ExcitingAds! Fox

Backlash over Good Good Golf ad goes too far as stores pull merchandise, PGA Tour event potentially canceled

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:32:30 -0400

Just a few days ago, Good Good Golf was viewed as one of the largest brand names among young people starting their interest in golf.

Unsurprisingly, major golf brands were quick to partner with the YouTube channel and its personalities. They have a partnership with Callaway Golf to develop putters, golf clubs and golf balls. Their branded apparel is carried by major retailers, including WorldWide Golf Shops outlets such as Roger Dunn in Southern California. It is also sold online through retailers such as Target and at most Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy locations.

Or was.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Good Good became the center of controversy in golf over the past week thanks to an ad they made to promote a branded version of Callaway's new driver. The ad was meant to be a parody of the hit movie "Obsession," but was very poorly conceived and executed. In the ad, Garrett Clark, one of the founders of Good Good, shoves a woman, Alexis Miestowski, to the ground and says "do not touch my new driver."

Without question, it was a bad ad, made in poor taste, that should not have been released. And the backlash started almost immediately. Fans blasted it for depicting a man shoving a woman to the ground. It was pulled down. The group issued a statement saying it wasn't "aligned with our values."

"We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand," the statement said. "We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward."

Callaway golf initially let Good Good take the blame, saying they were "disappointed" in the video. Then, at 1 a.m. Eastern, issued another statement confirming that the club manufacturer had approved the ad's release, an unsurprising though important admission.

CALLAWAY ADMITS IT APPROVED CONTROVERSIAL GOOD GOOD WOMAN-SHOVING AD IN LATE-NIGHT STATEMENT

As a result of the controversy, the debut of "Big Break X Good Good," a new show set to air on Golf Channel, was delayed after title sponsor Golf Galaxy reportedly requested that its name be removed from the broadcast. That was just the start.

Front Office Sports reported on Wednesday that Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and the PGA Tour Superstore had pulled the company's merchandise from their product shelves. There are rumors that the Good Good sponsored PGA Tour event, the Good Good Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s Fazio Canyons Course in Austin, Texas, could be canceled.

In fact, new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said as much this week. Addressing the ad and response, Rolapp said he was disappointed in how it played out.

"I think initially no," Rolapp said referring to how the company handled the backlash. "I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA TOUR values. We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late. But I think the responses are getting better. I think we've seen some things this morning, we've had some conversations with them, so we'll continue to monitor and work with them going forward. But no, we were disappointed with what we saw."

When asked about the future event, Rolapp described it as a "fluid situation."

"I think I mentioned before, it's a bit of a fluid situation," Rolapp said. "We were disappointed at first. It sounds like in the last 24 hours they've made some progress. We'll continue to monitor the situation and see how it develops."

And that is where this has all gone way, way too far.

Again, it is not up for debate that the ad was awful and should never have been conceived, filmed, edited, or approved. The fact that so many steps had to happen, and that so many had to approve it at each step of the way, and nobody pointed out how bad it looked is bewildering and indefensible. Obviously, men should not be shoving women to the ground. Even in a parody of a movie, it was bad.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

That said, pulling their merchandise off the shelves? Canceling shows? Pulling down title sponsorships? As if they were endorsing domestic violence or aggression towards women? Or saying women shouldn't play golf, when they literally have a YouTube channel called "Good Good Girls"?

Clark posted a lengthy video to X on Wednesday addressing the concept behind it, apologizing for his role in it, and explaining the pitch they received from the marketing team. He took accountability for how bad the ad looks, repeatedly says that it was a bad idea from the start, and confirms, of course, that he didn't actually hit a woman.

Temporarily delaying the release of a show for a week in response to this ad? Sure. Acting as though Good Good needs to be permanently shunned by the golf world for it? That's absurd. Young boys and girls are not going to stop watching Good Good Golf because of a bad advertisement. YouTube Golf continues to grow, and while many golf purists hate it, there's immense value to it. New audiences become interested in the sport, then many start watching PGA Tour events or other golf competitions and become potential lifelong fans.

Yes, they made a mistake, but moving past the "cancel culture" obsession was supposed to end this type of hysterical corporate overreaction. For Rolapp, it's not surprising, coming from the woke factory that is the modern NFL, but for the other retailers, it's ridiculous.

What's the punishment for Callaway? Is Golf Galaxy and the PGA Tour Superstore going to pull their products from the shelves for approving the ad's release? Of course not, because Callaway generates far too much money for those companies through club and golf ball sales. That's how you know this is performative; there's no consequence for the biggest name involved here.

Does Good Good deserve criticism for the ad? Yes, absolutely. It's objectively terrible, by their own admission. Should Good Good be permanently shunned from golf now? No, of course not.

Armed man arrested at Trump golf course allegedly had first lady's schedule, notes on Secret Service: reports

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:29:26 -0400

An armed man arrested Aug. 2 at President Donald Trump's California golf course allegedly had first lady Melania Trump's schedule and detailed information about U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel, according to reports.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, had more than 200 pages of writings that included schedules for the first lady and members of the president's USSS detail, The Associated Press reported, citing information revealed during a Los Angeles County court hearing Wednesday.

The New York Post reported that prosecutors said Taele had seven notebooks containing 208 pages of drawings and sketches of Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, lists of USSS schedules, details about individual security personnel and copies of Melania Trump's schedule.

MAN ARRESTED AT TRUMP GOLF COURSE AHEAD OF PRESIDENT’S VISIT ALLEGEDLY HAD WEAPONS CACHE

The writings also included detailed lists about surviving "off the grid," according to the AP.

