Southeast
GOP's two top Dem Senate targets justify blocking bill to bar men from women's sports
The two most vulnerable Democratic senators voted against advancing a bill this week to prevent biological males from participating in women’s and girls’ sports, despite popular public support for such a policy. Now, they’re justifying why they did it.
“I listened to what I heard in New Hampshire, and what we heard from people who were keeping track of how many — Charlie Baker, for example, who heads the NCAA, who said that it only applies to one person,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., told Fox News Digital.
“I don’t think we need legislation to do that. I think we can police it through the organizations,” she said.
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Sens. Ossoff and Shaheen explained why they voted with all Democrats to block a bill to bar males from women’s sports. (Getty Images)
“This bill was overreach,” Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement.
“School districts and athletic associations can ensure fair, safe competition without subjecting the bodies of adolescent student athletes — children — to intrusive investigation by the federal government,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ossoff’s office but did not hear back in time for publication.
In a recent New York Times/Ipsos survey, the vast majority of Americans said men and boys who identify as transgender women and girls “should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports.”
However, in a Senate procedural vote on Monday, every single voting Democrat blocked the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act from moving on to a final vote on passage.
All voting Republicans voted in favor of limiting debate on the measure. If the bill had received enough favorable votes on the motion, it would have overcome the legislative filibuster, which is what the 60-vote threshold on Senate cloture motions is often called.
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President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Because the vote was only 51 to 45, the bill won’t move forward to a final vote at this time.
Among Democrats in the NYT/Ipsos poll, 67% agreed with Republicans that biological males shouldn’t be allowed to participate in female sports.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., would require Title IX to treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth” and would not allow for it to be applied to a differing gender identity.
“This past week showed us how evil the Democrat party truly is. Every single senator voted to strip away the rights of women and girls everywhere,” Tuberville said in a statement.
“Both Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen pretend to care about women, but they clearly don’t give a rip about their privacy, safety, or right to fair competition. They think protecting female athletes is an ‘overreach,’ but are perfectly okay with forcing women to share locker rooms and shower with fully intact males. One thing is clear: Jon Ossoff and Jeanne Shaheen are completely out of touch with their voters.”
After their votes, the National Republican Senatorial Committee took a shot at its top Senate targets. “Jon Ossoff could have joined the overwhelming majority of Georgians in the fight for common sense and keeping men out of women’s sports,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement. “Instead, he told parents and their daughters that Democrats believe they must play sports and share locker rooms and bathrooms with biological males.”
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Demonstrators protest in support of rights for transgender youth. (Fox News )
Both Shaheen and Ossoff are up for re-election in 2026 in New Hampshire and Georgia. While Ossoff has been gearing up for a tough Senate battle for months, Shaheen has yet to announce whether she will be running.
She is expected to announce her decision at some point this month, sources in New Hampshire confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Shaheen is the only remaining Senate Democrat in a competitive seat who has not yet publicly revealed her re-election plans.
Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., is the GOP favorite to take on Ossoff for the southern state’s Senate seat, but he has not said whether he will launch a bid. He said he has “really got a lot on my plate right now,” in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
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Kemp hasn’t said whether he will run for Senate. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images.)
“I’m in the middle of my legislative session. We’ve got a big tort reform fight going on. I’m chairing the Republican Governors Association. I made a commitment on that.”
“I know I can’t keep holding out forever, so we’ll have something to say on that down the road,” he added.
Nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report has rated the Georgia Senate race as a “Toss Up,” while the New Hampshire seat is considered “Lean Democratic.”
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Southeast
Dems killed VA sex offender bill before it could get a hearing, Republican says, despite recent incidents
A Virginia Republican lawmaker is blasting Democratic leaders in Richmond, after what she characterized as their hasty dispatching of a fresh piece of legislation she authored targeting sex offenders and people deemed dangerous to children.
Delegate Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, who herself won a “Biden+12” district in what is the state’s most Democratic municipality per-capita, said protecting the public from sexual deviants transcends party lines.
“[This] isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a basic duty of any community that values safety and decency,” Taylor told Fox News Digital.
“These individuals, with proven histories of predatory behavior, pose a real threat when allowed unrestricted access to public spaces like parks, schools or locker rooms.”
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Virginia Delegate Kim Taylor and her husband, Butch. (Petersburg Progress-Index via Imagn)
Taylor alleged her bill, HB 2527 – which would have prohibited most sex offenders from “loitering” within state parks and other places where they would be in “proximity to children,” including schools, playgrounds, daycares and the like – was wrongly and quietly terminated.
The bill was listed as last referred to the Courts of Justice Committee, but with the legislature adjourned “sine die” – essentially ending the session – barring a rare special session being called, the bill was never heard nor voted on and is considered “dead.”
“This should not be about politics, it should be about prioritizing the vulnerable over political gamesmanship,” said Taylor, who added she had also drafted another never-heard bill toughening penalties for sex trafficking.
