The U.S. Air Force has issued updated guidance that centralizes and standardizes separation boards for service members who no longer meet military requirements, including those affected by transgender policy changes.The Associated Press first reported the change, citing an internal memo dated Aug. 12, 2025.According to the memo, once a board confirms a member meets the policys criteria, "the board must recommend separation."Hearings are closed and will not be recorded. Instead, the case file includes an abbreviated transcript prepared after the hearing. The policy narrows the boards role to a single factual finding.NAVY SECRETARY PUSHES REVIEW BOARD TO PURGE DEI FROM NAVAL ACADEMY AND RESTORE 'WARRIOR ETHOS'Supporters of stricter readiness standards argue the change avoids drawn-out cases and clarifies discipline. The AP notes that, in the past, boards sometimes retained members despite serious infractions, discretion critics said led to inconsistency.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made "restoring the warrior ethos" and tougher physical standards central to his tenure. In his Jan. 25 message to the force, he vowed to "restore the warrior ethos rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence," then directed a rapid, department-wide review of fitness, body composition and grooming standards.'RED TAPE': TRUMP ADMIN UNLEASHES DOGE-ALIGNED PROCESS TO FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FOR MISCONDUCTIn July, he tightened medical waiver rules for new recruits, writing that Americas warfighters must be physically and mentally capable of performing in the harshest conditions.The memo says the rules apply across the Department of the Air Force, including the Space Force, under a single Consolidated Disposition Authority to ensure uniform process and oversight. The AP also reported last week that the Air Force moved to end early retirement benefits for those who do not meet service requirements.The AP framed the shift within broader Trump-era directives affecting transgender service members and cited Pentagon figures putting the affected population in the low thousands. While some legal advisers have raised questions about appeals without recordings, supporters counter that swift, decisive action is essential for cohesion and defense.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The Air Force could not be reached.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A California high school girls volleyball team forfeited a match against a team believed to include a biological male trans athlete Friday night.Riverside Poly High School in Riverside County, California, announced its forfeit against Jurupa Valley High School in a statement."Riverside Poly High Schools girls volleyball team will not take the court for tonights scheduled game against Jurupa Valley High School," the statement said."This match will be recorded as a forfeit in non-league standings. We understand this is disappointing for our athletes, families and supporters, and we appreciate the communitys understanding. We remain committed to providing a safe, positive environment for all student-athletes throughout the season."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNo reason for the forfeit was provided in the statement.Amanda Vickers, a member of the Riverside Unified School District board, told Fox News Digital she believes the forfeit is in response to Jurupa Valley including trans athlete AB Hernandez on its roster. Hernandez was listed on Jurupa Valley's roster last season and is believed to be on the roster again this year."I do believe it is because they are playing AB Hernandez, and that a decision was made that the students didn't want to," Vickers said. "I did get a message yesterday that there [were] parents [of players] that were wearing Save Girls Sports shirts. So they were kind of prepared for a protest today."TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS-ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUNDVickers added she believes the forfeit was significant for the sake of the safety of the female athletes, referencing former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered permanent brain damage when she was struck in the head with a spike from a trans athlete in 2022."What this is about is there is a difference between biological girls and biological boys. And, tonight, the girls of Riverside Polly High School, they're not going to end up like Payton McNabb," Vickers said.Jurupa Unified School District provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the forfeit."We were notified that Riverside Poly High School canceled todays scheduled girls volleyball match with Jurupa Valley High School. They did not disclose the reason. We have no additional comment at this time," the statement said.Fox News Digital has reached out to Jurupa Valley High School head volleyball coach Liana Manu and Hernandez's mother for a response.Riverside became a hotbed of controversy involving trans athletes in girls sports last year during Hernandez's highly-publicized season and after a lawsuit was filed by two girls at Martin Luther King High School that alleged a trans athlete took one of the girls' varsity spots on the cross-country team. The students at the school then began wearing the "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts every week in response after school administrators allegedly compared the shirts to swastikas, according to the lawsuit.Hernandez was the focus of a national media firestorm in May during the athlete's run to a California girls track and field championship. The postseason meets that Hernandez competed in were met with protests by female athletes and their families who often wore the "Save Girls Sports" shirts.Hernandez's run seemingly drew a response