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‘Nude men in locker rooms’: Earle-Sears blasts Spanberger over transgender locker room stance in heated debate
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Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears pulled no punches in her attack on her Democratic opponent in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, when a Thursday night debate turned to the topic of transgender issues and locker rooms.
«We know that girls want to have privacy,» Earle-Sears said. «[Spanberger] voted for men nude in girls locker rooms, in bathrooms, and in girls’ sports.»
Turning to Spanberger, she asked, «Are you going to change in a gym where men are nude in the locker rooms? Are you going to do that?»
ELON MUSK WADES INTO VIRGINIA TRANSGENDER BATHROOM CLASH, SAYS DEM GOV CANDIDATE WRONGLY ‘BLAMING’ TRUMP
Virginia candidates respond to questions about transgender bathroom access. (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive directive ensuring bathrooms, locker rooms and other intimate spaces remain separated by sex assigned at birth. The directive also instructs the state Board of Health to bar biological males from competing on female athletic teams.
When asked, point-blank, whether she would rescind that directive, Spanberger sidestepped the question and refused to give a definitive answer.
«My answer is that in each local community decisions should be made between parents and educators, and teachers in each community. It shouldn’t be dictated by politicians,» Spanberger responded. «I’m a mother of three daughters in Virginia public schools, and nothing is more important to me than their safety and their experience in schools,» Spanberger added in response to questions about her stance on transgender issues.
VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR ON WHY HER STATE IS AT RISK OF LOSING FEDERAL FUNDING OVER TRANSGENDER BATHROOMS
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks to the crowd during a rally held to announce she will seek her party’s nomination for Virginia governor in 2025 at Chick’s Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Sept. 5, 2024. (Kristen Zeis/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
«Nude men in locker rooms – that’s what this is about,» Earle-Sears maintained.
«There should never be nude men in locker rooms,» Spanberger eventually said.
«We finally have her saying that! But you voted for that!» Earle-Sears shot back. «Are we in agreement now?»
«I’m going to answer the question my opponent refused to answer,» Earle-Sears said. «I will not rescind the governor’s executive order.»
Throughout the debate, Earle-Sears sought to address Spanberger directly, but Spanberger would not bite.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., speaks at a campaign rally on Nov. 4, 2023, Virginia Beach, Virginia. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)
In addition to Spanberger’s evasiveness on Thursday night, the Democratic Party candidate similarly side-stepped questions about transgender issues while on the campaign trail leading up to the debate.
When Fox News Digital previously reached out to Spanberger in August, about her views on transgender students’ access to bathrooms, the former Virginia congresswoman did not address the issue directly.
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«As a mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, a former federal law enforcement officer, and a candidate for governor, Abigail’s priority is ensuring that all of Virginia’s kids are safe and supported,» a representative for Spanberger said at the time. «While Abigail’s opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, stokes division and backs the Trump administration’s threats to strip funding from Virginia schools, as Virginia’s next governor, Abigail will work to protect public school funding, address the Commonwealth’s chronic teacher shortage, and contend with our last-in-the-nation math recovery ranking.»
Outside of Youngkin’s executive directive, issues related to transgender bathroom and sports looms large across the commonwealth. In August, five Northern Virginia school districts were found by the Department of Education to be in violation of Title IX for failing to roll back policies allowing transgender students. Last month, a federal judge dismissed lawsuits brought by two of the districts, seeking to challenge the Trump administration’s finding that places restrictions on the districts’ federal funding unless they make a change.
Meanwhile, a case involving two Virginia boys who were suspended and found liable by their school for sexual harassment, after being caught on camera complaining to each other about a transgender classmate using their locker room, is also currently playing out in federal court right now.
virginia governor race,2025 2026 elections coverage,virginia,abigail spanberger
INTERNACIONAL
Líderes de la Unión Europea se reúnen en Bélgica para debatir cómo reforzar su economía ante la presión de EEUU, Rusia y China
Los líderes de la Unión Europea se reunirán este jueves en el castillo de Alden Biesen, en Bélgica, con el objetivo de debatir cómo reforzar el peso económico del bloque frente a la competencia de China y Estados Unidos y superar las divisiones internas que frenan su capacidad de acción.
La cita convocará a los dirigentes de los 27 países miembros en un contexto marcado por la turbulencia geopolítica, la intensificación de la competencia global y una economía que avanza por detrás de otras grandes potencias. El encuentro tomará como referencia un informe clave publicado hace 18 meses que plantea reformas para transformar el funcionamiento económico del bloque.
La presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, subrayó la urgencia del momento en declaraciones ante líderes industriales el miércoles. “La urgencia no podría ser mayor. Estamos luchando por un lugar en la nueva economía global”, afirmó.
El presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, insistió en la necesidad de una respuesta rápida y de gran alcance por parte del bloque. Advirtió que la UE debe actuar a “una nueva escala y a una nueva velocidad” para frenar la “fragmentación, el debilitamiento y probablemente la humillación de Europa”. El mandatario también renovó su llamado a impulsar deuda conjunta europea, una propuesta que divide a varias capitales del bloque, y la definió como la “única forma” de competir con China y Estados Unidos.
Durante las conversaciones previstas, Von der Leyen promoverá una serie de iniciativas, entre ellas un impulso a la estrategia de “comprar europeo”, la simplificación de normas comunitarias y la firma de nuevos acuerdos comerciales para diversificar los socios del bloque. La propuesta de dar prioridad a empresas europeas en compras públicas se perfila como uno de los puntos de mayor tensión entre los países miembros.
Estados como Suecia y Países Bajos, defensores del libre comercio, expresan cautela ante la posibilidad de adoptar medidas que se acerquen al proteccionismo. El canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz, sostuvo que ese tipo de política debería aplicarse solo como “último recurso”.
La Comisión Europea también promueve la creación de un nuevo sistema legal para empresas que opere al margen de los marcos nacionales, el llamado “régimen 28”, con el objetivo de facilitar la actividad corporativa en los 27 países. La iniciativa apunta a reducir trabas administrativas y permitir que las compañías operen con mayor facilidad a escala continental.
Otro de los ejes centrales del debate será la profundización del mercado único. Von der Leyen y varios dirigentes consideran que una integración más estrecha constituye la principal respuesta frente a la competencia global, tal como plantea el informe elaborado por el ex presidente del Banco Central Europeo, Mario Draghi.
Tras la intervención prevista de Draghi, los líderes también escucharán al ex primer ministro italiano Enrico Letta, quien defendió una mayor integración económica, incluida una unión de ahorro e inversión que facilite el acceso al capital para las empresas. A diferencia de sus rivales estadounidenses, muchas compañías europeas enfrentan dificultades para financiar su expansión pese a que el continente alberga algunas de las mayores economías del mundo, como Alemania y Francia.
Diplomáticos indicaron que el encuentro estará dominado por dos cuestiones principales: los precios de la energía y la estrategia de preferencia por productos europeos. Von der Leyen respaldó la idea de que los compradores públicos prioricen a empresas del bloque y anunció que el Ejecutivo comunitario presentará una ley sobre preferencia europea este mes.
“Introduciremos requisitos específicos de contenido de la UE para sectores estratégicos”, expresó. Luego añadió: “Dirijamos más dinero europeo hacia nuestras industrias europeas”.
(Con información de AFP)
International,Relations,Africa,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy
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The House of Representatives passed a massive election integrity overhaul bill on Wednesday despite opposition from the vast majority of Democrats.
The House passed Rep. Chip Roy’s SAVE America Act, legislation that’s aimed at keeping non-citizens from voting in U.S. federal elections. All but one House Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — voted against the bill. It passed 218 to 213.
It is an updated version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also led by Roy, R-Texas, which passed the House in April 2025 but was never taken up in the Senate.
Whereas the SAVE Act would create a new federal proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process and impose requirements for states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, the updated bill would also require photo ID to vote in any federal elections.
MURKOWSKI BREAKS WITH GOP ON VOTER ID, SAYS PUSH ‘IS NOT HOW WE BUILD TRUST’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holds a press conference on the fourteenth day of the U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2025. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
It would also require information-sharing between state election officials and federal authorities in verifying citizenship on current voter rolls and enable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration cases if non-citizens were found to be listed as eligible to vote.
Democrats have attacked the bill as tantamount to voter suppression, while Republicans argue that it’s necessary after the influx of millions of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. during the four years of the Biden administration.
«If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,» Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. «What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?»
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., accused Republicans of trying to make it harder for women to vote. She argued that the legislation would make it more difficult for married women to cast ballots if their surname is different from their maiden name on their birth certificate.
«Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,» Clark said during debate on the House floor. «This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.»
REPUBLICANS, TRUMP RUN INTO SENATE ROADBLOCK ON VOTER ID BILL
But House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., emphasized that it was about keeping illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections.
A voter fraud sign is seen at Lupica Towers in Cleveland, Ohio. (J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)
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«This really is about feeding the narrative that Democrats want illegally from all over the world to come here to support them,» Hern said of Democrats’ opposition.
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital, «The American people did not give Republicans a mandate to make excuses. They gave us one to deliver wins, and the SAVE America Act is exactly that. Every single Democrat who voted no today proved they would rather let illegal aliens tip the scales in our national elections than protect your vote.»
If implemented, the bill could see new requirements imposed on voters in this year’s November midterm elections.
But it would have to pass the Senate, where current rules dictate that at least several Democrats are needed to meet the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.
elections,house of representatives politics,republicans
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