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Riley Gaines opens up on getting a law to ban trans athletes from women's locker rooms named after her

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Riley Gaines opens up on getting a law to ban trans athletes from women's locker rooms named after her

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey hosted Riley Gaines Wednesday as he signed Riley Gaines Act into law, codifying definitions of “man” and “woman” into state law.

According to text of the measure, it “reaffirms longstanding meaning[s]” of sex, male and female in state law, preserves women’s restrooms, sleeping quarters, locker rooms and other private facilities for the sole use of women — to prevent “abuse, harassment, sexual assault and violence committed by men.”

A law of a similar name has already been signed into law in Georgia focused specifically on sports, as Gaines has rapidly ascended as a conservative political icon in the three years since her infamous tie with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships.

For Gaines, seeing state legislation, to help prevent similar incidents happening to other female athletes, named after her is “an honor.” 

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Riley Gaines speaks after Gov. Patrick Morrisey signs WV’s Riley Gaines Act (Screenshot/Gov. Morrisey)

“There’s no bigger honor than having your name attached to something as foundational and significant as the defense of women’s rights and biological reality,” Gaines said in a statement. “The Riley Gaines Act merely defines sex-based terms like man and woman in state statute to prevent unelected bureaucrats from reinterpreting these words to mean what they want them to mean.The majority of American people know what a woman is and it’s time our laws do too.”

Gaines’ movement of protecting women from trans athletes has grown into a nationwide movement with an entire merchandising industry and even became one of the biggest political wildcards in 2024. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prevent trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports on Feb. 5, at a White House ceremony Gaines attended.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

US President Donald Trump acknowledges former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prevent trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports on Feb. 5, at a White House ceremony Gaines attended. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP)

But even with the executive order and a total of 27 states having their own laws to combat trans athlete inclusion, Gaines believes there is more work to do to combat the issue.

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“Contrary to what some may think given President Trump is back in the White House, the war on woke has not been won yet. “There’s more work to be done, but leaders like President Trump and Governor Morrisey have paved the way,” Gaines said. 

Several states, including California, Maine, Minnesota and Massachusetts, have continued to let trans athletes compete with females. The U.S. Senate recently failed to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act after the Democratic minority blocked the bill via the filibuster. 

Riley Gaines in Austin

Gaines has vowed to help unseat all 45 Democrat senators who voted against the bill, and has not ruled out a potential run for political office herself in the future. (Mikala Compton/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Gaines has vowed to help unseat all 45 Democrat senators who voted against the bill, and has not ruled out a potential run for political office herself in the future.

“It’s never what I saw myself doing,” Gaines previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

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“But now, of course, with this issue and more, I would say the whole America-first agenda. I am just so passionate, I care so deeply, and I love it, so we’ll see. It’s definitely not something I would rule out. I don’t think I’m that crazy yet, because I do think you have to be a bit clinically insane to voluntarily do that. But I do believe that maybe eventually influencing policy in that way is something I see myself doing.” 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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David Perdue confirmed as Trump's top China diplomat after key Senate vote

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David Perdue confirmed as Trump's top China diplomat after key Senate vote

Former Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate 67-29 as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to China.

Perdue, a former business executive with companies like Tennessee-based Dollar General and experience in global supply chains, including through Beijing, has long been a close ally of the president.

The ex-lawmaker, who is also the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, passed his critical cloture vote by 64-27 on Monday evening, which ended further substantial debate on his nomination.

Perdue narrowly lost his 2021 runoff election with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., by just over 1%, or about 55,000 votes, and also, despite a presidential endorsement, failed in his quest to defeat Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022’s Republican primary.

DAVID PERDUE, FORMER SENATOR AND LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY PASSES KEY HURDLE TO CHINESE AMBASSADORSHIP

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Then-former President Donald Trump shakes hands with then-Republican candidate for governor David Perdue at a “Save America Rally” at the Banks County Dragway on Saturday, March 26, 2022. (IMAGN)

Fox News Digital also reached out to Ossoff for comment on his former foe’s confirmation.

During his confirmation hearing, Perdue said, “Marxist nationalism” is reshaping China and that their global ambitions threaten the world order.

“Since 2000, China has doubled its nuclear arsenal and grown its military at a pace unseen since WWII. They have militarized the South China Sea and violated their agreement in Hong Kong.”

“Their Social Credit Score system and extensive policing capability are designed to enforce domestic state control. Their Belt and Road Initiative and their Made in China 2025 statements demonstrate their global ambitions,” Perdue said.

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“They speak of a global ‘community of common destiny for all mankind.’ Put simply, they want a world more in line with their authoritarian principles.”

Perdue went on to argue that Trump’s “America First” strategy that greatly affects the U.S.’s relationship with China is not isolationist, but “just the reverse.”

TRUMP SAYS CHINA’S XI CALLED HIM AMID ONGOING CONFUSION OVER TRADE TALKS

“America will be a stronger ally and partner by rebuilding our strategic supply chains at home and with our friends.”

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping, like Trump, only respects strength and that, if confirmed, he will work on reciprocity and security agreements with Beijing.

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“Our approach to China should be nuanced, nonpartisan, and strategic,” Perdue said.

On Taiwan, which China views as a breakaway province, Perdue said he will support the longstanding “One China” policy while remaining committed to a “peaceful resolution” of tensions that is acceptable to both Beijing and Taipei.

“I will also ensure focus on our priority to eliminate fentanyl precursors and hold China accountable on human rights.”

The Senate recently confirmed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

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Three more Trump-diplomat nominees will see votes on cloture and likely ensuing tallies on their confirmations later Tuesday.

