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Spanberger faces ‘bait-and-switch’ backlash in final hours before redistricting referendum
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Opponents of Virginia Democrats’ redistricting referendum are accusing Gov. Abigail Spanberger of a «bait and switch,» pointing to her campaign-trail pledge of «no plans» to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Former Virginia Govs. George Allen and Glenn Youngkin, along with a slew of top conservatives, have opposed the effort, which would redraw the commonwealth’s 6-5 Democratic map to a 10-1 map crafted by Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and backed by Spanberger.
«Behold the great bait and switch,» Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, said, sharing a screenshot of October reporting highlighting Spanberger’s apparent pledge not to support what she now is vocally behind.
«Vote No,» said Webert, whose district forms a boundary between the Washington, D.C., suburbs set to accrue political power if the referendum passes and the hundreds of miles of rural expanse south and west that are poised to lose their voice.
SOROS-BACKED GROUP AMONG LIBERAL ORGS PUMPING EYE-POPPING CASH INTO VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING EFFORT
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, is being criticized for signing a bill that critics say hand the state’s electoral votes away. (Steve Helber/AP Photo; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The latter is a major concern for U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, a Botetourt Republican whose district runs from Roanoke to the northernmost West Virginia line at Berryville along the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley, which Cline said stand to lose their otherwise homogenous voice in Washington.
Cline told Fox News Digital how Spanberger was previously a colleague on the House Agriculture Committee and «loved to talk about her connection to Virginia agriculture.»
«My district is currently the most agriculture-based district in Virginia and she has chopped it into five different districts and parceled it out to Northern Virginia Democrats to use to make their numbers work,» he said, adding that the referendum is offensive to Virginia farmers in particular.
In separate comments to «Ruthless», Cline expounded on that point, saying the people of his current district stand to lose their voice because they will be split into five «spaghetti strands» originating from Arlington and Fairfax.
«But we’re optimistic we’re going to be able to stop the governor in her tracks,» he said.
OBAMA URGES VIRGINIANS TO VOTE YES ON REDISTRICTING MEASURE THAT COULD GIVE DEMOCRATS 4 MORE HOUSE SEATS
«They’ve pulled her ad from even running, yeah, because she’s so unpopular,» he said.
Spanberger had been featured in a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign encouraging voters to support the redistricting referendum, but the Virginia Scope reported that ad was recently pulled from circulation.
«[The situation] slid south for her and that’s what happens when you play bait-and-switch with the voters,» Cline said.
However, the Vote YES campaign denied Cline’s characterization in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«This is false,» the campaign said. «We’re running a strong statewide campaign featuring a range of voices — including Governor Spanberger. This election is about stopping Trump’s power grab and leveling the playing field — and that’s exactly what a YES vote does.»
In his remarks to «Ruthless,» Cline also cited the fact several Fairfax-area Democrats are already launching bids for the yet-unconfirmed «lobster»-shaped redrawn seat that is the most prominent slice of his district.
VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN SAYS SPANBERGER WANTS TO ‘TURN US INTO NEW ENGLAND’
«I didn’t think Dan Helmer could find Shenandoah Valley on a map, but yet he’s going to be campaigning and asking for votes [here],» he said of the far-left delegate from Fairfax who helped spearhead the redistricting effort itself.
Helmer, a combat veteran, also crafted the commonwealth’s sweeping gun control bill lambasted as a «gun grab.»
«You have a leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, on the Democratic side, who crafts maps for his benefit… They’re enacting laws to help them get elected to Congress, not enacting laws to help Virginians get ahead» Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke, told the Virginia Mercury of Helmer’s position.
When asked about Cline and others criticizing his decision to run in the redistricted district, Helmer told Fox News Digital that as the Virginia House Democrats’ campaign chair, he already succeeded in such rural areas.
«I’ve campaigned in every corner of this district — from Rockingham to Louisa, Arlington to Powhatan. Because of those efforts, 14 MAGA Republicans [in the state legislature] are now unemployed and doom scrolling LinkedIn instead of harming Virginia families — and this November, we’re going to add Ben Cline to that list,» Helmer said.
Several other Democrats including former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe and JP Cooney — an ex-aide to Jack Smith — are also running there.
Turning to the new maps, only Rep. Morgan Griffith’s district stands to remain Republican.
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, represents much of that district in Richmond and has joined barnstorming efforts by Youngkin and former Attorney General Jason Miyares across his far southwestern district.
