The party’s over.

Transgender athlete AB Hernandez finished one of the most highly-publicized high school sports careers in modern history on Saturday night at the California track and field state championship, winning two titles and sharing podium spots with female competitors.

Hernandez took first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump, and third place in the long jump. Last year, Hernandez won the triple jump and high jump state championships and finished second in the long jump.

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And again this year, Hernandez shared every podium appearance alongside the female competitor who finished one spot behind the athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reimplemented the same pilot program used at last year’s championships, awarding podium recognition to every girl who finished directly behind Hernandez.

At Saturday’s girls’ high jump podium ceremony, Hernandez’s final podium appearance of the night, multiple girls shared podium spots, leaving one side of the podium completely empty.

Images of Hernandez sharing podium spots with female opponents became an infamous viral point of debate over the last two weeks leading up to the finals, after the CIF’s controversial policy change.

The policy came under intense scrutiny from women’s sports activists and even Hernandez’s supporters, including the athlete’s mother, after it was re-implemented three weeks ago at the CIF Southern Section finals.

The images fueled a heated political debate over trans athletes in women’s sports that has followed Hernandez’s high school career since the 2024-2025 school year.

The political overshadow of Hernandez’s high school career reached its climax during championship weekend, with the athlete appearing in a video with Democrat California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer on the morning of the CIF championship preliminary round on Friday. Later that day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton headlined a rally outside the preliminary advocating for the protection of girls’ sports.

LGBTQ ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT AFTER ‘SAVE GIRLS SPORTS’ RALLY ROCKS CALIFORNIA TRACK MEET WITH A TRANS ATHLETE

Then on Saturday, a press conference, organized by the local California LGBTQ advocacy groups Pride at the Pier and Rainbow Families Action, took place outside the CIF state championship, and police were summoned as Hernandez supporters engaged in a war of words with “Save Girls Sports” activists.

Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, and other LGBTQ activists spoke in support of the trans athlete.

Near the end of the press conference, a group of “Save Girls Sports” activists showed up and engaged in a heated verbal confrontation with participants in the LGBTQ press conference.

Clovis Police Department vehicles were parked in the vicinity, and multiple officers came to oversee the confrontation when the shouting began.

Eventually, the confrontation dissipated without any direct intervention by police.

Hernandez went on to win two state titles later that night, bouncing back from the loss in the long jump to dominate the high jump and long jump. The athlete competed in both events simultaneously, running back and forth between the two events as one of the only athletes to compete in both.

Now, with Hernandez’s high school career over, California is left with an ongoing conflict over the issue of biological males in girls’ sports.

The U.S. Department of Justice is currently suing education agencies in the state for its policies that allow trans athletes to compete against females, and Hernandez’s school district, Jurupa Unified School District, is under investigation by the Department of Education.

California’s gubernatorial primary is also just days away, with the issue of transgender athletes in girls’ sports emerging as a prominent campaign topic as Hilton seeks to secure a spot in the general election later this year.

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NEW ORLEANS — The sounds of ship horns and ceremonial salutes echoed across the New Orleans waterfront this week as the city marked the first stop of Sail 250, a nationwide celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary.

Tall ships and military vessels from around the world docked along the Mississippi River as part of the months-long maritime celebration, offering the public a look inside ships that are rarely open to visitors.

Among them is the USCGC Eagle. It’s known as “America’s Tall Ship,” a 295-foot training vessel and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.

Stepping aboard the Eagle feels like stepping back in time.

With 23 sails, six miles of rigging and roughly 150 Coast Guard trainees on board, life aboard the ship still runs the old-fashioned way. Cadets climb towering masts, work the rigging by hand and train high above the deck while learning the fundamentals of seamanship.

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Below deck sits another reminder of America’s history, a newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence.

“Back then, the best technology was the newspaper broadside, a single printed page,” said Seth Kaller, an expert in historical documents. “What people needed to hear, to be able to read, is the text of the Declaration of Independence. And this is how somebody in 1776 would have experienced the Declaration of Independence.”

The Eagle serves as a training ground for future Coast Guard officers, teaching leadership, teamwork and technical seamanship skills.

“And for 80 years, since 1946, this ship has sailed with the future officers of the United States Coast Guard,” said Capt. Christopher Ensley, commanding officer of the USCGC Eagle. “Teaching leadership, teamwork, technical skills like seamanship and navigation and frankly, getting them salty, getting them ready to serve at sea.”

AMERICA’S DEBT TO THE FALLEN STILL REMAINS 

That training eventually leads to ships like the USCGC Mohawk, where Coast Guard crews carry out modern-day missions ranging from migrant interdictions to drug enforcement operations.

“We have two small boats on board that we pretty much use on a daily basis and that help us do all of our missions that we can’t quite accomplish just on a larger boat,” said Ensign Riley Thorburn aboard the Mohawk.

But Sail 250 is not just showcasing history. It’s also highlighting modern military life at sea.

Docked nearby is the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship home to nearly 3,000 sailors and Marines during deployment, including about 1,250 sailors and 1,800 Marines. Inside, the ship functions like a floating city, with pilots, flight crews, cooks, doctors and firefighters all working around the clock while deployed around the world. 

