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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor in November, called transgender bathroom policy “nonsense” outside a Fairfax County Public Schools board meeting on Thursday.

Fairfax, much like neighboring Loudoun, has been embroiled in disputes over administrators’ handling of complaints about transgender students sharing locker rooms.

“Look at all of our wonderful parents who are saying that ‘we’re not for nonsense’,” Earle-Sears said outside the board meeting with a cheering crowd behind her.

Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) policy, as described on its website, requires speakers to be Fairfax County or Fairfax city residents or out-of-county residents with FCPS students in the household. Earle-Sears does not live in Fairfax, which is a Washington, D.C. suburb.

BOYS SUSPENDED IN TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM CONTROVERSY SPARK GOP BACKLASH IN VIRGINIA

Earlier this month, FCPS faced criticism over a male student with facial hair being allowed to use the girls’ room at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia. The boy allegedly would also “stand there and watch [the girls],” according to a civil rights complaint reported by the New York Post.

FCPS staff on Monday addressed the situation by shortening the time girls could use the locker room to allow the boy to use it “without them being in their presence,” according to the Post.

Earle-Sears said that politicians may say they agree with her on the issue, but that not enough show it.

“Because, if you love me, you will make sure that my girl children are safe in the locker rooms and not having to undress in front of men,” she said.

VIRGINIA LEADERS REBUKE RACIST SIGN TARGETING GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WINSOME EARLE-SEARS: ‘REPULSIVE’

“And we have our boys who want to maintain their own respect and dignity. They, too, do not want to have to be forced to undress in locker rooms with transgendered males.”

Earle-Sears called Title IX – which critics of such restroom policies say they violate – is what gives young girls a “launch pad” when it comes to women’s rights.

She also urged reporters to press her opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., to spell out her position, arguing that the Democrat backed “unsafe measures” that force girls “to change in front of men nude” and vote accordingly.

ELON MUSK WADES INTO VIRGINIA TRANSGENDER BATHROOM CLASH, SAYS DEM GOV CANDIDATE WRONGLY ‘BLAMING’ TRUMP

“You have allowed her to get away with a word salad where she says a whole bunch of nothing and nobody understands,” Earle-Sears said, noting that Spanberger voted against the Parents Bill of Rights in Congress in 2023.

Earle-Sears said the bill also would have required parents to be notified if their child expressed a desire to transition or was in the process of doing so.

“[The bill] also said, if my child is transitioning, and you’re helping, I need to know that. It also says if violence is happening in the schools, I need to know that as a parent it says so many other things.”

All Democrats and five Republicans voted against the bill, which passed the House but not the Senate.

Asked about her current view on transgender bathroom and sports policies, Spanberger said she wants to see legislation that would allow for individualization for each student affected based on age, type of sport and competitiveness.

“I’m the mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, and they participate in all activities across the board. I recognize the concern that families and community members might have about the safety of their own kids, about competitiveness, about fairness,” she told reporters in Roanoke.

“And I think the process that was in place for 10 years was one that was working. It was one that took individual circumstances and individual communities into account, and I think that is the process that Virginia should continue to utilize,” she said, according to Roanoke’s ABC affiliate.

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In turn, Spanberger criticized Earle-Sears and said Virginia was last in the nation in math recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while she was lieutenant governor.

“While I recognize all issues are important to all Virginians, I find it questionable that my opponent isn’t talking about the issue that I know is number one that everywhere I go people are talking about,” Spanberger said.

The bitter ballot box battle in New Jersey, one of only two races for governor this year in the entire country, is in turmoil on Friday after a bombshell report Thursday revealed that the United States Naval Academy blocked Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, from walking with her graduating class amid a 1994 cheating scandal.

The report revealed a federal agency admitted it wrongly gave much of Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s private military records to an ally of GOP rival Jack Ciattarelli.

Top House Democrats in Washington are calling for an investigation amid accusations President Donald Trump’s administration may be targeting political opponents.

But Ciattarelli and his campaign are raising questions about Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who went on to pilot helicopters in combat during her military career, after the documents released revealed that she was barred from walking with her classmates during her 1994 graduation for failing to report those who had cheated on an exam.

TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER THIS CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR

And Ciattarelli is calling on Sherrill to release her records to prove why she was blocked from attending her graduation ceremony.

“What we learned today is that she was part of it in some way, shape or form. Come clean, release the records. Tell us what’s in your disciplinary records. I think the people of New Jersey deserve that,” Ciattarelli said Thursday night in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

The accusations from both sides come as the latest public opinion polls indicate a very close contest in blue-leaning New Jersey in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

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“To have a guy I’m running against who will stop at nothing to illegally obtain records, it’s beyond the pale,” Sherrill charged Thursday night on the campaign trail in Plainfield, New Jersey.

The controversy went viral after CBS News reported Thursday that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information including her social security number.

The National Archives, in a letter this week, apologized to Sherrill, saying the improper release was due to a government worker’s error over a legal records request.

Following the breach of the records, Sherrill’s campaign sent cease and desist letters to the National Archives and to Ciattarelli’s campaign, as well as to Ciattarelli’s top strategist, Chris Russell and Nicholas De Gregorio, who is described by Sherrill’s team as “an agent of the campaign working at the direction of” Russell.

CBS News reported that Sherrill’s military records were released to De Gregorio.

“The Trump administration blatantly violated federal law by releasing Mikie Sherrill’s unredacted personal military records to an agent of the Ciattarelli campaign — which were then distributed and weaponized by Jack Ciattarelli,” Sherrill campaign communications director Sean Higgins charged in a statement.

FROM KIRK TO KIMMEL – FIERY FIRST DEBATE BETWEEN CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL

Sherrill’s campaign argued, “This is a breathtaking, disturbing leak that must be thoroughly investigated. Once again, the Trump administration is targeting political opponents with an absolute disregard for the law, this time in concert with the Ciattarelli campaign.”

Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, said he would “support a criminal investigation into the unauthorized and illegal release of Mikie Sherrill’s records.” 

The ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, as well as Sherrill’s fellow House Democrats from New Jersey’s congressional delegation, also called for an investigation.

House Republicans two years ago launched investigations into similar improper releases of military records of GOP House members, including Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Zach Nunn of Iowa.

Around the same time the CBS News report was posted, the New Jersey Globe went up with a story focusing on Sherrill being barred from walking with her class at the Naval Academy graduation amid the cheating scandal, which made major headlines three decades ago and spurred a congressional investigation.

Cittarrelli campaign manager Eric Alpert charged that the “admission by Congresswoman Sherrill that she was implicated in, and punished for, her involvement in the largest cheating and honor code scandal in the history of the United States Navy is both stunning and deeply disturbing.”

“For eight years, Mikie Sherrill has built her entire political brand around her time at the Naval Academy and in the Navy, all the while concealing her involvement in the scandal and her punishment. The people of New Jersey deserve complete and total transparency,” he added.

Sherrill, who was never accused of cheating in the scandal, said Thursday night that “there was a test at the school that was stolen…I did not realize it was stolen. I took the test.”

“Afterwards I knew what the rumor mill was,” she added. “I didn’t come forward with that information.”

New Jersey is just one of two states, along with Virginia, that hold statewide elections for governor this November. And the contests, which traditionally grab outsized national attention, are viewed as crucial early tests of the president’s popularity and agenda, and key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm showdowns for the House and Senate.

Sherrill, on the campaign trail, has repeatedly linked Ciattarelli to Trump.

“As Trump has inflicted all this damage on our country, Republican politicians like Jack Ciattarelli have cheered him on every step of the way,” Sherrill emphasized in a recent fundraising email to supporters.

And on Sunday, at the first debate between the gubernatorial nominees, Sherrill pointed to Ciattarelli and charged that “he’ll do whatever Trump tells him to do.” 

Ciattarelli, who enjoys the president’s support, says Sherrill is trying to use Trump as a cudgel.

“Listen, if you get a flat tire on the way home from work today, she’s going to blame it on the president. There isn’t anything she doesn’t blame on the president,” Ciattarelli argued, as he sat earlier this week for an interview with Fox News Digital.

