8 MAY 26 SITREP

• The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to invalidate the Spanberger-Obama amendment to the state constitution on procedural grounds because Democrats failed to follow proper rules for amending the Virginia Constitution.
• Democrats sought to override the bipartisan redistricting commission approved by Virginia voters in order to redraw congressional maps mid-decade and potentially convert a competitive 6-5 edge into a 10-1 or 9-2 advantage.
• Republican-led states including Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee had already moved to redraw their own maps, with Texas adding five Republican-leaning seats and Florida adding four through a special session.
• Will Chamberlain of the Article 3 Project estimated Republicans stand to pick up 12 to 14 total House seats nationally as a result of the combined redistricting efforts, potentially allowing Republicans to hold the House majority in the 2026 midterms.

• The Department of War announced the initial release of never-before-seen files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known as PURSUE, with the collection housed at WAR.GOV/UFO.
• The interagency effort includes the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Energy, the DOW's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, NASA, the FBI, and additional components of U.S. intelligence agencies.
• The initial release included photos of objects captured on film during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 space missions, including one showing three dots appearing to fly together, and footage of a star-shaped object moving erratically before accelerating vertically.
• Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, tasked by Trump to lead a task force in the declassification of files related to Epstein and the JFK assassination, confirmed additional files will be released including over 40 files her office has requested from the Pentagon.

• Judge Tony Graf ruled today that cameras would be allowed at trial, rejecting the defense's motion for a blanket ban, while establishing that reporters must file requests for electronic media coverage at least 14 days before a proceeding and that either party seeking to restrict coverage must file a motion no later than 10 days before.
• The defense had argued since October that broadcasting would cause irreparable bias, citing the Bryan Kohberger case where cameras were blocked, and called Dr. Bryan Edelman who testified that prejudicial statements by President Trump and former Attorney General Pam Bondi made this case unique.
• Graf granted the defense's motion to delay the preliminary hearing that had been set for May 18, rescheduling it for July 6 through 10, after the defense argued it needed more time to review DNA evidence from the ATF and FBI, though the state confirmed during Friday's hearing that the FBI DNA files had been provided.
• Robinson faces multiple charges including aggravated murder and a possible death penalty for the September 2025 killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, with prosecutors arguing the delay infringes on the victim's right to a speedy trial and undermines public perception of the judicial system.