from President Donald Trump, who posted a Truth Social message this week leading up to the state final suggesting the state not allow the trans athlete to compete. Hernandez won the championship in the girls high jump and triple jump at a meet that saw an LGBTQ protester arrested for allegedly assaulting a conservative activist and a plane flying overhead with a banner that said "No boys in girls' sports."The U.S. Department of Justice then filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education (CDE) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for its policies that have allowed biological males to compete in girls sports across the state despite Trump signing an executive order in February to prohibit it.Hernandez was honored by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes at the Jurupa City Council Aug. 7. Cervantes was present to give Hernandez two certificates on behalf of the California state senate and delivered a speech recognizing the athlete's championships.A bipartisan survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found a majority of California residents oppose biological male trans athletes competing in women's sports.That figure included more than 70% of the state's school parents."Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth," the poll stated."Solid majorities of adults (65%) and likely voters (64%) support requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with. An overwhelming majority of public school parents (71%) support such a requirement."Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

President Donald Trump rated his closely-watched summit Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin a "10" out of 10 and touted "very good progress" in the road to peace in Ukraine, but said "there's no deal until there's a deal," in an exclusive interview on "Hannity.""I can tell you, the meeting was a very warm meeting," President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "You know, hes a strong guy, hes tough as hell on all of that, but the meeting was a very warm meeting between two very important countries, and its very good when they get along. I think were pretty close to a deal. Now look, Ukraine has to agree to it."HILLARY CLINTON SAYS SHE'D NOMINATE TRUMP FOR NOBEL PRIZE IF HE BROKERS PEACE BETWEEN RUSSIA, UKRAINEThe two world leaders gathered in Alaska on Friday afternoon in hopes of peacefully working towards an end to the war in Ukraine. On Air Force One, President Trump said he was meeting with the Russian leader to "save a lot of lives" and expressed hopes for a ceasefire in the future. The commander-in-chief later reported the summit was "extremely productive," but that they were "not there yet" on ending the conflict."There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say," Trump told the press following the meeting. "A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway. So, there's no deal until there's a deal."Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed similar sentiments, adding the summit was a "constructive atmosphere of mutual respect."Trump told "Hannity" the leaders "spoke very sincerely," and he thinks Putin "wants to see it [a deal] done."The next steps in peace talks include calls between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other NATO leaders. Trump told "Hannity" he would advise Zelenskyy to "make a deal.""They're fighting a big war machine, and we, I think, are close to a deal, but I don't like saying it. I always say, if I'm really close, I say 50-50 because so many things can happen. But I think President Putin would like to solve the problem, and it was a problem that should have never happened. This was a war. All of those families have lost somebody, and I have a book of thousands of people. They presented me with it today. Thousands of people, prisoners, that will get released. "Trump revealed that he is willing to be at a peace meeting between the Putin and Zelenskyy."Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done, and I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelenskyy ... and if they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting," he said. "They're going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy and President Putin and myself, I guess. You know, I didn't ask about it but I want to make sure it gets done and we have a pretty good chance of getting it done."Putin stated during the press conference that he "can confirm" President Trump's previous statements that a war would not have broken out under the Trump administration. Trump told Fox News he believes it happened under the Biden administration due to "gross incompetence.""I love seeing this country be great again and Vladimir said just a little while ago, he said, 'I've never seen anybody do so much so fast.' He said, 'Your country is like... hot as a pistol,' and a year ago, he thought it was dead. Everybody thought it was dead," Trump said.Ultimately, the president stressed the importance of finding an end to the conflict for the sake of the people."If we get this solved, its a really big day because were going to save a lot of lives," he said.Fox News Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump was tight-lipped after his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday but offered some key insight into the meeting to Fox News Sean Hannity in an exclusive interview.Here are the key takeaways from Trumps highly anticipated meeting with the Russian leader as shared with Hannity.Trump told Hannity that "as far as Im concerned, theres no deal until theres a deal." He noted, however, that "we did make a lot of progress."The president noted to Hannity that he believes Putin is not only open to peace but that he "wants to see it done."TRUMP SAYS HE 'WON'T BE