Youngkin’s 2021 victory was pegged in-part to Republicans running up the score in albeit sparsely populated counties like Wise, Scott, Dickenson and Lee, and the same strategy appeared afoot in the closing weeks of early voting.
DAVID MARCUS: RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND SET TO STEAL THE VOTES OF RURAL VIRGI
In Dickenson County, home to late music legend Ralph Stanley, Kilgore recently joined local leaders to call for a surge to the polls.
«We just want everybody to vote ‘No’,» he said, as state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Bristol, reported 500 people had already early voted in the sparse county that day.
«We can win this,» Kilgore said. «We do not want Fairfax County controlling our congressional districts and we want to protect rural Virginia.»
At the other end of the commonwealth, where another rural region is set to be sliced up and attached to Fairfax, Rep. Rob Wittman of the Northern Neck echoed concerns similar to Cline’s.
«Governor Spanberger said it clearly: ‘I have no plans to redistrict Virginia’. But now, Richmond politicians are pushing a referendum to do exactly that—redraw congressional maps in the middle of the decade,» Wittman said.
«A 10-1 map would erase millions of voices – that’s not representation; that’s partisan gerrymandering,» he said.
Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley — who issued an injunction against the referendum until the state Supreme Court stepped in — also led criticism of the term «restore fairness» being used on the ballot as the official description of what voting yes would do.
Hurley said the language was unconstitutionally misleading and that «[it] would lead a voter to believe he or she were doing something unfair by voting against the proposed amendment.»
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While the higher court mooted whether the election could move forward, filings from plaintiffs and defendants on the merits of the case are due Thursday – when the bench will ultimately decide whether to undo any prospective passage of the referendum.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger, Helmer and Virginians for Fair Elections for comment.
democrats elections, abigail spanberger, governors, virginia, republicans elections
INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump anunció que un bombardeo estadounidense abatió a “Niño Guerrero”, el líder del cártel criminal Tren de Aragua
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó este viernes en un mensaje que, bajo su dirección, el Comando Sur estadounidense (SOUTHCOM) ejecutó un ataque cinético, rápido y letal en Venezuela que eliminó a Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias el “Niño Guerrero”, líder del Tren de Aragua, organización calificada por el mandatario como “una de las más sanguinarias del planeta”.
“Durante mi campaña, me comprometí a expulsar a estos monstruos de nuestro país y a hacer justicia a las familias de sus víctimas, incluyendo a la pequeña Jocelyn Nungaray, de 12 años, a Laken Reilly, de 22, y a muchísimas otras personas”, afirmó vía Truth Social.
La publicación en redes sociales estuvo acompañada por un video de 10 segundos que muestra una vista aérea de un edificio, con el techo de color verde, rodeado de vegetación poco antes de una explosión que genera una nube de humo. En las imágenes no se distingue claramente a ninguna persona.
El inquilino de la Casa Blanca también señaló que, “con esta acción, las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos han hecho justicia para ellos, sus familias y sus seres queridos”. Recordó que al inicio de su administración designó al Tren de Aragua como Organización Terrorista Extranjera, deportó a miles de criminales y declaró la guerra a los cárteles.
Trump sostuvo que, antes de su regreso al cargo, la administración de Joe Biden “abrió la frontera sur a millones de delincuentes ilegales” y permitió que el grupo cometiera crímenes en territorio estadounidense.
“Esta acción se coordinó estrechamente con nuestros amigos en Venezuela, con quienes mantenemos una excelente relación”, subrayó en relación a los nuevos vínculos entre Washington y Caracas tras la captura, el 3 de enero pasado, del ex dictador venezolano Nicolás Maduro.
Según Trump, los terroristas del cártel “ya no tienen refugio seguro en Venezuela ni en ningún otro lugar” y bajo su liderazgo, Estados Unidos “encontrará a estos despiadados asesinos y narcotraficantes en cualquier momento y lugar”.
El Tren de Aragua surgió como una entidad delictiva entre 2004 y 2005 en la cárcel de Tocorón, en Venezuela. Por entonces, el gobierno de Hugo Chávez había declarado la emergencia carcelaria ante el aumento de la violencia en el sistema penitenciario, pero las medidas no lograron impedir el crecimiento del grupo criminal.
Con el tiempo, los reclusos fueron acumulando poder a través de negociaciones con el régimen de Maduro, el uso de la violencia y el pago de sobornos, lo que derivó en la creación del sistema de pranatos (pranes), líderes dentro de las prisiones. Estos grupos carcelarios se organizaron en estructuras más grandes conocidas como trenes, dando lugar a formas de gobernanza paralelas.