Ciattarelli, who is making his third straight run for governor and who came close to upsetting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, discounted talk that Trump is the dominant issue in the race.

“We’ve got a property tax crisis in the state. The president doesn’t have anything to do with that. We’ve got a public safety crisis in the state. Nonviolent crime is through the roof. He doesn’t have anything to do with that. We’ve got a public education crisis, an overdevelopment crisis. Look at your monthly electric bill. The President doesn’t have anything to do with those things,” Ciattarelli insisted.

And Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics, charged that the Democrats are to blame, as he works overtime trying to link Sherrill to Murphy, who’s term-limited, and the Democrats who’ve long controlled the state legislature in Trenton.

While New Jersey has long been a blue state in presidential elections, Trump improved from a 16-point loss in the state in the 2020 election to a 6-point deficit last November.

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Sherrill, who served as a federal prosecutor before first winning election to Congress in 2018, has been shining a campaign spotlight on affordability, as inflation concerns persist.

“I am laser-focused on driving down costs for families like yours. I’m going to declare a state of emergency on day one, freezing your rate hikes. I’m going to demand transparency and accountability from our government to save you time and money,” she said at the start of the first debate.

FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of conservative energy and environmental groups are calling on leaders within the Trump administration to snub the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil as President Donald Trump rails against climate change as the “greatest con job ever.”

“As President Trump rightly moves our nation away from climate alarmism, there is nothing to be gained from participating in an anti-American international effort that is designed to cripple the U.S. energy system and economy, compromise our national security, and steal from U.S. taxpayers under the guise of climate aid and/or reparations,” a group of seven conservative energy and environment groups wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital Friday. 

The U.N. Climate Change Conference is a yearly event that brings together leaders worldwide to map out and negotiate measures to limit climate change. The conference will be held in Brazil for 2025, running from Nov. 10 through Nov. 21. 

The letter was addressed to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Signatories of the letter included the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, American Energy Institute, Heartland Institute, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), Truth in Energy and Climate, CO2 Coalition and American Lands Council.

UN COURT RULES WEALTHY NATIONS PAY UP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DAMAGES IN CONTROVERSIAL GLOBAL RULING

“It’s time America walked away from the U.N.’s endless climate conferences, which have never improved the environment but have impoverished billions while enriching China,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told Fox News Digital of the letter. “By refusing to send a delegation to COP-30, the administration can send a clear message: America will no longer be a victim of the global climate hoax.” 

The letter to the trio of Trump administration leaders outlined that the U.S. has participated in the conference since its inaugural launch in 1995, but that the meetings and negotiations “have accomplished nothing for the environment.” 

“They have only wasted taxpayer money and squandered federal resources while: (1) harming the U.S. by motivating trillion-dollar Green New Scam policies and spending: (2) wantonly destroying the U.S. coal industry; (3) dramatically increasing higher energy prices and causing inflation; (4) compromising the U.S. electricity grid; and (5) making our energy system dependent on technology from Communist China. UN climate activities and treaties (both Kyoto in 1997 and Paris in 2015) caused Europe’s dependency on Russia for energy and financed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine,” the letter continued. 

GREEN ENERGY ZEALOTS HAND AMERICA’S ENEMIES THE ULTIMATE WEAPON

Heartland Institute President James Taylor said the upcoming climate conference would only “illustrate the hypocrisy of the self-appointed ruling class,” while they “saturate the atmosphere with CO2” with their travels. 

“The annual UN climate talks exist solely to saturate the atmosphere with CO2 from people congregating from all around the globe, give traveling perks to government bureaucrats and NGOs, and illustrate the hypocrisy of the self-appointed ruling class,” Taylor said. “By not sending an official U.S. delegation, President Trump would be doing more to reduce carbon dioxide emissions than all the participating nations combined.” 

Trump has railed against strict climate policies established under previous Democratic administrations since retaking the Oval Office in January, including signing executive orders targeting “Green New Deal” initiatives, such as the “Unleashing American Energy” January executive order, which prevented the disbursement of climate-related federal funding through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The letter comes after the U.N. General Assembly began in New York City Monday. Trump addressed the body and slammed climate change as a “con job” of massive proportions. 