“Every sailor is a firefighter to a certain extent,” said Damage Controlman Allison Anutta during a firefighting demonstration aboard the Kearsarge.

Fox News embedded with sailors and Marines during the ship’s journey into New Orleans, getting a firsthand look at daily life, including suiting up in firefighting gear used during emergency response drills.

The ship’s firefighting capability is part of a broader mission set that extends far beyond combat operations. The Kearsarge can be configured to carry around eight F-35 aircraft depending on mission requirements and supports a wide range of deployments, from humanitarian response to combat readiness.

Onboard is also a 39-person Fleet Surgical Team responsible for stabilizing and treating patients at sea.

“We are a microcosm of the American population,” said Cmdr. Timothy Brooks, senior medical officer aboard the ship. “All the chronic health issues that happen in America are also over here… and so we’re doing everything we can to maintain just good general health.”

Other crew members described the versatility and pride of their roles.

“We rescue, we protect, and we deliver, on a moment’s notice anywhere in the world,” Naval Air Crewman Bryan Morch explained. 

The arrival in New Orleans also featured ceremonial moments, including a 21-gun salute and the sound of ship horns echoing along the Mississippi River as the fleet marked the start of the national celebration.

For Marines aboard the ship, the mission is rooted in service and sacrifice.

“Greater love is no man than he who would lay his life down for a friend,” U.S. Marine Grace Shneider quoted from the book of John in the Bible. “When I think of the military, that’s what I think of.”

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, crew members said they view their work as part of a continuing legacy of service and history.

AMERICA 250: WRIGHT BROTHERS 

“Anybody who wants to raise the right hand to serve the country… they can’t help but appreciate the history of great things that have gone before,” Cmdr. Brooks said.

The Sail 250 fleet will continue its journey up the East Coast with upcoming stops in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston as celebrations continue nationwide.

A new, secretly filmed documentary profiling one of the most prominent names in the UFO disclosure movement has crash-landed at the height of the federal government’s release of unclassified documents pertaining to otherworldly encounters. 

“Sleeping Dog,” directed by Michael Lazovsky, follows prominent investigative journalist Jeremy Corbell throughout his decades-long efforts regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) transparency. 

Corbell has served as a key figure in the disclosure movement by platforming UAP whistleblowers and facilitating Congressional hearings to bring attention to the topic, with the documentary focusing primarily on his efforts to implore federal officials to release classified information regarding UFOs to the American public. 

“There are machines, there are craft of unknown origin that fly with impunity in our restricted airspace, and our government has been assessing this as a national threat for decades,” Corbell told “The Sunday Briefing” earlier this month. “The jig is up. People now know UAP are real.”

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The documentary — which was filmed in secret over the span of several years — also reveals previously unreleased footage from Corbell’s investigations and includes interviews from several prominent names in the movement, including astronaut Edgar Mitchell, David Grusch and George Knapp. 

“[Corbell] revealed a bunch of videos that he had access to that ended up being a part of the Department of War’s UAP file drop — which was fascinating. So he’s in the know,” Josh Golembeske, senior director of production at Gaia and guest host of the series “Cosmic Disclosure,” told Fox News Digital. 

Corbell has spent 14 years compiling UAP-related secrets at a time when information surrounding the phenomenon has been met with public skepticism and government pushback.

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The result of his efforts has been far-reaching, with experts pointing to a newfound sense of legitimacy toward UAP footage and documentation. 

“The evidence is overwhelming that we’re being visited,” Golembeske said. “There’s been a lid put on it.”

GOT A TIP?  

“We have all this information, but I think it’s more about the information coming to light finally,” he added.

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The film comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s push for federal transparency pertaining to UAPs, with a second batch of declassified documents released by the Department of War last week.

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“There’s been a long push from the public and behind the scenes to get to this moment,” Golembeske said. “That push also leaked into the [Trump] administration. So now this administration is more open to it.” 

While Golembeske has long advocated for full federal transparency, he believes that the current method of controlled information releases by officials is the best way to acclimate the public to news of UAP discoveries and sightings.

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“I think this is a slow drip disclosure, and you could argue it’s compassionate disclosure,” Golembeske told Fox News Digital. “This is actually how I would do it, because I know that people are going to be shocked and I wouldn’t just drop everything on them.”

WATCH: American public ‘can handle’ truth about UAPs, whistleblower says

However, Golembeske cautions against officials using the releases to negatively portray the possibility of alien life, potentially skewing the public perception of otherworldly beings and technology.

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“I like what I’m seeing now, but I worry about a fear-based disclosure versus a hope-based disclosure,” Golembeske said. “Part of my mission here and part of my mission at Gaia is to empower the evolution of consciousness – and all the evidence suggests there is nothing to fear.” 

In light of the renewed interest in UAP disclosure and discovery – along with high-profile documentary releases, such as “Sleeping Dog” – Golembeske remains optimistic that the narrative surrounding UFOs will continue to gain traction nationwide.

“I wouldn’t have said this five years ago, but it feels like something is imminent,” Golembeske told Fox News Digital. “It does feel like we’re building towards a moment and the genie can’t be put back in the bottle – I think it’s gone too far.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Corbell and the film’s distributor, Falcon Scout Media, for comment.