INTERNACIONAL
Inside Jay Jones and the Democrats’ late surge to upset wins across Virginia, from the suburbs to the shore
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Virginia took on new life Tuesday as a Democratic stronghold, with Abigail Spanberger, Jay Jones, and Ghazala Hashmi sweeping the statewide races — marking the party’s largest power shift in more than a decade as Republicans lost at least a dozen legislative seats.
BEACH VIBES
The Virginia Beach and Greater Hampton Roads area appeared to be the biggest boon for hometown son Jones, who represented Norfolk in the state legislature and whose namesake father did for years prior.
Several Tidewater counties that backed Glenn Youngkin in 2021 flipped blue this time, helping boost Jones and the Democratic ticket.
The densely populated independent cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake joined typically Democratic Suffolk, Norfolk and Newport News to help propel Jones to victory, according to postmortem maps.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial Abigail Spanberger was excoriated online for refusing to withdraw her endorsement of fellow-candidate Jay Jones. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images; Getty Images)
James City County – which surrounds Williamsburg – and Surry County, an otherwise right-leaning area across the river from Jamestown – also landed in Jones’ lap on Election Night.
New Kent County — where Jones was previously cited for driving 116 mph — remained in outgoing Attorney General Jason Miyares’ favor.
But, across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the Eastern Shore, rural Northampton County also went for Jones — while its adjacent counterpart Accomack stayed in Miyares’ hands.
The overall trend in that region depicted Jones’ neighbors as a big part of his victory Tuesday.
D.C.’S BLUE FOOTPRINT EXPANDS
Meanwhile, in Democratic-friendly northern Virginia, turnout margins for Republicans appeared anemic compared to 2021, when Youngkin and Miyares won their upsets.
Ticket-splitting in the Washington exurbs appeared to help Jones as well as the increasing population density fed by federal workers and others creating ever-distant bedroom communities of Washington, D.C.
As Washington, D.C.’s population expands south and west, nearby counties like Stafford and Spotsylvania — as well as Loudoun, Fauquier and Clarke — have trended sharply toward Democrats.
ABIGAIL SPANBERGER SEALS HISTORIC VIRGINIA WIN, ENDING GOP’S GLENN YOUNGKIN ERA
Spotsylvania County went for Spanberger but eschewed Jones in favor of Miyares. To the north, Stafford County – once more rural but now overtaken by subdivisions and enlarged I-95 interchanges to deal with the population increase – was lost to Democrats up and down the ballot after Youngkin won it in 2021.
In Stafford, Republican Del. Paul Milde lost his seat to Democratic Del-elect. Stacey Carroll, who had successfully weathered a residency dispute during her tough race that was eventually ruled in her favor.
In Loudoun, Prince William and Fauquier counties west of Washington, Democrats unseated otherwise popular incumbent Republicans Geary Higgins and Ian Lovejoy – foreshadowing Spanberger and Jones victories in all.
VIRGINIA SPECIAL ELECTION IN DEEP-BLUE DC SUBURBS CAN STILL GIVE INSIGHT INTO KEY GOVERNOR’S RACE
The reverberations from the election were also felt across the mountain in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle, where by Wednesday morning, social media was buzzing with commentary and memes similar to how Floridians have been addressing New Yorkers — suggesting Virginians either stay where they are and deal with their newfound leftward bent, or not to bring their politics if they move into Jefferson and Berkeley counties.
The two states originally split in 1863 over political differences as well, after a convention of Virginia delegates upset over Richmond’s plans to secede from the Union met in Wheeling to ultimately agree to the «Restored Government of Virginia» – which became West Virginia.
Jefferson County, the farthest-east confine of West Virginia; neighboring Loudoun, has become the second-most Democratic county in the all-Republican state besides Monongalia – which houses West Virginia University – as the blue footprint from Washington expands even beyond what was seen Tuesday.
