It shakes the heart of our democracy to understand what happened," he said.
DOJ arrests man accused of providing gun used by father who allegedly killed eight children
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday the arrest of a 56-year-old Shreveport resident in connection with the horrific mass shooting that unfolded in Louisiana over the weekend.
Charles Ford, a convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms, is accused of possessing the rifle that was ultimately used by a father to kill eight children, according to authorities who traced the weapon.
The domestic violence attack unfolded Sunday when a 31-year-old man, identified as Shamar Elkins, allegedly obtained the weapon and opened fire in a multi-scene domestic rampage before being fatally shot by police in Shreveport. Seven of the eight victims, ranging in age from 1 to 14, were identified as his own children.
In addition to illegal firearm possession, Ford is also accused of lying to law enforcement about the weapon, prosecutors said.
"Holding people accountable does not stop with the person who pulled the trigger but also includes those who give access to and proliferate firearms that are later used in violent crime," ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said.
The DOJ released a photo of the rifle used in the mass shooting, adding that the ATF and the Shreveport Police Department both conducted a firearms trace on it.
Ford was later identified as the original purchaser of the firearm and is accused of giving it to Elkins, authorities said.
When confronted by law enforcement, Ford initially lied to ATF agents about possessing the firearm, claiming he never had it.
He later admitted to the possession, stating that he kept it under a seat and believed Elkins took it, according to authorities.
Ford faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the felon-in-possession charge and up to five years on a false statement charge.
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United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller said the department hopes to hold accountable the person who gave Elkins access to the firearm.
"Elkins’ death means that our community will never see him face justice. Our hope, as we continue to investigate and prosecute this case alongside our law enforcement partners, is that holding the person whose gun Elkins used to perpetrate the crime accountable will give some small bit of solace to our Shreveport community," Keller said.
"Our law enforcement partners are investigating every angle of how this tragedy came to occur, and this case arises from that investigation—in particular, how Elkins secured a firearm that he used to execute his own children," he added.
An Army official told Fox News Digital that Elkins previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard.
He reportedly shot several people in addition to the eight deceased victims during the attack, including the mother of his children, who is expected to survive.
Separately, another woman suffered life-threatening injuries, while a teenage victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the shootings, investigators said Elkins fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle and led officers on a police chase.
The incident ended in Bossier City, where Elkins was shot and killed by police.
Sunday’s shooting marks one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in recent years.
Kash Patel clashes with NBC reporter over 'baseless' Atlantic story allegations at news conference
FBI Director Kash Patel got into a heated exchange with NBC News reporter Ryan Reilly Tuesday over his $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic for what he claims is a fraudulent story.
During a news conference with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patel was asked to comment on the story by The Atlantic, including security concerns over his alleged excessive drinking and frequent absences.
Patel denied he's ever been intoxicated on the job and was about to leave the podium when Reilly asked Patel to clarify the claim he believed he was fired by President Donald Trump after being temporarily unable to log in to the FBI's internal computer systems.
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL VOWS TO TAKE THE ATLANTIC TO COURT OVER 'DEFAMATORY' REPORT
"Let's have a survey. How many of you people believe that’s true?" Patel responded.
Reilly continued to ask the question, which led Patel to launch into a tirade against the article's "baseless" reporting.
"The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said. It never happened, and I will serve in this administration as long as the president and the attorney general want me to do so," Patel said.
"And every time you guys report false lies, every time you guys raise baseless questions when we are here to talk about the Southern Poverty Law Center’s $3 million decade-long scheme to fraudulently fleece Americans, you are off-topic."
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TELLS MEDIA 'BRING IT ON' IN STERN MESSAGE AFTER BEING SWORN INTO OFFICE
Reilly insisted it was a "straight-forward" question, leading the two to begin talking over each other.
"The simple answer to your question is you are lying," Patel insisted.
Patel went on to say he was "never locked out" of the FBI's systems, though Reilly remarked that his defamation lawsuit suggested otherwise. Blanche eventually stepped in to cut Reilly off.
