Virginia Tech University violated a male student’s due process rights when it gave him just one day to prepare for a hearing on allegations he had sexually assaulted a female student, a court has ruled.
The Iranian graduate student, referred to in court documents as John Doe, said in <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vawd.122877/gov.uscourts.vawd.122877.109.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his lawsuit</a> against the university that he met the female student on a dating app in the fall of 2019, and they had a consensual relationship. It didn’t last, but he said he saw her on campus afterward, and they had a friendly conversation. He also alleges that, at some point, the woman made a racist comment about him, saying he was a “brown guy who smelled very bad.”
On November 20, 2019, the female student asked Virginia Tech administrators to issue a do-not-contact order for John, which it provided. At that time, the female student didn’t want to pursue the matter any further.
Two months later, however, she went back to school administrators and made a formal allegation of sexual assault against John. John wasn’t informed about the allegation until nearly a month later, on February 17, 2020, according to his lawsuit.
On February 28, John met with the school’s Title IX investigator to discuss the student conduct process. On this same day, John received the formal charges against him. On March 3, he met with the school’s assistant director of student conduct to further discuss the process. Just two days later, John was informed that his hearing would take place the next day, which he alleges gave him no time to prepare his defense. He asked for the hearing to be delayed but was denied. He was told he had been made aware of the allegations weeks earlier, on February 17.
At that time, however, John didn’t know the date of the hearing and did not obtain an adviser or legal counsel or procure a witness because he had no idea when they would be needed. It also didn’t give John time to review the school’s investigative report against him so he could mount a defense.
John had to attend his hearing without counsel or an advisor and said in his lawsuit that he couldn’t question witnesses and could not present witnesses of his own. Specifically, John learned that the allegations against him came from an incident with his accuser in an elevator. John said he knew a witness who could dispute the allegations.
John was found responsible for sexual assault and expelled, so he sued. In his lawsuit, John alleges the accuser was convinced to pursue the accusation against him by his former graduate advisor, whom John had made several complaints about. John alleges he was retaliated against after reporting that his advisor had made sexual comments about female students, provided grant money that should have gone to John to a female student, and fraudulently claimed John’s research was funded by grant money.
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While Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski – an Obama appointee – allowed Virginia Tech’s motion to dismiss John’s allegations of a hostile environment, he allowed his lawsuit to move forward on John&#8217;s claims of grant funding and retaliation. The court also found that John’s due process rights could have been violated when the school gave him a one-day notice of his hearing to determine whether he would be expelled.
The ruling was a win for John and could lead to a settlement with the university.
<a href="https://twitter.com/kcjohnson9/status/1775271052513624280?s=43&amp;t=zEuer7j4Ff8TVIcpiUO1KA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H/t K.C. Johnson</a>

Justice Scales

Student Accused Of Sexual Assault Receives Court Win After University Gave Him One-Day Notice Of Hearing

College

Courts

Sexual Assault

Title IX

U.S.

Virginia

Virginia Tech

A 35-year-old man has been charged with attempting to shoot up a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virginia</a> church after he allegedly posted threatening messages about the church online and showed up to the church on Sunday with a semi-automatic handgun and two loaded magazines.
Rui Jiang was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-man-charged-attempted-church-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> by the Department of Justice on Thursday with attempted obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, use and carry of a firearm during a crime of violence, and making threats. Jiang was arrested on September 24, 2023, outside of the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia, allegedly carrying a handgun and two loaded magazines after a member of the church had alerted authorities about concerning social media posts threatening violence he had reportedly made.
Police searched Jiang’s apartment and say they found five copies of a letter indicating that men in the church would be targeted in the shooting. “To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do. May your tears not be cried in vain, but to celebrate how your loved ones had lived,” the letter said.
The letter indicated that Jiang was angry about not being able to get into a romantic relationship. He <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/falls-church-man-charged-online-posts-threatening-haymarket-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> previously charged in February over the alleged threats.
An <a href="https://i.ntd.com/assets/uploads/2024/03/id982809-Jiang-previous-indictment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affidavit</a> in support of his arrest from an FBI agent who investigated the case included several of the social media posts that raised concerns and illustrated anger toward God and the church. The FBI spoke with police who had been alerted about the troubling social media posts.
“The officer observed multiple pictures posted to the account, including one burning a Bible in a frying pan on top of a stove, one with a Bible placed on the bathroom floor, and threatening messages against a church and the government,” the FBI agent wrote in her affidavit. “There were also pictures of a silhouette target with bullet holes in it with the hashtag ‘Fk God,’ as well as pictures from inside a white vehicle parked in a church parking lot at night.”
One post read: “Welcome to Park Valley church, attended by many top secret gov clearance holders in the area. From this day forward, you will know that this is how you will repaid me. Blood will be on your hands.”
The post with the picture of the Bible on the bathroom floor tagged Park Valley Church and was captioned, “Put the Bible on the floor next to the bathroom. Now everytime I take a piss, I have to step on it. #fk God.”
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According to the affidavit, Jiang denied that he had showed up to the church on Sunday to carry out an attack during an interview with police.
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&#8220;JIANG denied going to Park Valley Church to harm anyone or himself,&#8221; the affidavit said. &#8220;He admitted that he could see how someone could view his Instagram posts and emails coupled with him showing up to the church armed with a gun as &#8216;scary,&#8217; but believed it to be a misunderstanding.&#8221;
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Jiang could face life in prison if convicted. The FBI and the Prince William County, Virginia, and Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Departments were all involved in investigating the case.

intersection of religion & politics: rear view of rows of wooden pews with religious liturgy books stored in pew racks in church

Man Arrested With Handgun Outside Of Church Charged With Attempted Church Shooting