The margin increases Youngkin saw in Loudoun and vicinity in 2021 were muted Tuesday, helping Spanberger, Jones and Hashmi all claim victory.
The same was evident for increasingly populated counties around Richmond, as Chesterfield – Hashmi’s home county – flipped blue and Henrico saw increased margins for hometown favorite Spanberger.
SOUTHWEST STAYS RED, BUT FEWER TURN OUT
Elsewhere, the more rural, otherwise Republican-friendly New River Valley swung leftward as well on Tuesday – with Montgomery County landing in Democratic hands according to postmortem percentages in multiple outlets.
Del. Chris Obenshain, part of a prominent Virginia Republican political family, was unseated as part of the blue wave — and Spanberger and Jones took the Youngkin-won county that features Virginia Tech and Christiansburg.
In 2021, Youngkin «ran up the score,» as pundits said, in deep-red southwestern Virginia.
NEW POLL IN KEY SHOWDOWN FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR INDICATES SINGLE-DIGIT RACE
This year, Republicans still held their state legislative seats there, and voted for Miyares and Winsome Earle-Sears – but the contests were closer and with smaller numbers.
In far-flung Lee County – longitudinally west of Detroit and closer to Mississippi than Washington, D.C. – 1,000 fewer Republicans turned out for Earle-Sears than Youngkin.
That trend continued up the mountainous, diagonal border with Kentucky – as Wise, Dickenson, Buchanan, Tazewell, Bland and Giles counties all turned out in much lesser numbers for the regionally-favored GOP candidates.
CROOKED ROAD; BRIGHT SPOT
One small bright spot remained on the map for Republicans as of Wednesday.
The area comprising Virginia’s famous «Crooked Road» – considered the birthplace of country music and bluegrass along today’s U.S. 58 in the Appalachian hills – provided similar figures for Earle-Sears and Miyares as it did for Youngkin and Miyares four years ago.
Just as NASCAR fans packed Martinsville days earlier, Republicans in the surrounding counties showed up in only slightly smaller numbers than four years ago.
LOOKING AHEAD
A Republican official told Fox News Digital after the results came in Tuesday that Virginia politics can often be a «rubber band» that stretches one way and releases another as time passes.
Ever since the «Byrd Machine’s» 70-year Democrat grip on Virginia politics that subsided in the late 20th Century after the passing of ex-Gov. Harry Byrd, there has been an ebb-and-flow of partisan power in Richmond often contingent on who is in the White House.
Youngkin’s 2021 victory was seen by political observers as an indictment of the Biden administration, as much as Spanberger’s and Jones’ was to that of President Donald Trump.
FOX NEWS POLL: HOW SPANBERGER WON VIRGINIA GOVERNOR
Prior, Gov. Ralph Northam won in the second year of Trump’s first term, and so forth.
But Virginia had not seen such a drastic tidal shift until Tuesday.
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Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is up for reelection in 2026, and already one conservative – state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange – has announced his run against the entrenched incumbent.
In her concession speech, Earle-Sears said she’s «not going anywhere» – but it remains to be seen if she, Youngkin or another Republican may make Reeves some company and try to use Warner’s race as the same type of response to any shortcomings of the Spanberger-Jones era.
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INTERNACIONAL
El régimen iraní identificó a casi 3.000 muertos por la represión mientras la ONU estima que la cifra llegaría a cerca de 20.000
El régimen iraní publicó este domingo una lista con los nombres de 2.986 personas fallecidas durante la represión de las protestas que comenzaron en diciembre, un balance que Teherán cifra en 3.117 muertos totales. Sin embargo, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones de derechos humanos advierten que la magnitud real de la masacre perpetrada por la República Islámica podría ser entre seis y diez veces superior, con estimaciones que alcanzan las 20.000 víctimas mortales.