“Time and time and again, Democrats have dismissed or killed commonsense legislation that would protect women and children.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Delegates Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, Courts Committee chair, and Marcus Simon, D-Dunn Loring, committee vice chair, for comment. Neither lawmaker returned calls.
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Mugshot of sex offender Richard Cox (Arlington County Sheriff’s Office)
Delegate Wren Williams, R-Stuart, who co-sponsored Taylor’s bill, blamed Democrats across Virginia – particularly in the committee leaders’ districts – for “jeopardizing the safety of women and girls by refusing to support commonsense legislation.”
Williams said there is a heightened threat from registered sex offenders in public spaces, specifically citing the case of Richard Kenneth Cox – a serial flasher who has recently faced dozens of charges in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.
Local media reported Cox has faced more than 20 charges in Arlington County alone, including reports reaching back to the 1990s when he was accused of masturbating in front of children.
Cox has also had recent encounters with Fairfax County police, including one in November. Bodycam footage aired by FOX5DC purportedly shows Cox claiming a civil rights violation for identifying as a transgender woman – after authorities responded to reports of Cox “lurking” in a Fairfax gym’s locker room.
Williams argued that the legislation is urgently needed, and claimed Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano “prioritize[s] woke ideology over the well-being of our communities.” Washington’s ABC affiliate reported that the prosecutor had dismissed charges against Cox.
“There is no justification for allowing someone like Richard Cox, a convicted sex offender with a disturbing criminal record, to waltz into girls’ locker rooms unchecked,” Williams said in characterizing the case as the poster child for the necessity of Taylor’s bill.
Drivers are welcomed to Virginia near Lee Highway in Arlington. (Getty)
“Democrats have repeatedly killed practical bills that would enforce stricter protections and penalties, choosing instead to coddle predators under the guise of tolerance,” he said, calling the overall behavior on the left in Richmond a “betrayal” of women.
Fox News Digital reached out to Descano for a response. The prosecutor’s office did tell ABC7 that prosecutors are not involved in cases that are “pro se (without an attorney) misdemeanors.” The outlet later quoted a local attorney who found the indecent exposure nonprosecution “unusual.”
The Cox case, however, did draw the attention of other leaders in the heavily Democratic county, as Fairfax Board Chairman Jeffrey McKay reportedly said Taylor’s bill may have been beneficial.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, criticized McKay to ABC7, claiming Taylor’s bill had “nothing to do with local parks… or recreational facilities,” and suggested a change in policy on “which dressing rooms people can use” would be helpful.
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The mysterious disappearance of an American college student in the Dominican Republic has captured national and international attention.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the early morning hours of March 6. She has yet to be located.
Here is what we know so far about the events leading up to and after Konanki’s disappearance:
March 3
Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with her friends on March 3. They stayed at the the five-star RIU Republica Resort with a group of six female Pitt students, according to authorities.
March 4
The RIU Republica experienced a power outage that began during the early morning hours of March 4 into Wednesday, March 5.
Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
March 5
The majority of the electrical outage lasts until 1:27 a.m. on March 5, and after 3 a.m., “service was restored to 70%,” RIU Resorts and Hotels told Fox News Digital.
The remaining 30% of the electrical outage lasted through March 5 and into March 6.
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US college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)
Konanki went to a hotel bar with her friends, presumably until the early morning hours of March 6.
March 6
3 a.m.
“[T]he remaining power supply was fully reinstated on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, specifically at 02:13 AM, which is before the time of the disappearance,” RIU Resorts and Hotels said. “The lobby and common areas remained powered throughout the entire day of March 5 and the early hours of March 6.
The hotel company followed up saying, “In response to publications linking the electrical failure experienced at the Riu Republica hotel with the tragic disappearance of guest Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that both events are completely unrelated.”
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
3:30 a.m. – 3:55 a.m.
Surveillance cameras captured Konanki and a group of friends in the hotel lobby around 3:30 a.m., sharing and consuming some type of beverage in the area. They moved to a hotel bar called Bar Macao at approximately 3:55 a.m., sharing another type of beverage, according to officials.
4:17 a.m.
The group of eight friends walks to the beach from the hotel bar. During the power outage, surveillance cameras were still working to capture video of Konanki walking with a young man, who had his arms wrapped around her shoulders after 4 a.m. on March 6.
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6. 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
“The last recorded image of her was at 04:17 AM, when she was seen leaving a hotel bar in a group heading towards the beach. RIU staff acted appropriately upon being notified of the disappearance, fulfilling their duty to inform the authorities, with whom, as expected, cooperation has been absolute,” the hotel group said.
There was a red flag warning of high waves posted at the beach as a recommendations for visitors to not enter the water.
WATCH THE HOTEL SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE:
4:50 a.m.
Konanki was seen for the last time around 4:50 a.m. walking on the beach outside the RIU Republica, according to a flyer being circulated online.
5:55 a.m.
The footage then shows a group of six people, including five women and one man, returning to the hotel from the beach around 5:55 a.m.