Christianity

Church

Crime

Department of Justice

Police

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bills on Thursday that were largely backed by Democrats in the state.
Youngkin released a statement explaining his decision to veto a bill that would allow the retail sale of cannabis along with a bill that would gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, WRIC <a href="https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/youngkin-vetoes-democrat-led-bills-to-raise-virginias-minimum-wage-and-open-legal-retail-cannabis-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The Republican governor cited dangers to “Virginians’ health and safety” — especially for children — as the main reason for vetoing the marijuana bill.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue,” Youngkin wrote in the statement.
Virginia was the first Southern state to legalize marijuana in 2021, but the law didn’t allow for retail sales of the drug, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-retail-marijuana-veto-youngkin-minimum-wage-d90ee994918c41eacb5a62c61378e37e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. While it’s legal for Virginians who are 21 and older to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis as well as purchase cannabis through the state’s medical program, sales for recreational weed remain illegal with Youngkin’s veto.
“Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to cannabis, following the failed paths of other states and endangering Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin also vetoed another Democrat-supported bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage, which stands at $12 an hour, to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026. The governor said the proposed minimum wage increase “imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness.”
“The free market for salaries and wages works,” said Youngkin. “It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences.”
Youngkin also expressed concern about how the minimum wage bill would affect small businesses in rural parts of Virginia, where the economic conditions don’t match those of the cities in the northern part of the state.
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“Implementing a $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions create a higher cost of living, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside,” he said. “A one-size-fits-all mandate ignores the vast economic and geographic differences and undermines the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences and market dynamics.”
The minimum wage increase passed by Virginia Democrats in 2020 established the $12-an-hour rate and allows for further bumps in the future as long as the state’s Assembly votes in favor of increasing the minimum wage again. Currently, Virginia has a <a href="https://www.paycom.com/resources/blog/minimum-wage-rate-by-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher minimum wage</a> than over half of the country.

Glenn Youngkin

Glenn Youngkin Vetoes Bills That Would Open Legal Marijuana Market, Raise Minimum Wage

Marijuana

Minimum Wage

Politics

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed 30 gun control bills on Tuesday afternoon, using his perch as a Republican governor to restrain Democrats from taking the state in a leftward direction despite the party having taken full control of the legislature in November.
“I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Virginia, and that absolutely includes protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms,” Youngkin said in a statement.
In the batch of 30 bills blocked on Tuesday, the governor explained his reasoning for each. He blocked a bill that would criminalize gun possession at public colleges, saying that the Democrats failed to consider &#8220;Virginia&#8217;s diverse geographic, cultural, and societal norms across different regions,&#8221; and that individual colleges can already prohibit guns if they want to.
Another bill, prohibiting home-based firearms dealers near schools, appeared to be targeted at one specific individual, and is therefore constitutional, he said.
For decades, Virginia&#8217;s legislature was largely controlled by Republicans, but in recent years, population growth in Northern Virginia led to become essentially a blue state. Democrats gained full control of the legislature in 2019, and aggressively pushed a slew of far-left actions.
Voters rebelled and elected Youngkin in a surprise victory in 2021, along with returning the House of Delegates to Republicans. Dem. Sen. Louise Lucas, then the leader of the Senate, frequently gloated that the Senate was a &#8220;brick wall&#8221; that would prevent Youngkin from getting his way.
Democrats took the House and retained the Senate in November, but now the tables have turned, with Youngkin serving as a brick wall against the legislature. He is currently blocking the Democrats&#8217; proposed budget, which would raise taxes, and seeking a compromise.
Tuesday&#8217;s vetoes show that in order to get bills passed, they will have to work with Youngkin and moderate their positions.
Among the other bills vetoed include one that would have blocked widely-used gun safety courses from being used for concealed carry permits, having people take them instead from the state&#8217;s Department of Criminal Justice Services.
House Bill 799 would have required fingerprints to be submitted to obtain a concealed carry permit, which would be kept by the FBI. Youngkin said in 2012, members of both parties agreed this was superfluous given existing background checks, and that &#8220;concealed carry permit holders are known for being law-abiding citizens in the Commonwealth.&#8221;
House Bill 318 could have issued civil penalties to firearm companies, even though &#8220;the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) already provides a framework for addressing civil actions against firearms industry entities concerning negligent entrustment and defects,&#8221; Youngkin explained. He also said that the &#8220;Department of Justice has consistently defended the PLCAA.&#8221;
&#8220;The DOJ has argued against attempts by states to implement regulatory schemes as a loophole to the PLCAA, deeming them unconstitutional and lacking merit,&#8221; he said.
The veto &#8220;prevents baseless litigation that could financially devastate a lawful industry with exorbitant legal fees. Other lawful industries, such as vaccine producers, have similar protections,&#8221; he wrote.
Youngkin also blocked an attempt to reduce concealed-carry permit reciprocity with other states, a waiting period to purchase guns.
He said an attempt to punish people who left their gun in the car and had it stolen focused on criminalizing legal gun owners instead of the criminals who stole it, and that &#8220;the Commonwealth should prioritize prosecution and severe punishment for individuals who commit crimes.&#8221;
Another bill would have criminalized possessing a firearm within 100 feet of voting locations, which in combination with Democrats&#8217; months-long voting using myriad ballot boxes &#8220;would necessitate individuals to navigate around various locations permanently, regardless of their purpose in the area.&#8221;
Another would use a government entity &#8220;to study the social, physical, emotional, and economic health effects of gun violence,&#8221; which Youngkin said &#8220;would expand the use of studies based on political beliefs.&#8221;
Other bills were unconstitutional, duplicative, vague, or had been overturned by courts when employed in other states, he said, including an age limit of 21 for purchasing guns.
The flurry of dozens of anti-gun bills by Democrats may not be designed to actually reduce violence, as Democrat prosecutors in the commonwealth have increasingly let violent criminals go.
A Virginia man arrested for 12 counts of rape this week was able to allegedly commit those offenses in part because far-left Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano had dropped more than a dozen charges for felonies and serious misdemeanors against the man since 2020, <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/fairfax-county-sexual-assault-suspect-dozens-of-prior-charges-dropped-criminal-history-kevin-lopez-altan-crime-arrest-virginia-prosecutor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WJLA</a> reported.
Virginia governors are limited to a single term, and the next governor will be elected next year.

Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin Vetoes Dozens Of Gun Control Bills, Emerges As ‘Brick Wall’ Against Democrats

Gun Laws

Red States

In the same Virginia county whose Board of Supervisors once voted to <a href="https://www.potomaclocal.com/2021/03/29/fairfax-restricts-flags-declares-moral-bankruptcy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restrict the size of American flags</a>, the county’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/virginia-county-declares-trans-visibility-day-easter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">observe its Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter</a>, March 31, this year.
Although March 31 is the date when the Transgender Day of Visibility is marked every year, critics are furious that the holiest day on the Christian calendar will see the transgender celebration. County Board Chairman Jeff McKay, a Democrat, said the decision was the board’s “moral responsibility to stand up for all people, not just the people we like or the people we agree with.”
Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, another Democrat, echoed, “I&#8217;m just very happy that we&#8217;re recognizing a community that has too often been pushed into the shadows and celebrating yet another community within our diverse tapestry here in Fairfax County,” adding that the county wants “to make sure that everybody who&#8217;s a part of our community feels welcomed, feels loved and feels empowered.”
One Republican member of the board,  Patrick Herrity, was absent for the vote, prompting Democrat board member James Walkinshaw to state he was  &#8220;looking forward to the day when we have a full dais for this proclamation, and that day will come.&#8221;
“By voting to make Easter this year Transgender Visibility Day, they are intentionally trying to offend Christians on the holiest of days by forcing gender ideology down their throats,” Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women&#8217;s Network, said, adding, “This is reprehensible and unbecoming of our elected representatives.”
A 2021 county youth survey directed at schoolchildren as young as 12 years old in Fairfax County, Virginia, asked them questions such as whether they had ever had sex, how old they were when it happened, and how many people they had had sexual intercourse with.
The 2021 Fairfax County <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/538162041/Fairfax-Youth-Survey-Grades-8-10-12#from_embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Youth Survey</a>, a collaboration between Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools, as WJLA<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/new-survey-asks-fairfax-students-12-and-up-about-sex-life-dating-life-home-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reported</a>, targeted students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade. The survey was anonymous and not mandatory.
Some sample questions included:
<ul>
<li>Some people describe themselves as transgender when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender. Are you transgender?</li>
<li>Which of the following best describes you: Heterosexual (straight), Gay or Lesbian, Bisexual, Not Sure.</li>
<li>Have you ever had sexual intercourse?</li>
<li>How old were you when you had sexual intercourse the first time?</li>
<li>During your life, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?</li>
<li>During the last three months, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?</li>
<li>The last time you had sexual intercourse, did you or your partner use a condom?</li>
<li>Have you ever had oral sex?</li>
</ul>
In 2022, The Daily Wire reported:
<blockquote>
A Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools curriculum has students play “privilege” bingo, giving them privilege points if they are white, male, employed or “involved in extra-curricular [sic] activities,” or “feel represented in the media.” It also says one has “privilege” if they are a “Military Kid,” drawing shock from parents who pointed out that children of military members must move away from their friends constantly, not see one of their parents for months on end, potentially deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, and risk becoming orphans.
</blockquote>
Luke Rosiak contributed to this article.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fairfax-schools-tell-children-of-military-members-that-they-have-privilege">Fairfax Schools Tell Children Of Military Members That They Have &#8216;Privilege&#8217;</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fairfax-county-asks-12-year-old-school-children-about-their-sex-life">Fairfax County Asks 12-Year-Old School Children About Their Sex Life</a>

Easter

Fairfax County Board Votes Unanimously To Celebrate ‘Transgender Day Of Visibility’ On Easter