“Me gustaría informar con tristeza a la noble nación de Irán que el número total de víctimas de los recientes acontecimientos es de 3.117”, afirmó el presidente Masud Pezeshkian en un comunicado oficial. El mandatario iraní explicó que la diferencia de 131 personas entre el total declarado y la lista publicada “se debe a la identidad desconocida de varias personas y a las discrepancias en el registro del documento nacional de identidad”, que serán incluidas en una lista complementaria una vez corregidas.
Pezeshkian anunció además que en las próximas 48 horas se habilitará un sistema para que “cualquier nueva información y reclamación pueda ser examinada y verificada sin complicaciones administrativas”.
El comunicado presidencial mantiene la línea argumental del régimen, que atribuye el elevado número de víctimas a “terroristas” respaldados por Estados Unidos e Israel. “Los enemigos históricos y los detractores comercian con las vidas de las personas como si fueran un número”, afirmó Pezeshkian, sin hacer referencias específicas.
Las cifras oficiales, sin embargo, contrastan drásticamente con los datos recabados por organismos internacionales. La relatora especial de la ONU para Irán, Mai Sato, declaró a medios estadounidenses que informes de médicos dentro del país indican que las víctimas mortales podrían alcanzar las 20.000 personas.
“La magnitud de los fallecidos y heridos por la represión de las protestas a lo largo de este mes ha sido enorme, de miles de personas”, confirmó Ravina Shamdasani, portavoz de la Oficina de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, aunque reconoció que es “difícil verificar las informaciones que llegan desde el país dadas las restricciones continuas sobre el terreno”.
Amnistía Internacional y Human Rights Watch han documentado el uso de fuerza letal indiscriminada, con fuerzas de seguridad disparando rifles y escopetas cargadas con perdigones metálicos contra manifestantes desarmados. Las morgues desbordadas, el uso de contenedores refrigerados para almacenar cadáveres y los entierros apresurados sin identificación previa apuntan, según estas organizaciones, a un intento deliberado de ocultar la verdadera escala de la masacre.
El apagón casi total de internet impuesto por el régimen desde el 8 de enero ha sido clave para dificultar la verificación independiente. NetBlocks, organización de monitoreo de ciberseguridad, confirmó que se trata del bloqueo digital más prolongado en la historia de Irán, con el objetivo explícito de impedir que los ciudadanos difundan imágenes de la represión y de aislar al país del escrutinio internacional. Esta desconexión ha permitido que las fuerzas de seguridad actúen con mayor impunidad, según denunciaron organizaciones de derechos humanos.
Las protestas estallaron el 28 de diciembre de 2025 en el Gran Bazar de Teherán, inicialmente motivadas por el colapso económico que atraviesa Irán. La tasa de inflación alcanzó el 42,2% en diciembre, con un aumento del 72% en el precio de los alimentos. El rial iraní se depreció drásticamente, con el dólar estadounidense alcanzando los 145.000 tomanes.
Lo que comenzó como huelgas de comerciantes se transformó rápidamente en manifestaciones masivas en las 31 provincias del país, con cánticos contra el líder supremo Ali Khamenei y exigencias de cambio del sistema político. Se trata de las protestas más grandes desde los disturbios de 2022 tras la muerte de Mahsa Amini bajo custodia policial.
La represión alcanzó su punto más crítico los días 8 y 9 de enero, cuando el líder supremo Khamenei ordenó al Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional reprimir las protestas “por cualquier medio necesario”, según informaron funcionarios iraníes a medios internacionales.
Las fuerzas de seguridad recibieron la orden de disparar para matar sin mostrar piedad. The New York Times verificó videos que muestran a agentes abriendo fuego contra manifestantes en al menos 19 ciudades y seis barrios de Teherán. En la ciudad de Fardis, testigos alegan que más de 50 manifestantes fueron abatidos tras el despliegue de una ametralladora montada en un vehículo.
El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU aprobó la semana pasada, en una sesión de emergencia, una resolución con 25 votos a favor que denuncia que la represión violenta “ha resultado en la muerte de miles de personas, incluyendo niños, y un gran número de heridos”.