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
One person reportedly stayed behind with Konanki on the beach into the early morning hours of March 6, ABC News reported, citing an investigative police report.
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A member of the civil defense canine unit searches on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last week. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
9:00 a.m.
The young man previously seen with Konanki is seen on surveillance footage entering the interior of the hotel around 9:00 a.m. on March 6.
La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, later said the young man is under investigation.
He apparently said he was in the water at the same beach, and authorities were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement from police.
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a college student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
Local outlet Noticias SIN similarly reported that a man, who was also a guest at the same resort, was the last person seen with Konanki and reportedly told police several different versions of what happened.
The man reportedly said he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick, so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water.
In another version of the story, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. The man additionally claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach, according to reporting from Noticias SIN.
4 p.m.
Konanki’s friends reported her missing around 4 p.m. on March 6.
People enjoy time on the beach the sea at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
March 7
The search for Konanki ensues. Authorities find her sandals and a sarong-style beach gown on a chair by the beach.
March 8
The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic said it is working with the State Department and law enforcement on the ground, according to a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
Sudiksha Konanki appears in an undated photo on her TikTok profile. She was last seen on March 6 at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)
“Our Sheriff’s Office is supporting those efforts and continuing to investigate locally,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.
Defensa Civil Dominicana, a Dominican Republic search and rescue force, completed a full day’s search with operations scheduled to resume on Sunday.
“The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other institutions, worked from early Saturday hours, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success,” the agency said in a social media post.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6. (Facebook)
RIU Hotels said in a statement one of its guests has not been seen since the early hours of March 6.
“From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search,” RIU Hotels said in a statement. “We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation.”
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The hotel added that its team is “providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.”
One report suggested Sudiksha Konanki drowned in the ocean in Punta Cana after getting swept up by a big wave. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
March 9
Defensa Civil Dominicana resumed its search for Konanki at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
March 10
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares told “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning his office is “still in the information-gathering stage.”
“Her friends have all been accounted for, that is the good news,” he said. “Obviously, our heart breaks for the family. We want to find her, we want to hopefully find her safe and sound. Right now, there is just so much that we don’t know.”
Military personnel and civil defense members search for Sudiksha Konanki, a student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
“As of last night, investigators were still actively interviewing persons who may have seen or been says her last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, as well as reviewing surveillance video and phone records to help ascertain what happened and why,” spokesperson Thomas Julia said.
March 11
The Tuesday after Konanki’s Thursday morning disappearance, Julia told Fox News Digital that an American man in his 20s was a person of interest in the case.
That man said via phone call that he did not want to comment “at this time.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the LCSO at 703-777-1021. To remain anonymous, call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Greg Norman, Lorraine Taylor and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Rays nixing new stadium development; team remains committed to reaching 'ballpark solution'
The Tampa Bay Rays have made the “difficult decision” to halt an estimated $1.3 billion stadium and land redevelopment deal. The project would have secured the MLB club’s future in St. Petersburg, Florida, with a state-of-the-art ballpark next to Tropicana Field.
The Rays’ current home is undergoing repairs after the stadium’s roof was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton in October. The Rays will welcome visiting teams to Steinbrenner Field in 2025. The 11,000-seat ballpark serves as the New York Yankees’ spring training home.
Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said “a series of events” in October and financing delays led to “this difficult decision.”
A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field, which was torn open by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said in a statement. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.”
Sternberg added that the organization remains committed to resolving its stadium issue.
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“Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interest of our region, Major League Baseball and our organization.”
“Major League Baseball remains committed to finding a permanent home for the club in the Tampa Bay region for their fans and the local community,” MLB said in a statement. “Commissioner (Rob) Manfred understands the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community from today’s announcement, but he will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders and Rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.”
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and has been the Rays’ home since they took the field in 1998. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a driving force behind what was dubbed the “Here To Stay” initiative aimed at keeping the Rays in the city for another 30 years, said the decision was disappointing, but “it is not unexpected.”
It’s possible the Rays could be sold, he noted.
Tropicana Field before a game between the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
“If, in the coming months, a new owner who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities emerges, we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
Under their current contract with the city of St. Petersburg, the Rays would play three more seasons at their existing ballpark after it is repaired. Those repairs are expected to be completed in time for the 2026 season.
“The City of St. Petersburg is currently advancing plans to restore Tropicana Field for the 2026 season,” Sternberg said. “We are thankful for their efforts and are excited to return to our home field next spring.”
The damaged roof of Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, after Hurricane Milton made landfall in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)
The proposed 30,000-seat stadium is a signature piece of a broader $6.5 billion revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by the construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.
The Rays’ decision puts the broader project in limbo.
The Rays had faced a March 31 deadline to decide whether to continue with the new ballpark project. Under the agreement previously approved by the city and Pinellas County, the governments would cover about half the cost of the $1.3 billion stadium, with the Rays and their development partner Hines covering the rest, including any cost overruns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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