Fairfax County

Transgender

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virginia’s</a> largest school district will let students skip a presentation from a Holocaust survivor, saying the diverse district includes students with “different experiences.”
“We understand that all students have different experiences. If you prefer to opt your child out from participating in this presentation, please email your child’s history teacher and they will be provided an alternate assignment. Please email your child’s history teacher with any questions that you may have,” a letter from Cooper Middle School said.
The letter referred to a scheduled presentation from a Holocaust survivor to seventh-graders, according to Adele Scalia, a mother of one of those middle schoolers.
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A Holocaust survivor is coming to speak to my son’s 7th grade History class on Monday. Wonderful. What’s less than wonderful, though, is the opt-out for this lesson because “We understand that all students have different experiences.” What does that even mean? <a href="https://t.co/FEDldcu1hi">pic.twitter.com/FEDldcu1hi</a>
&mdash; Adele Scalia (@AdeleScalia) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdeleScalia/status/1768416461154820413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) claimed it is advertising an opt-out for the benefit of Jews.
“Each year, Cooper MS invites a Holocaust survivor to speak with students to affirm meaningful learning experiences that increase representation of all identity groups that are essential to student learning. Some Jewish students have previously expressed discomfort while engaging in dialogue around this visit. For that reason, school leadership makes every effort to partner with families of these students, who are 12 and 13 years old, to keep them informed. This opt-out allows the family the opportunity to make the best informed decision on behalf of their student,” it said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
Scalia said on social media that she is drawing “less charitable (but more likely) conclusions.” The Left has been pressured by Islamic extremists to demonize Israel following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on the Jewish nation on October 7, and liberals have used the same language of “colonization” and “oppression” that they apply to whites in the U.S. to Israelis.
“If the email had said ‘We understand that some students are very sensitive and Mrs. X’s stories my be disturbing and traumatizing to them…’ I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. But it didn’t,” Scalia wrote.
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Fairfax County contains a hotbed of Muslim extremism. A mosque there, attended by several 9/11 hijackers as well as the Fort Hood terrorist, was presided over by the father of Abrar Omeish, who until this year was a member of the Fairfax County school board. Omeish voted against an FCPS resolution offering a moment of silence for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-board-member-abrar-omeish-whose-father-led-september-11-hijackers-mosque-opposes-resolution-honoring-victims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victims of 9/11</a> and another for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-school-board-member-opposes-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-hamas-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victims of October&#8217;s Hamas attacks</a> on Israel, said the decisive World War II victor at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-board-member-calls-iwo-jima-unfortunate-evil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iwo Jima was &#8220;unfortunate,&#8221;</a> and gave a graduation speech encouraging students to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-tells-high-school-grads-theyre-entering-capitalism-white-supremacy-remember-jihad-reject-objectivity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“remember your jihad”</a> and reject capitalism.
Jennifer Katz, a founding member of United Against Anti-Semitism and a Jewish parent of two FCPS students, told The Daily Wire that hearing from a Holocaust survivor is supposed to be emotionally difficult, and is part of gaining a full understanding of the tragedy.
“If a specific student is directly tied to the Holocaust or a Holocaust survivor, and the topic is too sensitive for them, then it can be handled on an individual basis. To make a blanket opt out option is misguided and wrong,” she told The Daily Wire.
“Given the hostile climate for many Jewish students nationwide, mandatory Holocaust education is more important than ever. The Holocaust is more than just learning that six million Jews were killed, it’s learning how this was able to happen in the first place,” she said.
The opt-out of the Holocaust lesson in FCPS, whose school board is entirely Democrat, is a reversal from the Left’s position on opt-outs on topics like transgenderism and anti-racism, which typically holds that hard truths are often uncomfortable, that it is the role of a school to instill certain values, and that on some issues, there are not two sides, but only good and evil.
“When a parent chooses to censor a lesson over its content, their child loses the opportunity to engage with a different perspective. This robs the child of the benefits to critical thinking, social development, and civic engagement that come from grappling with diverse perspectives. In engaging with difference, we promote the type of informed thinking that forms the bedrock of democracy. In avoiding difference, we stifle it,” an education researcher wrote in <a href="https://time.com/6227537/opt-out-school-lessons/">Time Magazine</a>, layout out the dominant view of Democrat politicos, who have sought to prevent parents from opting their students out as schools have increasingly pushed Democrat politics under the guise of diversity and inclusion, social emotional learning, sed ed, and other topics.
<div id="attachment_609645" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-609645" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-609645" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1545669681-scaled-e1692970305791-864x576.jpg" alt="MARYLAND, UNITED STATES - JULY 20: A group of Montgomery County parents gather outside MCPS Board of Education to protest a policy that doesnât allow students to opt-out of lessons on gender and LGBTQ+ issues during the school board meeting in Maryland, United States on July 20, 2023." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1545669681-scaled-e1692970305791-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1545669681-scaled-e1692970305791-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1545669681-scaled-e1692970305791-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1545669681-scaled-e1692970305791.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Muslim activists demand opt-out of LGBT lessons in Montgomery County, Maryland. / Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</div>
In Montgomery County, Maryland, which borders Fairfax, the Muslim group CAIR sued the all-Democrat school board over its refusal to let parents opt their students out of lessons pushing gay and lesbian topics. MCPS fought vigorously and successfully to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-court-in-maryland-says-parents-dont-have-a-fundamental-right-to-opt-kids-out-of-radical-gender-theory-curriculum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deny opt-out rights</a>.
With some people claiming that the Holocaust did not even occur, the lesson is one of the last chances to hear from someone who survived it first-hand, as survivors are perishing of old age.
Prior to the election of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a video promoted by Virginia&#8217;s state Department of Education, then presided over by Democrat Atif Qarni, sought to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/va-doe-9-11-sensitivity-training-video-rejects-american-exceptionalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dampen the emotional resonance of 9/11</a>, advising teachers not to call it “terrorism” and to focus on “anti-Muslim racism” while making sure not “to reproduce what’s understood as American exceptionalism.”

Israel Flag At Auschwitz

Fairfax Schools To Let Students Opt Out Of Holocaust Lesson, Citing Students With ‘Different Experiences’

Anti-Semitism

Education

Israel

Democrats in the Virginia state Senate derailed a hearing on Monday after the state’s lieutenant governor absentmindedly responded “yes sir” to an inquiry from deep-voiced Sen. Danica Roem, a man who believes he is a woman.
“Madam president, how many votes would it take to pass this bill with the emergency clause?” Roem asked Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, a Republican, about a mundane bill that was being voted on.
“That would be four-fifths,” replied Sears, who as lieutenant governor presides over the Senate.
“And what would be the exact number for that madam president?” Roem added.
“Yes, sir, that would be 32,” Sears said as she looked through papers. “Those in favor of that motion shall record their votes aye,” she said, calling the vote.
Roem stormed out and missed the vote. A shout could be heard as he was leaving, though it wasn’t clear who made the sound or what it said.
After the vote, Sears recognized Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dems-could-lose-control-of-state-senate-because-one-of-its-members-may-have-lied-about-her-residence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ghazala Hashmi</a>, whose turn it was to describe the next bill. But Hashmi would not speak. Several Democrat senators began leaving the room. Sen. Scott Surovell then said, “I think I’d ask that we take a recess for five minutes.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears calls trans Sen. Danica Roem ‘sir’ and Roem storms out of the chamber
“I’m not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job the people of VA have called me to do,” said Lt. Gov. Sears. <a href="https://t.co/QUshPogqDJ">pic.twitter.com/QUshPogqDJ</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1762248338252931346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Seven minutes later, the body reconvened, and Sears said, “The chair again recognizes Sen. Hashmi, the senator from Chesterfield.” Hashmi again refused to speak, and Sears put the Senate back in recess.
Three minutes later, the hearing resumed, and Sears appeared irritated but measured.
“I said something that upset Sen. Roem. Let it be known I am not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job that the people of Virginia have called me to do and that is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I myself have at times not been afforded that same respect and dignity, but in this body and as long as I am president of the Senate and by the grace of God, I will be treated with respect and dignity and I will treat everyone else with respect and dignity.”
She said she frequently calls people by the wrong names, noting that she had just mistakenly put “the House” into recess instead of the Senate. “I apologize. And I would hope that everyone would understand there is no intent to offend.”
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Hashmi finally discussed the bill.
The Democratic Party of Virginia refused to accept Sears&#8217; apology, writing on X, &#8220;We will not forget this smear.&#8221;
Earlier this month, Hashmi’s education committee <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+vot+S04V0110+SB0037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> Sage’s Law, a bill passed by the House of Delegates last session that would prevent schools from hiding a child’s gender transition from their parents. It is named after Sage, a girl who was trafficked from rural Virginia to Baltimore and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mother-of-sex-trafficked-teen-files-lawsuit-after-girl-was-held-in-boys-group-home-to-affirm-her-trans-identity">raped by a registered sex offender</a> after going through trouble at school that her parents knew nothing about, and after school staff allegedly repeatedly encouraged her to transition. After the FBI rescued her from the sex trafficker, Baltimore placed her into a group home full of Baltimore&#8217;s roughest male youths. After her mother rescued her, she later said she was not actually transgender.