TRUMP REJECTS MACRON MOVE AS US SKIPS UN SUMMIT ON PALESTINIAN STATE

“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said Monday. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”

“They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he continued. 

Signatories of the letter to the Trump officials argued that the U.S. snubbing the conference would send a message “that the U.S. will no longer be a victim of the global climate scam. The message it sends to the American people is that the Trump administration is putting America first.” 

“The White House should host a counter conference to emphasize economic prosperity and energy resilience for developing nations, offering the opportunity to pursue real solutions rather than the crippling green policies being pushed at COP,” they wrote. 

Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, told Fox Digital that Trump’s comments this week show the U.S. does not need to deploy any officials to Brazil for the conference. 

“President Trump this week called climate a hoax and a con job,” Milloy said. “He said countries embracing the green agenda were going to destroy themselves. He slammed the UN as ineffectual. So, there is no need for anyone in the Trump administration to participate in the upcoming UN climate conference in Brazil.” 

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“Instead, President Trump should consider holding a White House event on energy and economic development for poor countries. Let’s move these people forward with proven ideas and opportunities instead of crippling them with green nonsense.” 

Former FBI Director James Comey has declared himself “not afraid” of President Donald Trump’s Justice Department after being indicted Thursday for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. 

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” Comey, who denies the allegations, said in an Instagram video. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.”

“But I’m not afraid,” Comey added.

COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENTS, OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING

Comey was indicted by a grand jury following a probe centered on whether he lied to Congress during his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony about his handling of the original Trump–Russia investigation at the FBI, known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.” The indictment also alleges Comey made a false statement when he testified that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false.

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system,” Comey continued. “I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”

Patrick J. Fitzgerald will represent Comey in the case and said his client denies the charges.

“Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom.”

WATCH: James Comey indicted, charged with false statement and obstruction of justice

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS TO INDICT FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS

Fitzgerald previously served as special counsel in the Valerie Plame CIA leak probe and as U.S. attorney in Chicago, where he prosecuted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in a corruption scandal in 2011.

The indictment marks a stunning legal turn for the man who once led the bureau through the Hillary Clinton email controversy and Russia investigation.

Comey will reportedly turn himself in on Friday, and his arraignment is set for 10 a.m. on Oct. 9 before District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden.

President Trump took to Truth Social Friday to celebrate the indictment and declared Comey a “dirty copy.”

“Whether you like Corrupt James Comey or not, and I can’t imagine too many people liking him, HE LIED!” Trump wrote. “It is not a complex lie, it’s a very simple, but IMPORTANT one. There is no way he can explain his way out of it.”

Trump said Comey got “unexpectedly caught” but is off to a good start with the case being assigned to a Biden-appointed judge. 

“He knew exactly what he was saying, and that it was a very serious and far-reaching lie for which a very big price must be paid!” Trump wrote. 

The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.

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Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump–Russia probe. 

Under federal law, prosecutors have five years to bring a charge, with the five-year mark occurring Tuesday.

The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Kamala Harris, when she was serving as vice president, rejected the Biden campaign’s pressure to celebrate the then-president as the winner of his disastrous debate against Donald Trump, saying she didn’t want to be fed “bulsh–t,” she reported in her new memoir. 

“‘JOE BIDEN WON”—all caps, highlighted. ‘He fought through his cold as he is fighting for the American people,’” a sheet of paper containing favorable talking points after then-President Joe Biden’s poor performance on the debate stage, according to Harris’ latest memoir, “107 Days.” 

Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump in June 2024 served as the death knell to the campaign that already was coping with mounting public concern that Biden’s mental acuity had cratered and he was unable to serve a second term. Despite the abject failure of a debate performance, Biden’s campaign wanted Harris to deliver favorable assessments of the debate to the American people, according to her book. 

“Are you kidding me?” she said ran through her mind as she read the sheet of paper declaring Biden the winner of the night. 

KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS WHAT BIDEN TOLD HER JUST BEFORE CRUCIAL DEBATE WITH TRUMP THAT LEFT HER ‘ANGRY’

She threw the paper back on the table before fielding a call from Biden’s team outlining she was expected to say more of the same as the talking points when joining media interviews. 