El texto, respaldado por Francia, Italia, España y Reino Unido, instó a las autoridades iraníes a poner fin a las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, las desapariciones forzadas, la tortura y otros abusos contra manifestantes pacíficos. La resolución prorrogó dos años más el mandato de la Misión Internacional Independiente de Investigación sobre Irán y por un año el de la relatora especial.
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A photo showing Zohran Mamdani at a high-profile luncheon tied to longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Peggy Siegal has emerged following the release of newly unsealed Justice Department records that also reference his mother, Mira Nair.
The photo, taken Nov. 15, 2017, shows the now-New York City mayor smiling at the Universal Pictures «Get Out» Peggy Siegal luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante in Manhattan.
The event was hosted by Siegal, a once-powerful Hollywood publicist who later faced industry backlash over her deep social ties to Epstein.
Siegal was never charged with a crime.
EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE FEATURES PHOTOS OF MICK JAGGER, MICHAEL JACKSON, DIANA ROSS AND MORE STARS
(L-R) Zohran Mamdani, Daniel Kaluuya, Mira Nair and Shimit Amin attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The image surfaced days after filmmaker Nair was named in a newly released tranche of documents connected to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The records, made public Jan. 30, 2026, are part of a broader release of millions of pages detailing Epstein’s social and professional network. The documents do not allege criminal wrongdoing by those mentioned.
In a 2009 email included in the release, Siegal wrote to Epstein about an after-party for the film Amelia, which Nair had directed.
The message states the gathering took place at Maxwell’s Manhattan townhouse and lists attendees including former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nair.
The correspondence documents attendance only and does not allege misconduct by those named.
NEW EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS INCLUDE PHOTOS OF BILL CLINTON TOPLESS IN HOT TUB, SOCIALIZING WITH MICHAEL JACKSON
(L-R) Jason Blum, Allison Williams, Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, Sean McKittrick and Peggy Siegal attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
In the 2017 luncheon photo, Mamdani appears alongside actor Daniel Kaluuya, filmmaker Shimit Amin and Nair as they celebrated Jordan Peele’s movie, «Get Out,» which won the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
A second image from the same event shows Peele, producer Jason Blum, Allison Williams and Siegal, highlighting the luncheon’s prominence during Hollywood’s awards season.
Another photo from December 2016 also shows Nair attending a private-residence film event with Siegal for «Queen of Katwe.»
CLINTON TEAM DEMANDS TRUMP DOJ RELEASE ‘ANY REMAINING’ DOCS RELATED TO FORMER PRESIDENT, EPSTEIN
(L-R) Peggy Siegal, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair, David Oyelowo and Zoe Oyelowo attend Barbara Broccoli and Walt Disney Studios Host a Screening and Reception for «Queen of Katwe» with Mira Nair and David Oyelowo at Private Residence on December 5, 2016, in New York City. (Aurora Rose/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
At the time, Siegal was a dominant figure in entertainment publicity, known for her access to major studios, A-list talent and industry power brokers.
In 2019, following reporting that detailed her association with Epstein, multiple Hollywood studios, including Netflix, FX and Annapurna Pictures, cut ties with her, according to Variety.
Epstein was first arrested in Florida in 2006 on charges of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH RESPONDS AFTER EMAILS BETWEEN HIM AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN INCLUDED IN LATEST DOJ DROP
The Department of Justice has released millions of Epstein documents after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
He later pleaded guilty, served 13 months in jail with work release and registered as a sex offender.
He died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following her conviction for sex trafficking.
Nair, an internationally respected director known for films including Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Queen of Katwe, has long been a fixture in elite film circles, especially in Manhattan.
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She is married to academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s office and Peggy Siegal for comment.
jeffrey epstein,zohran mamdani,ghislaine maxwell,movies,new york city
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