“Niño Guerrero ha estado involucrado en actividades delictivas durante más de dos décadas y ha expandido el Tren de Aragua, transformándolo de una pandilla carcelaria dedicada a la extorsión y el soborno a una organización con creciente influencia en todo el hemisferio occidental. El 11 de julio de 2024 , el Departamento de Estado ofreció una recompensa de hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que condujera al arresto y/o la condena”, sostuvo el Departamento del Tesoro de EEUU en un comunicado de prensa el 17 de julio de 2025.
Entre 2015 y 2018, el Tren de Aragua se consolidó como la mayor de las 19 megabandas delictivas que operaban en Venezuela, lo que contribuyó a que la tasa de homicidios alcanzara niveles récord en el país.
La Fundación TAEDA e IBI Consultants destacaron en un informe conjunto en 2025 que aunque la estructura del Tren de Aragua es vertical y cuenta con líderes claramente definidos, las órdenes y decisiones se transmiten de manera general, permitiendo que cada división territorial las ejecute según su propio criterio.
Esta flexibilidad, junto con la dispersión de la migración venezolana a lo largo de la región y la porosidad de las fronteras de Venezuela y países vecinos tras la pandemia, facilitó que la organización estableciera una red ilegal centrada en el narcotráfico y el tráfico de personas, lo que impulsó su expansión por América Latina a partir de 2018.
El Tren de Aragua se expandió a Perú, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia y otros países de Latinoamérica, generando preocupación entre autoridades, ciudadanía y medios por su versatilidad delictiva y la ambición de controlar múltiples territorios.
Hoy, la organización es considerada una de las bandas criminales extranjeras más poderosas de la región y la que interviene en más actividades ilícitas. Obtiene millones de dólares a través de extorsiones, secuestros, trata de personas, narcotráfico, explotación sexual y asaltos, entre otros delitos.
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The Kennedy Center board on Friday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block a judge’s order requiring references to President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the institution’s signage and official materials, as signage bearing Trump’s name remained visible on the building’s facade late Friday afternoon.
In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the board requested both a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay, arguing that physical changes to the building should not occur before appellate judges review the dispute.
The filing asks the court to issue an administrative stay by 7 p.m. Friday.
Fox News Digital observed Friday afternoon that Trump’s name remained mounted on the Kennedy Center facade as of 5:30 p.m. ET, with scaffolding erected around portions of the signage.
Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s request to pause enforcement of his ruling while the appeal proceeds, finding that the defendants had not demonstrated either a likelihood of success on appeal or irreparable harm.
OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE WITH TIES TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY HIT WITH MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT
People watch construction workers build scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center board sought an emergency appeal to block a court order requiring the removal of Trump’s name, but a judge denied the request. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Kennedy Center board argued in its emergency filing that removing and potentially reinstalling signage would force it to incur costs that could not be recovered if it ultimately prevails on appeal.
The board also argued that removing Trump’s name could impair fundraising efforts and create public confusion if the Center’s name changes again following a successful appeal. The motion further contends that the case raises significant questions regarding the board’s authority and whether Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, had standing to bring the lawsuit.
The latest filing stems from Cooper’s May 29 ruling that Congress, not the Kennedy Center board, has authority over the institution’s name. The judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from physical signage, digital materials and official branding and directed the Center to comply within 14 days.
BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS
Construction workers build scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, D.C., on Friday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In a lengthy opinion, Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center’s governing statute «makes crystal clear» that the institution is to be named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot be formally renamed through unilateral board action.
The judge concluded that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and that only Congress can change it.
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.
Following the May 29 decision, Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said the board intended to appeal.
EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, speaks near scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Friday, as construction workers work nearby. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration — a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,» Daravi told Fox News Digital at the time.
«With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place, and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.»
Beatty praised the ruling, saying in a statement that the Kennedy Center «belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.»
Trump’s name was added to the venue in December after a unanimous vote of the board. Signage bearing the president’s name was installed above the existing Kennedy Center lettering shortly afterward.
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As of Friday afternoon, the appeals court had not publicly ruled on the emergency request, leaving unresolved whether Trump’s name would remain in place beyond the court-ordered compliance deadline.
The emergency appeal asks the D.C. Circuit to preserve the status quo while it considers the board’s broader appeal of Cooper’s ruling.
The White House and a representative for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this reporting.
kennedy center, federal judges, donald trump, congress, appeals, federal courts, politics
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