HAPPY' IF PUTIN DOES NOT AGREE TO A CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE DURING ALASKA SUMMITPressed by Hannity to share what the "one big issue you dont agree on" that kept the leaders from walking away with a ceasefire deal, Trump declined to share. He said, "No, Id rather not. I guess somebodys going to go public with it, theyll figure it out, but no, I dont want to do that, I want to see if we can get it done."After taking such a major step as to physically meet with the Russian president, Trump said it is now "up to [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy to get it done and maybe the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit."The president said that he would be open to attending a trilateral meeting with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, saying, "If theyd like, Ill be at that meeting. Theyre going to set up a meeting now between President Zelenskyy and President Putin and myself, I guess, not that I want to be there, but I want to get it done."He added, "Ill be there."PUTIN PRAISES TRUMPS SINCERE PEACE EFFORTS, SIGNALS POSSIBLE US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR DEALTrump said that he would rate the meeting a 10 out of 10, saying, "I think the meeting was a 10 in the sense that we got along great."Asked what he thought finally brought Putin to the negotiating table, Trump answered, "I dont want to say anything brought him, hes a very smart guy, nothing brought him to the table, so to speak.""I think he respects our country now, he didnt respect it under Biden, I can tell you that, he had no respect for it."Trump also commented that he "was so happy" that Putin shared his belief during their joint press conference that the Russia-Ukraine war would have never happened had he been in office at the time.ZELENSKYY NOT INVITED TO UPCOMING TRUMP, PUTIN TALKS WHITE HOUSE SAYS THIS WAS THE REASONWithout hesitating, Trump said that his advice to Zelenskyy after Fridays meeting with Putin would be "make a deal."Trump shared that Putin told him he believed the 2020 election was rigged because of the widespread mail-in voting, saying, "you cant have a great democracy with mail-in voting."

As President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, reactions from lawmakers back in Washington, D.C., flooded in, including one Republican who said he wants the president nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize following the summit.While Republicans largely praised Trump for an assertive posture and for his efforts working towards peace, Democrats accused the president of being too friendly with Putin."President Trump, I think, is just crystal clear that Putin's back is against the wall and I think he demonstrated that clearness with his very first action before saying a word with the fact that he flew B-2 bombers over [Putin's] head," said Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. "That was not on accident, obviously. For him to fly a B-2 bomber over Vladimir Putin's head, it was a signal to him that when President Trump says, 'Hey there could be very serious consequences.'"MIKE POMPEO ADVISES AMERICANS NOT TO 'OVERREAD' THIS PART OF TRUMP AND PUTIN'S MEETINGHowever, while Mast expressed that he saw Trump challenging Putin, Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell described the summit as akin to "Trump toast[ing] Putin like he was giving him the lifetime achievement award.""What a Kremlin kiss a-- our president is," Swalwell added.Meanwhile, as the meeting was kicking off, Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., said, "The very fact that Putin will be on American soil is a huge win for him.""First, he is legitimized and not a global pariah. Second, he would be subject to arrest in 123 countries due to his ICC arrest warrant. Here [sic] is walking free," Vindman lamented.FROM ADMIRATION TO ALASKA: A TIMELINE OF TRUMP AND PUTINS HIGH-STAKES ENCOUNTERS"Trump invited a dictator onto U.S. soil just to get his s*** rocked," added the official X account for the Democratic Party.But Republicans rallied around the president's handling of the summit, with Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., announcing Friday night after the summit concluded that he intends to draft a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump.Some Republicans took the opportunity Friday to slam the former Biden administration for failing to take the necessary action to halt the war in Ukraine. "When Joe Biden became president he waved the sanctions on Nord Stream 2, he gave Putin and Russia a multi-billion dollar gift, and the reason that caused the war is because Putin had refrained from invading Ukraine because he didn't want to damage the natural gas pipelines that run through Ukraine," Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday in an interview on Fox News.During the summit, while Putin was addressing reporters, he said that he believed the claim from Trump and Republicans that had Trump been president when the war began instead of Biden, it likely never would have started in the first place."The key to ending this war honorably and justly is to create an infrastructure of deterrence that Biden and Obama failed to do which will prevent a third invasion," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said following Friday's summit.The South Carolina senator added that following the summit, a meeting between Trump, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be necessary. The senator argued that, with such a meeting, he would be "cautiously optimistic" that the war could end "well before Christmas.""If that meeting fails to materialize, I think President Trump may have to go all in to punish those who buy cheap Russian oil and gas, propping up Putins war machine," Graham concluded.