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL SENDS MEMO CALLING CNN REPORT OF ATF CUTS 'ENTIRELY FALSE'
"Stop, you’re being extraordinarily rude, and I know maybe that’s part of your profession, but please just stop. If you ask a question, he can answer it. And now you're interrupting me. Just a little bit of respect, man, just a tiny little bit. Try it some time," Blanche said before answering another question.
The Atlantic published a piece on Friday, headlined, "The FBI Director Is MIA," which cited multiple anonymous sources telling the outlet that the FBI director had an "emotional outburst" related to difficulty logging into a computer system, has had "bouts of excessive drinking" and been absent enough to prompt security concerns.
Patel disputed the allegations and struck back by filing a lawsuit against the news organization on Monday.
The Atlantic has called the lawsuit meritless and said it will fight back.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and NBC News for comment.
Which teams have the toughest strength of schedule heading into college football season?
It's hard to believe, but we're just a few months away from the ramp up to the 2026 college football regular season.
We've already seen some early, analytics-driven rankings be released, which showcased one obvious point: there are two conferences dominating the sport. The Big Ten Conference, at least based on last year's performances, recruiting rankings, and returning talent, is expected to have three of the five best teams.
Meanwhile, the SEC will once again show off its quality depth. Seven of the top 15 teams are expected to come from the SEC, though with just one in the top five.
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As in most years, the 2025-2026 season was dominated by debate and discussion around strength of schedule. Particularly with two Group of Five teams reaching the College Football Playoff, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish getting left out of the playoff in favor of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Those debates are only going to increase this upcoming season, as the playoff field remains locked at 12. And perhaps more importantly, scheduling philosophies changing rapidly as programs optimize for reaching the postseason.
Well, we already have a new ranking of the ten hardest schedules in the upcoming season, and, spoiler alert, it's those same two conferences yet again.
Bill Connelly, the creator of the SP+ analytics-based ranking system housed at ESPN, posted on X this week about the current toughest schedules in the country, based on the projected top teams in SP+. And the SEC dominates the list, with a few Big Ten teams slotting into the middle.
Per Connelly, the Texas Longhorns are projected to have the toughest schedule in the country, and looking at it, you can see why. They host Ohio State, who's expected to be the best team in college football. They play at Tennessee, have their traditional rivalry game against Oklahoma, host Florida and Ole Miss, go on the road at Missouri and LSU, host Arkansas, then finish out with another rivalry game at Texas A&M. There's only one likely top 5 team, but few off weeks facing lower quality opponents.
Speaking of Ohio State, they're the top ranked Big Ten team, coming in at #4, with a bunch of tough games on tap for 2026. On the road at Texas, home for Illinois, at Iowa, at defending national champion Indiana, at USC, home for Oregon, at Nebraska, and home for Michigan. Two top five teams, and plenty more likely top 20 or 25 caliber teams.
Here's the full list:
So seven of the top 10 are from the SEC, with the remaining three coming from the Big Ten. No surprise there. But the fact that there is so little surprise, and the strength of both conferences, makes it obvious why there will continue to be schedule-related arguments between the Power Four moving forward.
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The SEC, and the Big Ten too, will have reasonable arguments to make that they deserve more spots in the playoff because of the difficulty in getting through each conference. And they'll surely have plenty to say about Notre Dame's arrangement with the playoff too.
The Irish are now guaranteed a spot in the field if they finish in the top 12. Their schedule in 2026 indicates they are well aware of it.
Compare that to Texas or Ohio State, and you see where there's going to be some disagreement. Expanding the playoff to 16 teams, for example, would allow for more playoff spots and take some of the disadvantages of tough schedules away from those conferences. For now though, it's going to be a tough road ahead for many SEC teams, and plenty of Big Ten teams too.
Democrats win Virginia redistricting fight, threatening Republican House majority
Democrats scored a major victory Tuesday when Virginia voters narrowly passed a congressional redistricting referendum that could give the party a significant boost in the battle for the U.S. House of Representatives majority in this year's midterm elections, The Associated Press reported at 8:49 p.m. ET.
The ballot measure gives the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature — rather than the state's current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia's congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.
