Less than a week before Virginians head to the polls to decide the fate of the state’s congressional map, a representative from a district at the center of the controversy pushes back. 

In an interview with the Ruthless Podcast released on Thursday morning, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., rebuffed the efforts by Virginia Democrats to change the layout of the congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

“Their goal is the long game,” Cline said of the Democrat-backed redistricting attempt. “It is the short game of the next election, but it’s also the long game of trying to turn rural Virginia into either a non-impact on politics or convert. You either assimilate or you’re destroyed.”

Under the proposed map, Cline’s district in the western part of the state would be divided into five new seats. Josh Holmes, a co-host of the podcast, explained that this would dilute the impact of rural voters.

WATCH SPANBERGER KNOCKED OUT FOR ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ HYPOCRISY AS POPULARITY PLUMMETS AND REDISTRICTING FIASCO 

“They are attempting to split into five different districts to minimize a rural vote that they can overcome with Northern Virginia suburban NGO defense contractors,” Holmes said during the interview. 

Virginia Democrats are following a national trend. Cline noted how this redistricting playbook has been used by Democrats across the country. 

“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” the congressman first elected in 2018 said. “Massachusetts used to have Republican members of Congress, a much more balanced delegation. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote, what, 40 percent of the population there. They do it in Illinois. Most of the states where they control, they’re trying to just draw Republicans completely out.”

SPANBERGER’S ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL PUSH TO REDEFINE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS MAKES VOTERS ’NULL AND VOID’: CRITICS

Cline’s comments come as the polling on the referendum is tightening.  A recent poll from the Washington Post showed support for redrawing the state’s maps, leading by only 5 points. The projections show a closer race than last year’s gubernatorial election, where Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Sears by more than 15 points.

Voters will get their chance to weigh in on the redistricting fight on Tuesday. Virginians will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment enabling the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional map. 

Democrats claim that creating new maps would restore fairness to apportionment. Republicans argue that this is a gerrymander by turning the delegation from a six-five Democrat-majority to a 10-one Democrat-majority in a state where Kamala Harris only beat Donald Trump by six points. 

SPANBERGER SIGNS GUN BILLS, MAKES A PROPOSED GUN BAN EVEN HARSHER

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who currently represents the Southwest part of the state, would likely become the only Republican remaining in Virginia’s delegation. 

Cline appeared on Ruthless as a part of the Ruthless Midterm Interview Series, an ongoing initiative to interview major GOP candidates. The hosts have already interviewed candidates in 12 states, with more scheduled as primaries across the country take place ahead of the November midterms. 

After Tuesday’s election on the map, Virginians will return to the polls on August 4th for the Republican and Democratic congressional primary elections. The general elections will take place on November 3rd. 

Two people were taken into custody on Wednesday after a shooting that killed a 15-year-old and wounded two others in what police described as a gang-related shooting at Eisenhower Park on Long Island in New York.

The shooting occurred around 8:20 p.m. near Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue, the Nassau County Police Department said.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters that gang members saw an invitation on social media for a barbecue at the park, according to CBS New York.

MAN CHARGED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF US MARINE IN NORTH CAROLINA HAD CRIMINAL RECORD SPANNING THREE DECADES

Two people then became involved in an argument and shots were fired, Ryder said.

Three people, including the 15-year-old boy, were struck by gunfire. The three victims were transported to a local hospital, where the teenager was pronounced dead.

TEEN GIRL GUNNED DOWN IN POSH CHICAGO ENCLAVE AS POLICE RUSH TO NAB HER KILLER

The two other victims were listed in stable condition, and Ryder said they underwent surgery late Wednesday. Their ages were not immediately known.

Two people who were both carrying weapons were taken into custody. Police did not release the suspects’ identities or specify what charges they may face.

The shooting remains under investigation.

After the shooting, responding officers flooded the area. Patrol cars were seen lining the roadways and a police helicopter was observed circling the park as officers investigated the incident.

The leaked hot tub photos were embarrassing, no question about it.

There was NFL reporter Dianna Russini of the New York Times – part of its sports unit The Athletic – getting quite cozy with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.

Other shots obtained by the New York Post’s Page Six showed the pair, who are both married, locked in an embrace on the roof of a private bungalow, and holding hands at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Ariz.

More details in a moment, but the bottom line is a tale most foul, as familiar as civilization itself.

DIANNA RUSSINI RESIGNS FROM THE ATHLETIC AMID MIKE VRABEL CONTROVERSY

The woman takes the fall, and nothing happens to the guy.

Russini was forced to resign from the Times, and Vrabel, for now, has emerged unscathed.

This is not to suggest that Russini is some innocent victim. She is absolutely tone-deaf about the seriousness of what she has done. She covers the Patriots! That is, along with the league’s other teams. On what planet is this not out of bounds?

PATRIOTS’ MIKE VRABEL WAS NEVER EXPECTED AT TEAM’S PRE-DRAFT PRESS CONFERENCE

Plus, they weren’t exactly being discreet. Russini must have been aware that photos were being taken. Doesn’t everyone know by now that pictures, especially of the salacious variety, always wind up on the interwebs?

And it’s a major embarrassment for the Times, which rushed to defend Russini when the story first broke.

The Athletic, which replaced the Times sports desk so subscribers could be charged an extra fee, and which does a very good job, dismissed the initial accounts.

Steven Ginsberg, The Athletic’s executive editor, backed Russini, telling the New York tabloid that he is “proud” of her. “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people.”
But as Front Office Sports later reported, The Athletic decided to investigate Russini’s account, and that the pictures had been shopped to TMZ and other outlets. ESPN confirmed that the Post’s coverage had raised concerns that were being reviewed.

Vrabel, who led the Patriots to the Super Bowl and was named NFL Coach of the Year, could not have been more dismissive. “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” he told the Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.” And that was it.

But Russini has had plenty to say since she was allowed to resign. In a letter to Ginsberg on Tuesday, obtained by The AP, she does not offer a shred of regret:  

“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published…unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”

“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.” 

Russini said she’s quitting before her contract expires on June 30 “because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”

Sadly, she still doesn’t get it. Journalists are supposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict.

Now some media outlets are asking the inevitable question.

NBC Sports asked: “Is there a double standard for Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini?”

But reporter Mike Florio writes that Vrabel has a very different job in Massachusetts. If the coach was leaking non-public information, he says as a hypothetical, that could be a problem.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION DEFENDS MIKE VRABEL, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER OVER LEAKED PHOTOS

And there’s this vague catch-all in league rules for players: “Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL, NFL clubs or NFL personnel.”

The Boston Globe has also assailed a “double standard,” saying female journalists’ credibility is more easily challenged and male figures like coaches are less likely to suffer consequences.

Globe columnist Chad Finn says that “accountability falls unevenly.”

Veteran sportswriter Jeff Pearlman said in a TikTok video that if he had a private meeting with Mike Vrabel, there wouldn’t be any headlines, even if they jumped in a hot tub, but when it’s a female reporter, it’s national news.

“It is unfair but a reality for women reporters, it’s unfair, but they really have to be cautious when writing about a particular man…It’s just such a painful double standard.”

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Look, I get it. Journalists are held to a higher ethical bar. Female journalists in particular are held to a higher ethical standard than sources. Particularly if the source is a powerful man. And especially if that man just took his team to the Super Bowl.

But nobody looks good here – not the Times, not Dianna Russini, not the Patriots, not the National Football League, and definitely not its Coach of the
Year.