Sen. Danica Roem / Virginia Senate

Virginia Democrats Derail Hearing After Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Says ‘Yes, Sir’ To Transgender Senator

Gender Pronouns

Pronouns

Social Issues

Winsome Sears

As businesses flee Washington, D.C., due to rising crime, Democrats have fought back against plans for two of its professional sports teams to leave D.C. for Virginia. 
Mayor Muriel Bowser (D-D.C.) <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/09/mayor-bowser-washington-sports-teams-arena-ted-leonsis/">has pushed</a> for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals to stay in the city after Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the organization that owns both teams, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/d-c-poised-to-lose-two-professional-sports-teams-to-virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced plans</a> last year to move the franchises to Virginia. The move has been promoted by Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) who wants to help finance the move, but some Democrats in the Virginia state Senate are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/15/caps-wizards-arena-virginia-senate-bill-budget/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempting</a> to kill the measure. 
Both teams play at the Capital One Arena, an area that has not been immune to rising crime in recent years. Ted Leonsis, the CEO of Monumental Sports, has <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/03/23/crime-sports-capital-dc-monumental" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> been concerned about crime in the area for months and <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/i-dont-believe-im-abandoning-dc-caps-wizards-owner-ted-leonsis-talks-to-news4-about-monumental-move/3538152/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> moving to Virginia is a wise business decision. 
According to <a href="https://crimecards.dc.gov/all:crimes/all:weapons/2:years/near:a%20location::601%20F%20Street%20NW:38_89794766412064,-77_02095693644267:1000:feet">police data</a>, there were 168 more incidents of crime in the area within 1,000 feet of the arena in the last two years compared to the two previous years. This included seven sex abuse crimes, 15 assaults with a dangerous weapon, 51 robberies, 136 thefts from cars, 64 stolen cars, and a homicide. The data show that incidents of violent crime have more than doubled comparing the last two years from the previous two. 
<div id="attachment_697735" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-697735" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-697735 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-1024x494.png" alt="" width="1024" height="494" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-1024x494.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-300x145.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-768x370.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-1536x741.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.30.50-AM-2048x988.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />D.C. Police statistics.</div>
A crime map generated using D.C. police statistics shows a ring of criminal incidents encircling the arena. 
<div id="attachment_697739" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-697739" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-697739 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-1024x474.png" alt="" width="1024" height="474" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-1024x474.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-300x139.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-768x356.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-1536x712.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-16-at-10.32.11-AM-2048x949.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />D.C. Police statistics.</div>
Bowser has offered Monumental roughly $500 million in incentives to keep it in the area, which she said would <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/09/mayor-bowser-washington-sports-teams-arena-ted-leonsis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help</a> it “avoid any broken promises, breached leases or potential litigation.”
“We intend to keep our end of the bargain and enforce the leases with Monumental that require the Wizards and Capitals to play at the arena through 2047 and the Mystics to play in Congress Heights through 2037,” Bowser said in an op-ed earlier this week for the Washington Post. “If Monumental goes ahead and breaks its leases, the short-term impact will be tough, not only on the neighborhood, but on our entire city. But let me be clear: The city owns the land under the Capital One Arena and will own the building should Monumental break its lease.”
Bowser&#8217;s pitch, which discounted crime as a reason for the proposed move, got a little tougher on Wednesday after a man was reportedly robbed by two men with a gun and a knife on 6th St and F St NW D.C., just outside of the arena. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ARMED STREET ROBBERY&#8212; in the area of Capital One Arena and the firehouse, 6th St and F St NW DC. Man was robbed of his wallet and a large amount of $$ by a man with a gun and another with a knife. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PennQuarterDC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PennQuarterDC</a> <a href="https://t.co/wh9odX1D6w">pic.twitter.com/wh9odX1D6w</a>
&mdash; Alan Henney (@alanhenney) <a href="https://twitter.com/alanhenney/status/1757891519871070374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked by The Daily Wire, D.C. police were unable to confirm a call for service from that address on Wednesday. 
Youngkin has hoped to contribute $2 billion in state bonds to construct an arena in a deal with Monumental Sports, a proposal that has been approved by the state House but is currently facing an uphill battle in the state Senate with Finance and Appropriations Chair L. Louise Lucas opposing the funding. 
Despite rising crime, D.C. councilmembers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/d-c-withdraws-overhaul-of-criminal-code-after-biden-rebuke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempted</a> to overhaul the city’s criminal code last year to impose lighter punishments on crime, an effort that was eventually shot down by the White House after the Republican majority in the House voted in February to disapprove of the Revised Criminal Code Act with the support of 31 Democrats.
In 2023, the city saw the <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/washington-dc-homicides-2023-crime/65-716f255b-2a4e-4928-a37e-ef4ec8f86fec">highest number</a> of homicides in over 20 years as well as a rash of carjackings. Mike Gill, a former member of the Trump administration, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-trump-official-mike-gill-shot-during-d-c-carjacking-dies-from-injuries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died earlier</a> this month after being gunned down on K Street while picking up his wife. 
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In response, many businesses have moved to nearby Northern Virginia or closed their doors altogether. The CoStar Group, an analytics and marketing group, <a href="https://www.arlnow.com/2024/02/13/breaking-arlington-lands-hq-of-another-publicly-traded-company/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced this week</a> it would be moving its headquarters from D.C. to Arlington. 
On Thursday, the Stadium Sports Bar and Smokehouse in Navy Yard near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, another area that has been plagued with crime, <a href="https://twitter.com/AllisonPapson/status/1758344293662556188" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it was closing down in part because of an “uptick in crime.” 
Former President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/violent-crime-soars-washington-dc-trump-vows-federal-takeover-rcna136936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has decried</a> the lawlessness of D.C. and has proposed a“federal takeover of this filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment to our nation.”
“We’re going to federalize it. We’re gonna have the toughest law enforcement in the country. We’re not going to have any more crime and it’s going to look beautiful,” Trump said.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser And Law Enforcement Officials Brief Media On Security Plan For State Of The Union