The referendum, which follows President Donald Trump's push for rare but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting in Republican-led states, would give the Democrats four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms as the party tries to win back control of the chamber from the GOP, which currently holds a razor-thin majority.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who in many ways became the face of her party's push to pass the ballot initiative, said in a statement that "Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress."
"Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box," the governor said.
DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB
And Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin emphasized that "Virginians refused to let Trump play games with Americans’ right to fair representation."
But Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that "Virginia Democrats can’t redraw reality. This close margin reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn’t be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander. That’s exactly why the courts, who have already ruled twice to block this egregious power grab, should uphold Virginia law."
And Hudson predicted, "Even under this map, Republicans will hold our majority based on our record cleaning up Democrats’ mess and a historic war chest to litigate the Democrats’ failures."
Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeff Ryer said in a statement, "I know we are disappointed by tonight’s result. Evidently, a sufficient number of Virginians trusted the blatantly dishonest language the Democrats placed on the ballot to make our Commonwealth the most severely gerrymandered state in the nation."
The standalone spring referendum capped months of political crossfire and court battles, sky-high early voting turnout and tons of national attention and money poured into the ballot box showdown.
Even though a majority of voters gave the ballot initiative a thumbs-up, it still faces legal challenges.
The Supreme Court of Virginia allowed the referendum to move forward after a lower court struck it down. But legal challenges to the referendum, filed in part by the Republican National Committee, the NRCC and the state GOP, remain unresolved and are still before Virginia's highest court.
Republicans had railed against the Democrat-backed referendum.
"It's the most partisan map in America," former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin told supporters at his final campaign stop in northern Virginia on the eve of the election.
Pointing to the Democrats pushing new maps, Youngkin charged, "What they are doing is immoral."
Teaming up with Youngkin to crisscross the state in leading the GOP opposition to the ballot initiative was former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who told the crowd the Democrats' map is one that "you draw when you’re drunk with power."
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Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of their final election eve rally, Miyares charged that "Democrats want to take away the voices of millions of Virginians and gerrymander the state."
Youngkin, pointing to the duo's relentless campaigning in recent weeks, said, "What we’re hearing over and over and over again is Virginians want fair maps. And what the yes vote represents are unfair maps."
And the two Republicans reiterated their charge that the referendum was an "unconstitutional power grab" by Spanberger and the Democrats who control the state legislature.
As Youngkin and Miyares spoke in Leesburg, Trump took to the airwaves on a popular Virginia-based conservative talk show and later teamed up with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to urge voters to defeat the referendum.
Pointing to congressional Democrats, Trump warned that "if they get these additional seats, they're going to be making changes at the federal level."
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Democrats countered that the redrawing of the maps was a necessary step to balance partisan gerrymandering already implemented by Republicans in other states at Trump's urging.
"By voting yes, you have the chance to do something important — not just for the commonwealth, but for our entire country," former President Barack Obama said in a video released Friday on the eve of the final day of early voting. "By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms.
"By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we're counting on you."
The video by Obama was the former president's latest effort for the referendum. He had previously appeared in ads released by Virginians for Fair Elections, the Democrat-aligned group working to pass the ballot initiative.
OBAMA GOES ALL IN ON HIGH-STAKES REFERENDUM THAT MAY IMPACT MIDTERM ELECTIONS
But Virginians for Fair Maps, the leading Republican-aligned group opposing redistricting, used past comments by Obama against political gerrymandering in its ads opposing the referendum.
"Because of things like political gerrymandering, our parties have moved further and further apart, and it’s harder and harder to find common ground," the former president said in an old clip showcased in the spot.
Republicans pointed to comments from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, who acknowledged over the weekend in a "Fox News Sunday" interview that the new maps don't represent Virginia's partisan breakdown.
"Ninety percent of Virginians are not Democrats, that's true," Kaine said.
But Kaine added that "about 100% of Virginians want election results to be respected."
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And Republicans took aim at Spanberger, who won November's gubernatorial election by over 15 points as Democrats also captured the lieutenant governor and attorney general offices.