“No. Don’t feed me bulls–t. Everyone saw what they saw,” Harris continued in the book of what she thought during the call. 

The then-vice president said the disastrous debate was littered with Biden missing opportunities to attack Trump, stumbling over his words and losing his train of thought. 

KAMALA HARRIS HAD PROFANE MESSAGE FOR GOVERNORS UNEASY ABOUT SUPPORTING BIDEN

“Trump, meanwhile, was using his words like a weapon, but shooting before he aimed, spouting lies, unburdened by the truth,” she wrote. “Biden, striving for accuracy, often stopped midsentence to correct himself, which left him sounding hesitant and garbled. I knew the important policy points he was struggling to convey, and I knew he knew them. He is a master of this material, but that was not coming across at all.” 

The Biden campaign suffered a devastating gut punch when Biden delivered a bizarre line on Medicare. 

“And then, at the end of a string of convoluted sentences in which he twice confused millions and billions, Joe lost his train of thought entirely, looked disoriented, and blurted out, ‘We finally beat Medicare,’” Harris wrote in her scathing critique of the debate. 

“Trump’s reply: ‘Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death,’” Harris continued. 

FLASHBACK: THE DEBATE NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP THAT THREW BIDEN’S REELECTION CAMPAIGN INTO A FREE FALL

The former vice president described that campaign staffers were tracking reactions to the debate online, with the vast majority describing Biden’s performance as “disaster,” “train wreck” and “embarrassment,” she wrote. 

Harris’ husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, faced his own outrage over Biden’s debate performance when left-wing Hollywood director Rob Reiner “screamed” at him during a watch party that democracy was about to be squandered over Biden’s performance. 

“Doug, at a watch party with Hollywood donors, was getting an earful. Rob Reiner had screamed at him: ‘We’re going to lose our f—ing democracy and it’s your fault!’” Harris wrote. 

As Harris prepared to join CNN in a post-debate interview that was all but guaranteed to focus on Biden’s disastrous performance, she reflected on a joke about a cheating husband, she wrote.

ONE YEAR LATER: HOW JOE BIDEN’S DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE FORCED HIS MEDIA ALLIES TO TURN ON HIM

“I couldn’t help but think of the Richard Pryor joke where his wife catches him in bed with another woman. ‘You gonna believe me or your lyin’ eyes?’ he says,” Harris wrote.

Harris said she would not tell voters “that their eyes had lied,” and instead pivoted her talking points to “Trump’s numerous lies.”

“Listen, people can debate on style points, but ultimately this election and who is the president of the United States has to be about substance,” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in the post-debate interview. “Donald Trump lied over and over and over again, as he is wont to do. He would not disavow what happened on January 6. He would not give a clear answer on whether he would stand by the election results this November. He went back and forth about where he stands on one of the most critical issues of freedom in America, which is the right of women to make decisions about their own body.” 

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Biden’s office declined comment when approached by Fox News Digital Tuesday morning. 

Harris’ “107 Days” hit bookshelves Tuesday and recounts the days of her truncated presidential campaign after Biden dropped out of the race July 21, 2024. 

A North Carolina state representative is under fire for saying there is “no correlation” between the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine, and the fact that her accused killer had been released from jail 14 times.

State Rep. Marcia Morey, a longtime Democratic lawmaker and former judge, made the comments while defending the state’s bail system. Critics argue the system has allowed violent offenders to cycle in and out of custody with little accountability.

Decarlos Brown has been described by authorities as a dangerous career criminal who was repeatedly in and out of jail before he allegedly stabbed Zarutska to death on a light rail train in Charlotte. Many believe a broken bail system allowed him to remain free despite his violent record.

CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS

Morey, one of North Carolina’s most vocal advocates for bail reform, defended her comments and went on to condemn efforts to connect the case to bail policies.

“But don’t correlate what happened in January and a magistrate who set a bail according to guidelines to what happened in August. There is no correlation,” she said during a legislative session.

Her argument has been countered by many lawmakers, who claim the tragedy shows exactly why it’s dangerous to allow repeat offenders back on the street.

NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PASS ‘IRYNA’S LAW’ TO ELIMINATE CASHLESS BAIL AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING

Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger argued that bail reform measures designed to keep more defendants out of jail while awaiting trial are endangering public safety.

“Iryna should still be alive. She should be thriving and enjoying time with her family and friends,” Berger said. “We cannot let North Carolina be held hostage by woke, weak-on-crime policies and court officials who prioritize criminals over justice for victims. We are also taking steps to revive the death penalty for those who commit the most heinous crimes.”

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However, supporters of bail reform argue the system unfairly punishes low-income defendants who cannot afford release.

Families of victims like Zarutska, on the other hand, believe the consequences are deadly when repeat offenders are given chance after chance.

A senior House Republican is arguing that sanctioning Russia would be key to neutralizing one of the biggest challenges facing Ukraine as it fights for its sovereignty. 

The push by Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, comes as Congress wrestles with legislation that would expand sanctions and slap tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. Supporters say the measures are overdue to undermine Russia’s war economy, while skeptics warn they could strain U.S. alliances and global markets.

“With the right support, Ukraine could be successful, and Russia’s aggression could be defeated,” Turner, who recently returned from a bipartisan trip to Ukraine, told a small group of reporters Thursday. 

“In the presentations that I received, there is no question that the most significant challenge in this conflict is Russia’s ability to continue its industrial production.”

TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY SIGNAL STRONGER TIES AFTER UN MEETING: ‘BETTER RELATIONS THAN BEFORE’

He added that military and other assistance that Russia is getting from China, Iran and North Korea is also keeping Moscow afloat.

“We have to impact their ability for production. It is not just their ability currently for production, but is even the projections in the future,” Turner said. “Right now, their economic engine is fueling their war engine.”

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed Kyiv would fall in a matter of days. However, that estimate has long since been shattered, and the two countries have since engaged in the bloodiest land war in Europe since World War II.

Moscow’s troops have since taken over parts of Donbas in eastern Ukraine and have held Ukraine’s Crimea territory since 2014.

President Donald Trump, who has met with leaders on both sides, gave Kyiv an enthusiastic vote of confidence earlier this week after speaking at the United Nations General Assembly.

“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” he posted on Truth Social.

“With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win.”

Asked at one point about the Ukrainians’ assessment of Russia’s offensive this past summer, Turner said the front lines moved very little.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL SEND PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE, ADDS THAT PUTIN ‘TALKS NICE AND THEN HE BOMBS EVERYBODY’

“The Russian casualties, daily, are enormous. And that is sobering. The production of weapons by Russia is the only difference that’s allowing this aggression to continue,” he said. “The economics of Russia to continue to be able to sell oil and energy is floating their ability to continue this aggression against Ukraine.”

China was the largest global customer of Russia’s fossil fuels as of August 2025, followed by India and Turkey, according to the Centre For Research on Energy and Clean Air.

And while much of Europe has sharply cut its reliance on Russian energy, it does still rely on Moscow for some supplies, according to the New York Times.

The U.S. has already levied a wide array of sanctions on Russian entities, imports and individuals since the war began. 

But legislation being led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., would go further, giving Trump wide discretion to levy more sanctions and heavy tariffs on countries that import Russian energy, among other measures.

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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a recent interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” that he was supportive of sanctioning Russia, though he did not endorse the bill specifically.

“I think appropriate sanctions on Russia are far overdue. I mean, I think there’s a big appetite for that in Congress, so we’re willing to work with the White House and our Senate colleagues in the House to get that done,” he said.

When asked by Fox News Digital if he believed Congress could act without Trump’s green light, however, Turner said, “I don’t think the president has indicated that there’s a red light on moving forward with sanctions.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for the president’s thoughts but did not hear back by press time.

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…

–Mangione, Catholic Church shooter, Kirk shooter, ICE shooter all allegedly had engraved ammo

-DNC holds onto decades-old Jeffrey Epstein donations after other Dems returned theirs

-TPUSA to give away 5,000 Charlie Kirk ‘freedom’ shirts at Penn State-Oregon game Kirk planned to attend

‘Friends and weapons’ win wars

Only “friends and weapons,” not international laws, can protect against war and authoritarian ambitions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Wednesday during an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Ukrainian leader, who has been pleading with the international community to do more to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his more than three-and-a-half-year-long war, once again cautioned that Ukraine may have been the first European nation to bear Moscow’s affront to international order, but it will not be the last.