Former Reagan staffer and New York real estate investor Tom Barrack is up for an ambassadorship to Turkey, while Landry’s Restaurants and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is looking to serve as ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and Arkansas investment banker billionaire Warren Stephens has his sights on being the U.S.’ top diplomat to its closest European ally, the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

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Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says Trump's 'chaos and uncertainty' leading to economic challenges

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Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says Trump's 'chaos and uncertainty' leading to economic challenges

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said the economic challenge sparked by President Donald Trump’s “chaos and uncertainty” is the biggest issue facing the Peach State, stressing that the president’s uncertain economic policy is impacting how businesses and residents make decisions for the future.

Ossoff, preparing to run for re-election in 2026, potentially against Georgia’s popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has yet to announce if he will join the race. Ossoff is the only Democrat seeking reelection who represents a state that Trump won last year, making him a top target for Republicans hoping to maintain their Senate majority.

“I am more than prepared for any challenger,” Ossoff, 38, told The Associated Press on Saturday while declining to comment on any potential opponents.

Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in a runoff in 2021, helping Democrats flip control of the Senate and hold onto the chamber’s majority for four years during the Biden administration.

SENATOR JOINS GROUP OF FAR-LEFT LAWMAKERS WHO THINK TRUMP HAS — AGAIN — COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES

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Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP)

During his first four years, Ossoff attempted to establish a reputation as a senator working to advance Georgia’s traditional interests, including its farmers and military bases. He says he will attempt to work with Republicans to deliver for Georgia.

The senator, who has recently intensified his criticisms of Trump, warned Saturday that businesses and households in Georgia are struggling to plan for the future because of constant changes in the federal government’s trade and economic moves.

“Businesses are unable to invest with an understanding of what the rules of international trade will be from one hour or week or month to the next,” Ossoff told The Associated Press. “Households are unable to plan their annual budgets because there’s so much chaos and uncertainty in the implementation of federal economic policy.”

“This administration needs to clearly define its economic objectives, and it needs to competently implement its plan, whatever that plan may be,” he continued. “The fact that the White House does not even know what its policy is, and is with such unpredictability and chaos, lurching from one policy to the other, is putting the state’s economy at serious economic risk.”

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STACEY ABRAMS CONSIDERS 3RD RUN FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR DESPITE BACK-TO-BACK DEFEATS

Sen. Ossoff

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP)

Ossoff also expressed concerns about Trump’s authoritarian and “un-American” executive action since returning to the White House in January, pointing to the president’s attempts to go after his political opponents.

“We have never seen a president try to wield the federal government to crush his critics and political adversaries,” Ossoff said. “That’s something new in American history, and it is, in my view, un-American. And it’s something that should chill us to the bone, no matter our politics, no matter our policy preferences.”

The lawmaker urged Republicans to remember that eventually a Democrat will be president again and “the shoe will be on the other foot.”

“This is about checks and balances,” he said. “This is about whether or not the executive branch is constrained as designed by our Constitution, by judicious legislators who can put their partisanship aside to protect the public interest.”

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Ossoff explained that, while Democrats have limited power without control of the White House or either chamber of Congress, a big part of his job at the moment is to inform the people of Georgia that Trump’s policies are not in the state’s best interest.

Jon Ossoff

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. (AP)

In addition to his criticism of Trump, Ossoff has cited shortcomings during the Biden administration, particularly when it comes to border security. He was one of 12 Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered by Venezuelan migrant Jose Antonio Ibarra.

The law requires illegal migrants accused — even without a conviction — of theft or violent crimes to be detained by the Department of Homeland Security.

“My view is that the American people expect and deserve secure borders,” Ossoff said. “And I think the Biden administration failed in its border policies. The American people expect and deserve for people who enter this country illegally and may pose a threat to public safety or national security to be apprehended by the authorities.”

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“But the American people don’t support and don’t expect federal police raids on elementary schools and hospitals and churches,” he continued, referring to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement actions. “And [the American people] don’t expect our military installations to become mass prison camps for immigrants and don’t want entire families rounded up with no due process. We just learned yesterday about a two-year-old U.S. citizen — a two-year-old girl — who was deported without due process. Our immigration policy needs to be responsible and serious. It also needs to be humane.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Federal judge orders local law enforcement to stop enforcing new immigration law

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Federal judge orders local law enforcement to stop enforcing new immigration law

A federal judge in Florida said an order that blocks local police from enforcing a new state immigration law applied to all local agencies despite the state’s attorney general stating otherwise in a recent memo.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams told attorneys for the state during a hearing in Miami on Tuesday that she planned to issue a preliminary injunction against a statute that makes it a misdemeanor for undocumented migrants to enter Florida by eluding immigration officials.

Williams said she was “surprised and shocked” that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told local police in a letter last week that they didn’t need to follow her order. 

“What I am offended by is someone suggesting you don’t have to follow my order, that it’s not legitimate,” Williams said.

NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier during a press conference on April 14. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, Williams issued a temporary restraining order against the statute. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February as part of President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration.

Police conduct immigration enforcement in Florida

A task force comprised of local and federal law enforcement agencies search a suspected illegal migrant’s vehicle in St. Johns County, Florida, on Feb. 24, following a traffic stop. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

Williams extended the order another 11 days after learning authorities had arrested 15 people, including a U.S. citizen born in Georgia.

MEXICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER BIDEN ‘SEXUALLY BATTERED’ BOY WHILE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK: SHERIFF

After the extension, Uthmeier sent a memo to state and local law enforcement officers telling them to stop enforcing the law, even though he disagreed with the judge’s order. 

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Five days later, however, Uthmeier sent another memo saying that the judge was legally wrong and that he couldn’t prevent local police officers and deputies from enforcing the law. 

No additional arrests have been reported since Uthmeier’s second memo.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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