"Abigail Spanberger told everybody last summer that she had no interest in redistricting, and then the first bill she signs is a bill to enable the gerrymandering of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians don’t like this and that’s why independents and a lot of Democrats are voting no too," Youngkin told Fox News Digital.
Minutes later, Youngkin told the crowd that Spanberger is "trying to disenfranchise millions, millions of Virginians."
Republicans trained their redistricting firepower on Spanberger since a poll two weeks ago by The Washington Post indicated that the new governor's approval rating was barely above water, with the highest unfavorable rating for a new Virginia governor in two decades.
"She's an unpopular governor with an unpopular agenda, and she lied to the voters," Miyares charged.
And Miyares and other top Republicans accused Spanberger of pulling a "bait and switch."
Spanberger, in an ad in support of the referendum, said she was backing the measure because "it's directly in response to what other states decide to do and a president who says he's quote entitled to more Republican seats before this year's midterms. Our approach is different. It's temporary. It preserves Virginia's fair redistricting process into the future."
Supporters of redistricting dramatically outraised and outspent groups opposed to the referendum, with Virginians for Fair Elections outraising Virginians for Fair Maps by a roughly three-to-one margin. Much of the funding raised by both sides came from so-called "dark money" from nonprofit public policy groups known as 501(c)(4) organizations that are not required to disclose their donors.
Despite the Democrats' funding advantage, recent polling suggested support for the ballot initiative was only slightly ahead of opposition amid a surge in early voting, which ended on Saturday.
"They have outspent us three to one. They’ve raised over $70 million. And yet this is a close vote," Youngkin said.
Pointing to the ads in support of the referendum, Youngkin said Virginians "aren’t believing the mistruths. They aren’t believing the lies on TV. They’re actually doing the work themselves and understanding that a no vote is for fair maps and a yes vote is for the most gerrymandered maps in America."
And Miyares emphasized that Democrats "outspent us, but we have the truth."
Virginia is the latest battleground in the high-stakes fight between Trump and the GOP and Democrats over congressional redistricting.
Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.
The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP's fragile House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, "Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five."
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.
But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.
Among those leading the fight against Trump's redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
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California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state's nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.
That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.
The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.
Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president's push.
In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state's GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.
Republicans in Indiana's Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention.
Florida is next up.
Two-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers in the GOP-dominated legislature are hoping to pick up an additional three to five right-leaning seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session that kicks off April 28.
Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case that may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.
If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.
But it is very much up in the air when the court will rule and what it will actually decide.
Penguins' Erik Karlsson says the team is ready to 'get out of Pittsburgh' for Game 3 against Flyers
The Pittsburgh Penguins are not in a situation they were probably expecting when the playoffs got underway. They're down 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers after a pair of games in their own barn.
But that's the reality after the team was shut out on Monday night in Game 2.
The Penguins are now dealing with the prospect of entering an always-hostile (especially toward them) Xfinity Mobile Arena for Wednesday's Game 3 in Philadelphia, but maybe that's what they need.
Veteran blueliner Erik Karlsson seems to think so.
"Everybody in (the locker room) is looking forward to getting out of Pittsburgh for a little bit," Karlsson said with a smile. "And go to Philly and hopefully, the hostile environment can make us just focus on playing (in the) situation we're in and not on what's going on around us."
Now that's a veteran mindset... but much easier said than done when you're not down on Broad Street in South Philadelphia.
That said, anything would be better than what they got in the first two games, where they were thoroughly outplayed across the board in the first, and had a tough time generating solid offense in the second.
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I think that change of scenery is going to do the Penguins some good, and they've got no problems playing on the road. This season, they were ever so slightly — one game — better on the road than they were at PPG Paints Center.
The same is true for the Flyers. It's a series of road dogs!
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However, any way you look at this one, all of the pressure is on the Penguins.
The Flyers (and as a lifelong Flyers fan, it feels weird to say what I'm about to say) have the edge in net, so the Penguins need to find some offense in a hurry.
They were one of the highest-scoring teams in the league this season, but the Flyers have limited them to just two goals through two games.
Maybe they'll find a little offensive mojo by feeding off what is sure to be a wild environment in Philly.