“Putin will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper. And we told you before, Ukraine is only the first. And now Russian drones are already flying across Europe,” Zelenskyy said. “Russian operations are already spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it…Read more

White House

CHA-CHING?: Trump tariffs haul over $200B in revenues as Supreme Court weighs challenge to legality

WEDDING BELLS: Congratulations pour in after White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino shares marriage proposal video

POWER ALLY: Kamala Harris plays up relationship with Hillary Clinton as wedge with Biden widens

World Stage 

LONG APPLAUSE: UN gives round of applause after Palestinian Authority president accuses Israel of ‘genocide’

ACCESS DENIED: Abbas to address UN after visa clash with US as questions swirl over Hamas

SYRIA’S UN MOMENT: Syrian president’s historic UN speech joined by thousands rallying outside for peace and Trump’s support

TRUTH COMES OUT: Gazan boy alive after ex-GHF ‘whistleblower’ falsely claimed IDF killed him

JETS FOR FUEL: Trump: Erdogan could be ‘influential’ in ending Putin’s war amid push to cease Russian oil sales

PEACE VIA STRENGTH: Lithuanian president credits Trump’s ‘strong’ UN address

‘A TERRIBLE MAYOR’: Trump accuses London of wanting ‘Sharia law’ in UN speech, mayor hits back

Capitol Hill

MAFIA TACTICS: Senate progressive accuses Trump of ‘mafia-style blackmail’ in shutdown fight

SEEKING OUSTER: Michigan Democrat Rep. Stevens cites ‘health care chaos’ in impeachment move against RFK Jr.

SOUND OF SILENCE: Ilhan Omar silent after call to ‘abolish ICE’ over story on 5-year-old that NBC was forced to correct

Across America 

GENERALS GATHER: Hegseth orders hundreds of military commanders to Virginia for unprecedented meeting

CLOCK RUNS OUT: In trying to secure Comey indictment, US prosecutors have short window — and a difficult case to make

GAVELED OUT: Chaos erupts during immigration hearing as Democrat lunges at chairman’s gavel: ‘I’m tired of you’

HONOR CODE BUST: New Jersey governor hopeful blocked from Naval Academy graduation over cheating scandal

BALLOT BRAWL: Republican aiming to flip blue state rips Dem rival for blaming ‘everything on Trump’

COMMISSION CHAOS: Ousted director says America250 leaders ‘hate Trump more than they love America’ after firing for Kirk post

HEROES IN ACTION: Border Patrol agents rescue cyclist who fell ‘more than 50 feet’ into remote canyon

PERIMETER SECURED: Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin encountered by police during return to crime scene: law enforcement sources

HIGH STAKES: Who is Kathryn Nester, Charlie Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson’s attorney?

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

James Comey, the former FBI Director, was indicted on felony charges of obstruction and perjury Thursday, igniting fierce reactions across the nation and political spectrum.

The charges, announced by newly appointed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia, relate to his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Halligan framed the indictment as a matter of accountability, declaring it “a breach of public trust at an extraordinary level” and emphasizing that “no one is above the law.” 

If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.

IN TRYING TO SECURE COMEY INDICTMENT, US PROSECUTORS HAVE SHORT WINDOW — AND A DIFFICULT CASE TO MAKE

The announcement sparked reaction with the fastest coming through from the president and his allies.

President Donald Trump has long demanded Comey’s prosecution since firing him in 2017 and railing against the Russia investigation he oversaw.

Trump celebrated the news with a triumphant post on his Truth Social account.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI. Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president wrote.

FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES

Attorney General Pam Bondi also issued a sharp statement on X declaring, “No one is above the law. The American people deserve justice after years of lies and political interference.”

FBI Director Kash Patel amplified that opinion and cast the indictment as part of a broader effort to restore trust in the bureau. 