Democrats Try To Force Professional Sports Teams To Stay In D.C. As Crime Skyrockets

Donald Trump

Muriel Bowser

Sports

Washington D.C.

Virginia’s largest school division put a “sex therapist” who promotes “kinky” acts like BDSM — a form of physical abuse geared to those who are aroused by humiliation — in charge of deciding whether to heed parent complaints about books that may be inappropriate for children, The Daily Wire has learned.
Fairfax County School Board chair Karl Frisch, a gay activist who recently became chairman of the school board, appointed Laila Cooper, the sex therapist, to the Challenged Materials Interdepartmental Review Committee <a href="https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&amp;id=CWPPMH65065D">on January 25</a>, according to public school board documents. The appointment put Cooper in position to assess any request received by the school district about books.
&#8220;This Committee is activated only if a Fairfax County or City resident, without a student enrolled in a school, submits a formal request to remove a book or other media from FCPS,&#8221; it explained. &#8220;If a request is received, committee members will review the request, read or view the material identified, evaluate and discuss the request, and submit an individual <a href="https://www.fcps.edu/aggregator/sources/16" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote to uphold or deny removal</a> of the material from FCPS.”
The appointment of Laila Cooper, the sex therapist, is a provocative gesture intended to signal that although the school system <a href="https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/CSMQ4Y674B1A/$file/R%203009.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">technically has a process</a> for registering complaints about obscene materials, such complaints are likely to be essentially thrown in the trash, parents told The Daily Wire.
In a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/laila-cooper-fairfax-va/127057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">professional bio of Cooper</a>, she states, “I work from an affirming and social justice approach with the LGBTQIA community and people of color, and I am kink- and non-monogamy informed and affirming&#8230; My work is focused on sex and gender issues (including transgender issues), sexual orientation, kink/BDSM, and interpersonal relationships (including couples, polyamory, family dyads).”
Cooper’s work, according to her <a href="https://archive.is/5kfQ2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, “includes but is not limited to: navigating non-monogamy (i.e., polyamory, open relationships, swingers, monogamish, throuples, etc.), kinky sex (e.g., BDSM, group sex, fetish), painful sex, difficulty with orgasm, erection issues, shame and anxiety related to sex, out of control sexual behavior (aka sex addiction), sexual orientation, and gender transition.  I work with all genders, sexualities, and relationship formats from an informed, non-judgmental, affirming, and celebratory stance.”
Her practice also includes providing paperwork that people can use to get gender surgery. “As ethically possible, I provide all documentation necessary to do this following a consultation with you,” she says. “I work from an informed consent model, wherein my goal is to advocate for and help you achieve the care you need and desire.”
She also writes doctor&#8217;s notes intended to help illegal immigrants convince a court that they need asylum. “As a longstanding advocate for the human rights of immigrants, I offer psychological evaluations (in English and Spanish) that accompany other legal documentation for asylum, human trafficking, and other immigration-related cases,” her website says.
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After The Daily Wire asked Frisch and Cooper about the appointment, Cooper said she has stepped down from the committee to avoid political damage to Frisch.
“Yes I was recently appointed to the Challenged Materials Committee,&#8221; Cooper said in an email. &#8220;I applied for the committee as an involved mother who cares about the school community and, in particular, about access to diverse reading materials. Although that was the extent of my discussion with Mr. Frisch regarding my desire to be on the committee, I understand that my professional background is causing distraction from the important work being done by him and other members of the school board; thus I have stepped down from the role. My work as a licensed clinical psychologist is unrelated to my desire to be on the committee,” she said in an email.
The appointment has not previously been reported, and she did not say when she tendered her resignation.
Frisch did not respond to a request for comment, and Fairfax County Public Schools spokeswomen Hellen Lloyd and Julie Moult did not reply to a request for the names of current committee members.
Brooke Corbett, a Fairfax mother, said she feels “like FCPS school board members live in an alternate reality” for thinking that out of all the county’s 1.4 million residents, someone who makes their living “affirming” “kinks” would be the right person to decide whether residents are correct to think a book is inappropriate. 
“A ‘professional’ with such credentials, assigned to a panel to adjudicate what is deemed appropriate material flagged by concerned taxpayers, will most certainly be biased in the determination of what’s appropriate to sit on our kids’ school library shelves, what’s presented to them in the classrooms and assemblies, in Family Life Education/sex-ed instruction, and what’s sanctioned to be presented in after-school clubs,” Corbett told The Daily Wire.
“The biases someone like Cooper brings to this role promote and enable grooming behavior of our children, plain and simple. It makes me suspicious and want to know what is Frisch’s motivation in supporting individuals and groups who normalize sexually explicit, disordered, adult practices to children… I hope all parents and concerned citizens take note of Frisch’s decisions,” she added.
Frisch is a career Democrat operative who in 2019 ran for school board despite the fact that he had no children and no college degree, the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Race-Bottom-Uncovering-Destroying-Education/dp/0063056720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Race to the Bottom</a> reported. After he was elected to office, his Twitter account, on which he often posted school board content, followed multiple accounts dedicated to tweeting hardcore pornography, it found. 
When he was sworn in this year for his second term, he took his oath of office with his hand not on a Bible, but on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-board-member-sworn-in-on-stack-of-gay-porn-instead-of-bible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stack of books depicting gay sex</a>.
Sexual orientation is a primary focus of his interest in policy, the book reported. In 2012, he warned that if Mitt Romney won the presidency, Romney would modify the U.S. Constitution and force gays to leave the country.
He won his seat on the suburban school board in 2019 by nationalizing a local race, raising money from leftist activists across the country by invoking gay issues. Tapping people in places like California to fund a school board race in Virginia, he raised $183,000, far more than anyone had ever raised for the position. One school board fundraising event advertised an appearance by a drag queen.
In 2021, a Fairfax review committee voted to keep <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-library-association-transgender-gender-queer-comics-schools">“Gender Queer”</a> in schools, claiming that the cartoon is “scientifically based” and that its images, including of a woman performing oral sex on a transgender person, “do not qualify as obscene.” In the book, the narrator visits the headquarters of a porn company that produced films called “Public Disgrace,” “Bound in Public,” and “Hardcore Gangbangs.” The book’s author, Maia Kobabe, said she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/author-of-infamous-gender-queer-book-i-dont-recommend-this-book-for-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">does not recommend it</a> for children.
A review committee said that the book Lawn Boy — which includes the words, “What if I told you I touched another guy’s d***? What if I told you I sucked it? I was ten years old, but it’s true. I sucked Doug Goble’s d**&#8221; — has “literary value as a narrative representing the <a href="https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/policies-regulations-and-notices/school-library-collections/library-books-challenge-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perspective of a significant portion</a> of students in Fairfax County Public Schools.”
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Laila Cooper, left, was appointed to a committee by Fairfax school board chair Karl Frisch, right. (drlailacooper.com / YouTube)

