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Riley Gaines, Laurel Libby rip Gavin Newsom, Hakeem Jeffries over excuses for trans athletes in women's sports

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Riley Gaines, Laurel Libby rip Gavin Newsom, Hakeem Jeffries over excuses for trans athletes in women's sports

As key Democrat figures throw out excuses for enabling trans athletes in women’s sports, conservative critics have capitalized on inconsistent messaging. 

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on his podcast that he believes trans athletes competing in women’s sports is “deeply unfair” but defended it to happening legally due to concerns over transgender people as “poor people” who are “more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression.” 

When House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked about Newsom’s comments, Jeffries repeated the unsubstantiated claim that laws preventing trans athletes from girls’ sports would “unleash” sexual predators on girls across the country. It was the same argument Jeffries provided when the House of Representatives voted to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in April. 

Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby, who has recently ascended as a key political figure in the battle to protect female athletes from trans inclusion, spoke out against Newsom and Jeffries in an interview on OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast with Riley Gaines. 

Libby said she believes that Newsom’s recent comments “mean nothing.”

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“I don’t think we’re going to be seeing Gavin Newsom doing anything about it, and it’s the equivalent of ‘which way is the wind blowing here?’” Libby said. “Gavin Newsom is a smart political animal, and he understands that 80% of Americans do not agree with biological males in girls’ sports, so he is taking a little bit of a common sense position here.

“It certainly has turned the Democrats into a tailspin, because they don’t know what to do with that.” 

MAINE REP LAUREL LIBBY FILES LAWSUIT OVER CENSURE FOR CALLING OUT TRANS ATHLETE IN GIRLS’ SPORTS

Libby rose to prominence on the issue after a social media post in February, when she identified a trans athlete in Maine who won a high school pole vault competition as the state defies President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls’ sports.

Libby was then censured for the post by the Maine House of Representatives, but on Tuesday, she filed a lawsuit against the state’s House speaker to have her voting and speaking rights restored. 

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Meanwhile, Gaines took aim at Jeffries for his argument, which alienated multiple Democrat voters after it was pushed by him and other Democrat lawmakers, prompting some of those voters to unregister from the party. 

“I assume he’s insinuating that we want to inspect genitals, that’s always what they go to, but again, that is absolutely not the case, that would be utterly invasive and in total violation,” Gaines said. 

“It would be either a birth certificate, which I don’t believe is satisfactory, because in all but six states you can alter your birth certificates; cheek swabs, which we’ve seen in some place which is a simple saliva test to determine sex; or a routine physical, that every single athlete, I think in every single state, has to already go through anyway. So the whole ‘inspecting genitals’ thing is just silly and is totally a farce and a lie.” 

DEMOCRAT VOTERS ABANDON PARTY AFTER AOC, JEFFRIES SAY ANTI-TRANS ATHLETE BILL EMPOWERS SEXUAL PREDATORS

Both Newsom’s and Jeffries’ excuses have incited backlash amid a recent national uprising over the issue. 

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The day Newsom made his comments, California schools and residents impacted by trans inclusion in sports provided statements to Fox News Digital lambasting the governor for not taking any action over the last year to address the issue. 

Stone Ridge Christian School in Merced, California, had its girls volleyball team forfeit a playoff game to San Francisco Waldorf in the fall due to the presence of a transgender athlete on Waldorf’s team. It was a decision that ended Stone Ridge Christian’s season because Newsom’s policies forced the girls volleyball team into a situation where it would have to refuse to play to avoid compromising religious beliefs. 

“What’s really unfair is Gov. Newsom letting males compete in women’s sports despite admitting that it is unfair. While it is common sense for men and women to compete on their own teams, this is especially concerning as a religious school,” Stone Ridge Christian School Campus Administrator Julie Fagundes previously told Fox News Digital.

From left to right, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby and activist Riley Gaines. (Getty Images)

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After Jeffries and other House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasion-Cortez, D-N.Y., pushed the argument that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would empower sexual predators to give genital examinations to little girls, the party officially lost some voters. 

Prominent Rutgers law professor Gary Francione, a lifelong Democrat, previously told Fox News Digital that he and others in his network unregistered as Democrats in response to the argument. 

“I can say confidently of the people I know who are Democrats who I’ve spoken to, the vast majority of them are very unhappy about all of this stuff and feel that the party has lost its way,” Francione said. “I know a couple who said they are going to [unregister].” 

Trump has vowed to cut federal funding to any state or public institution that continues to let trans athletes compete with women and girls. He showed he is willing to make good on that promise on Tuesday, when the USDA cut millions in funding to eight universities in Maine. 

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship. 

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. 

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”

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In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”

Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”

The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.  

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.

Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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 The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. 

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.

So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.

Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.

In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.

“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.

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Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.

In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.

Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.

His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.

“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.

And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.

Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced. 

In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.

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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints. 

“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.

“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”

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Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.

Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.

After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.

“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,’” Payton said.

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The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.

“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”

Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.

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“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered]. 

“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”

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