“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability,” he wrote. 

“For far too long, corrupt leadership weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and eroding public trust. Under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. No one is above the law.”

U.S. Senator John Cornyn responded noting the gravity of Comey’s offenses.

“While our legal system provides for the presumption of innocence, Comey’s accountability for FBI abuses during the first Trump term are long overdue,” he said. “These charges are serious offenses, especially if committed by the head of our nation’s top law enforcement agency, and there must be consequences for any crimes.”

LISA BOOTHE POINTS TO ‘CLEAR EXAMPLE’ OF COMEY, BRENNAN’S ‘COLLUSION AND CORRUPTION’

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called it “a long-awaited correction to years of corruption and cover-ups,” while economic adviser Peter Navarro said it proved “justice delayed is not justice denied.”

Democrats condemned the charges as politically motivated. 

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) denounced what he called a “malicious prosecution,” reminding reporters that Trump previously fired a prosecutor who refused to bring “frivolous charges.”

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued an even sharper rebuke. 

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“This kind of interference is a dangerous abuse of power,” he warned. “By ousting a respected, independent prosecutor and replacing him with a partisan loyalist, Trump is undermining one of the most important U.S. Attorney’s offices in the country and eroding the rule of law itself.”

NEW YORK — Former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to quell a nine-month-pregnant mom’s concerns over having a baby boy under the Trump administration, resurrecting a campaign phrase celebrating the “children of the community.”

“Part of how I was raised to think about things was that the children of the community are our children of the community. And we all have some, I think, responsibility — you can call it a moral responsibility, you can think of it in different ways — but to be invested in their well-being and success,” Harris said Wednesday evening from The Town Hall theater venue in Midtown Manhattan. 

Harris was in New York City to launch her book tour to promote “107 Days,” which offers a detailed and personal retelling of her days on the 2024 presidential campaign trail after then-President Joe Biden dropped out amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK, MEDIA TOUR SLAMMED BY LIBERAL CRITICS AS ‘EMBARRASSING’ AND ‘UNHELPFUL’

Harris only took a couple questions from the audience, including one from a nine-month-pregnant mom who was concerned about raising a son with a “good heart and moral compass” under “this current political climate.”

Harris quelled the mom’s concerns by reassuring her she would teach her son how to be “strong,” which would catapult him to “role model” status as an adult. 

“To teach that our own children, that that is the way that we expect that they will live, which is to see the connection between themselves and others, to see the interdependence between themselves and others, and to have a sense of understanding that it’s a sign of strength to lift other people up,” she continued. 

BERNIE URGED HARRIS TO FOCUS ‘ON THE WORKING CLASS, NOT JUST ON ABORTION,’ BOOK REVEALS

Harris argued that President Donald Trump has a “perverse notion” that strength is measured by “who you beat down,” which she rejected. 

“I used to talk about it a lot in those 107 days, which is this perverse notion that is absolutely being pushed by this guy in the White House, which is to suggest that the measure of strength is based on who you beat down,” she said. “Instead, what I think everyone here understands, which is the true measure of strength, is based on who you lift up.” 

KAMALA HARRIS BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN DROPOUT, ADMITS SHE HAS REGRETS ABOUT HER HANDLING OF SITUATION

Harris added that she was excited about the future of the unborn baby under his mom’s leadership. 

“You’re going to teach him to be strong in every way that is important, and he will be a role model,” she continued. “And we are very, very excited for the future of that child.” 

Harris repeatedly has used the phrase “the children of the community are the children of the community” while speaking during public events, including as vice president and when she was running for the presidency in 2024. 

Conservative critics and others frequently mocked Harris’ “word salad” comments during the election cycle, including in September 2024 when she tied inflation to her “children of the community” phrase. 

“I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential,” Harris said, explaining she wanted to lower the cost of groceries for struggling families and vowing to take on big corporations who gouged customers. 

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Harris kicked off her book tour in New York City before traveling to cities from coast to coast to promote her new book, which was released Tuesday. 

Her roughly hourlong conversation Wednesday evening included taking a few shots at Trump, as well as celebrating how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as her mentor and supporter throughout the 2024 election.