Virginia’s Largest School District Put A ‘Kink-Affirming’ Bondage Specialist In Charge Of Reviewing Parent Complaints About Books

Parental Rights in Education

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sued the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ncaa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NCAA</a> on Wednesday, accusing the organization of antitrust violations related to its name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies.
According to the <a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2024/pr24-10-NCAA.Antitrust.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on Wednesday, the NCAA has been “artificially depressing” the amount of compensation prospective student-athletes can earn through NIL deals and their ability to negotiate those deals.
“This is all about protecting student athletes and prospective student athletes in making sure that they have market sources available to properly value their name, image, and likeness rights [because] the NCAA has a structure that artificially restricts the market in a way that hurts the student athletes,” Skrmetti told The Daily Wire.
“Student athletes are the heart of college sports and everybody else in college sports is getting rich, and the student athletes are getting left behind because of the lack of competition for their name, image, and likeness rights. That’s illegal and it’s not fair. It’s not right,” he added.
The lawsuit is aimed at rules from the NCAA that limit the ability of prospective student athletes to negotiate NIL rights. According to the suit, these rules harm athletes “at a critical juncture in the recruiting calendar.”
The lawsuit says that the rule “bans prospective college athletes (including current college athletes looking to transfer to another school who are in the ‘transfer portal’) from discussing potential NIL opportunities before they actually enroll. It’s like a coach looking for a new job, and freely talking to many different schools, but being unable to negotiate salary until after he’s picked one (the depressive effect on coaches’ wages in such a dysfunctional market is obvious).”
The NCAA has said the rules act as necessary protections for student athletes after they were first allowed to pursue such deals in 2021.
Skrmetti said that the issue came to his attention last year after there was concern that the NCAA might institute a postseason ban for the University of Tennessee football team after recruiting violations that occurred under a former coach. He said the bowl ban would have harmed the NIL rights of the students who were not connected to the infractions.
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“Student-athletes generate massive revenues for the NCAA, its members, and corporations within the college sports industry, especially in football and basketball,” Miyares <a href="https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/2680-january-31-2024-attorney-general-miyares-sues-ncaa-over-nil-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. “Student athletes should have more freedom over negotiating and earning money for their skills and ability. Colleges and universities benefit dramatically from the success of their student athletes &#8212; it’s only fair that student athletes also get the full picture of how they may benefit from their choice of school as well.”
Skrmetti said that the suit wasn’t directed to protect any specific institution, but was about the rights of student athletes and the principle that “concentrated power causes harm.”
“I’m not for, necessarily, the Wild West of unregulated college sports, but what we have now is such an inconsistent and arbitrary and unfair system, there has to be some deep change to make sure that it both comports with the law and is doing right by student athletes,” he said.

2018 NCAA Division III Football Championship

Tennessee, Virginia Attorneys General File Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA

Antitrust

Jason Miyares

NCAA

Tennessee

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Siding with Texas Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-call-on-biden-to-seize-control-of-texas-national-guard-from-abbott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Abbott</a> (R) on Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) criticized President Joe Biden and his &#8220;border czar&#8221; for continued problems at the Mexico/U.S. border.
Abbott is in a dispute with the White House over the security at the border. According to Abbott, Texas has a &#8220;constitutional right to self-defense,&#8221; and therefore the right to try to secure the Texas border if Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.
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&#8220;Virginia stands with Texas,&#8221; Youngkin posted to X on Wednesday, captioning a lengthy statement from Abbott concerning the border dispute.
&#8220;Greg Abbott is doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border,&#8221; Youngkin continued, referencing U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
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&#8220;The Biden administration has turned every state into a border state,&#8221; the Virginia governor continued. &#8220;We must stop the flow of fentanyl, save lives, and secure our southern border.&#8221;
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Virginia stands with Texas. <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GregAbbott_TX</a> is doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border. 
The Biden administration has turned every state into a border state. We must stop the flow of fentanyl, save lives, and secure our southern border. <a href="https://t.co/XaPu2RqJBP">https://t.co/XaPu2RqJBP</a>
&mdash; Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/GlennYoungkin/status/1750347978596864175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Abbott&#8217;s <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-statement-on-texas-constitutional-right-to-self-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> accuses Biden of violating his oath of office and facilitating an illegal immigration invasion of Texas.
“The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now,” the statement says, as reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-call-on-biden-to-seize-control-of-texas-national-guard-from-abbott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>. “President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants.
“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense,&#8221; Abbott continued. &#8220;For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
Abbott last year sued the Biden administration to stop cutting razor wire the governor had placed along his state&#8217;s border to try to deter illegals from crossing into Texas. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to lift an injunction against U.S. Border Patrol agents cutting through the wire.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Abbott said in a defiant social media post that Texas would continue to place the wire at the border.
&#8220;Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration.&#8221;
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Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies.
We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration. <a href="https://t.co/PE8wiMYaYI">pic.twitter.com/PE8wiMYaYI</a>
&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1750169762678620587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Tim Pearce contributed to this report. 
</div>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-call-on-biden-to-seize-control-of-texas-national-guard-from-abbott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrats Call On Biden To Seize Control Of Texas National Guard From Abbott</a>

‘Virginia Stands With Texas’: Gov. Youngkin Comes Out Swinging Against Biden On Border Dispute

Virginia Gov. Youngkin Comes Out Swinging Against Biden In Border Spat 

Alejandro Mayorkas

Border

Border Crisis

Border Patrol

Greg Abbott

Immigration

SCOTUS

Southern Border

President Joe Biden referred to Terry McAuliffe — the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who lost to Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2021 — as “the real governor” of Virginia on Tuesday. 
Biden held a campaign rally with his supporters in Manassas, Virginia, which was the president’s first joint campaign event for the 2024 cycle with Vice President Kamala Harris, CBS News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERhujitvi8I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The president’s speech focused on protecting abortion rights and hitting Trump for his role in the reversal of Roe v. Wade. As Biden took the stage, he pointed out McAuliffe in the crowd, calling him “the real governor.” 
“Hello, Virginia,” Biden began his remarks. “And the real governor, Terry McAuliffe.” 
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Joe Biden: “Hello, Virginia, and the real governor, Terry McAuliffe.” <a href="https://t.co/hygNHhP52g">pic.twitter.com/hygNHhP52g</a>
&mdash; Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) <a href="https://twitter.com/WarMachineRR/status/1749913639757168852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Youngkin <a href="https://www.politico.com/election-results/2021/virginia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defeated</a> McAuliffe by more than 60,000 votes in 2021, becoming the first Republican governor elected in Virginia since 2009. McAuliffe previously served as governor of the state from 2014 to 2018. Biden’s remark at the campaign event on Tuesday confused politicians and political commentators, who pointed out that the president has focused his 2024 campaign on rehashing Trump’s denial of Biden’s 2020 election victory. 
Just in the past month, Biden has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-compares-trump-and-his-supporters-to-defeated-confederates-in-south-carolina-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compared</a> Trump and his supporters to “defeated Confederates” and called the former president a threat to “democracy.” In remarks addressing the anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Biden even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-celebrates-hundreds-of-prison-sentences-for-trump-supporters-3-years-after-january-6-capitol-storming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a> the prosecution of hundreds of Trump’s supporters who stormed the capitol in protest of the election results. 
Youngkin responded to Biden&#8217;s comment on Tuesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/GlennYoungkin/status/1749920568218980600?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a>, “Mr. President, I’m right here.” 
Some political commentators said the president’s remark was “bizarre” and “monstrously stupid.” 
“This is monstrously stupid, even if intended as a silly joke,” CNN contributor and The Dispatch Editor-in-Chief Jonah Goldberg <a href="https://twitter.com/JonahDispatch/status/1749923014987124874?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “If you’re going to make the other side’s election denial central to your campaign, the last thing you want to do is this nonsense.”
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“Bizarre,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssafarah/status/1749930930540540311?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump aide and current co-host of “The View.” “When you’re running on ‘defending democracy’ jokes about elections being stolen are *not* funny at all.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonMiyaresVA/status/1749918591317577754?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a>, “So Joe Biden is an election denier?” 
Biden has ramped up his attacks on Trump and his supporters in recent weeks as he begins his re-election campaign with all signs pointing to a Biden-Trump rematch. Trump, the GOP frontrunner, has won the first two contests in the Republican primary, taking Iowa easily last week and cruising to a victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday. 
Biden <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/23/us/elections/results-new-hampshire-democratic-primary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the New Hampshire primary easily on Tuesday night over Congressman Dean Phillips (D-MN) and self-help author Marianne Williamson. The president relied on a write-in campaign in the state after the Democratic National Committee made South Carolina the first state in the party&#8217;s primary. 
General election polls show Trump leading Biden by around three points, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Real Clear Politics average.

Joe Biden/Terry McAuliffe

Biden Calls Failed Virginia Dem Candidate Terry McAuliffe ‘The Real Governor’

Biden Calls Failed Virginia Dem Candidate Terry McAuliffe 'The Real Governor'

governor

Joe Biden

Terry McAuliffe

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