Los Angeles County Judge John Lonergan Jr. called the allegations "alarming" during Wednesday's hearing.

"This case itself is alarming in this day and age with the violence that is creeping into our everyday lives, especially with our partisanship in the political environment" ahead of the midterms, Lonergan said, according to the AP.

The judge suspended criminal proceedings after a pretrial evaluation indicated Taele was not mentally fit to stand trial and sent the case to a mental health court, the AP reported.

TRUMP'S DECADE OF ASSASSINATION THREATS RUNS FROM BUTLER SHOOTING TO LATEST GOLF CLUB BREACH

Taele was arrested earlier this month after plainclothes federal agents spotted him walking the grounds of the golf club, taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities ahead of Trump's visit, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Deputies who detained Taele allegedly found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pants pocket, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities searched his vehicle and recovered a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber and another magazine containing hollow-point ammunition.

RECORDS REVEAL THE MASSIVE ARSENAL OHIO MAN ALLEGEDLY BUILT TO ATTACK WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT

Taele claimed he worked for the State Department and was at the golf course for a security detail.

Investigators later searched Taele's Downey home and recovered an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition, radio signal devices and multiple notebooks containing what authorities described at the time as "concerning statements."

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, USSS and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have been investigating the case.

SECRET SERVICE MISSED 'MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES' TO PREVENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: WATCHDOG

Taele, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will remain jailed until a Sept. 9 hearing at Hollywood Mental Health Court, according to the AP.

Taele's public defender, A.J. Bayne, cautioned against drawing conclusions about his client's motives.

"He's a veteran, he served our country, and I don't know enough right now, but he has a family that loves him, that has huge support for him," Bayne told the AP, adding that "people assume too much" about Taele's motives.

The USSS previously told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on specific protective intelligence matters, but "thoroughly investigates any information or activity that may reasonably be perceived as a protective intelligence concern or indicate a potential threat or directed interest toward any individual under Secret Service protection."

VIRGINIA MAN ACQUITTED BY INSANITY IN KILLING FLEES US DURING 48-HOUR MENTAL HOSPITAL PASS

Trump addressed the arrest earlier this month.

"Well, the only thing I get a little solace from is, they say only consequential presidents. And I am definitely consequential," Trump said during an appearance on "Fox News @ Night."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Office of the First Lady for comment.

Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price and Landon Mion contributed to this reporting.

NYC business owners revolt over Mamdani’s government-run grocery stores: ‘Doomed for disaster'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:10:07 -0400

New York City business leaders and bodega owners rallied Wednesday just steps away from the future site of one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's city-run grocery stores, arguing the plan will force local businesses to close.

The Multicultural Business Coalition, which is made up of 50 chambers of commerce representing multicultural businesses, filed two lawsuits in state court on Monday challenging Mamdani’s plan to open five government-owned supermarkets with subsidized grocery offerings.

On Wednesday, leaders within the coalition gathered alongside bodega owners outside the American Deli Mini Market Corp, in Harlem — which sits across the street from the confirmed Manhattan city-run store location at La Marqueta — to challenge Mamdani’s rollout of the stores, which is slated to begin in late-2027.

GROCERY BOSS WARNS MAMDANI'S CITY-RUN STORES PIT GOVERNMENT AGAINST 'ITS OWN CITIZENS'

"This is a campaign promise doomed for disaster if it is allowed to go through," Mark Jaffe, president and CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, told Fox News Digital.

One of the two lawsuits is a seven-page class-action filed on behalf of "hundreds" of store owners and alleges the opening of the city-run grocery stores would violate the businesses’ civil rights, according to court documents.

"When you use government money discriminatorily, it could be a civil rights violation," Jaffe said, adding, "Shame on the [Mamdani] administration for not working with small businesses, but trying to hurt them and being heartless in their statements."

The second suit asks the courts to permanently block the operation of "the municipal grocery stores, in absence of undertaking necessary studies and analysis," a move that has historically barred large retailers — such as Walmart — from entering the Big Apple.

'WASTEFUL DISTRACTION': EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI'S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES

Under Mamdani’s plan, the five grocery stores will offer a core basket of items priced 30% below the average retail prices sold at other businesses.

"Under the model, the City will own the land and cover overhead costs like rent and construction. A private operator, selected through a request for proposals, will manage daily operations and be contractually required to pass savings directly to customers on a core basket of everyday staples," an April news release stated.

However, the pricing and subsidization of business expenses for the city-run stores puts the operators at an unfair advantage, according to Jaffe.

EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI'S GROCERY PLAN AS AN 'ILLUSION' THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL

"It’s unfair," Jaffe told Fox News Digital. "[Small business owners] who have to pay their Con Edison bill, their real estate taxes, their fines and full price for food cannot compete."

"The end-game here would be to help [small businesses owners] and not just subsidize 30% off from suppliers who are not lowering their prices for the city," he continued. "Our tax dollars are buying groceries at full price, so we can sell them at 30% off up the street — that’s not going to feed enough struggling people."

Jaffe added that he believes the solution could lie in the establishment of a task force focused on mitigating the damage to local businesses in the surrounding areas of each store.

"The only reason [small businesses] are going to be hurt is because [Mamdani] is taking tax dollars to put [them] out of business," Jaffe told Fox News Digital. "It's wrong. We want a task force. We'll show you how to feed struggling people."

GROCER-TURNED-LAWMAKER SAYS MAMDANI’S GOVERNMENT-RUN STORES 'MIGHT NOT EVEN LAST A YEAR’

As part of the rollout of the city's government-run grocery stores, Mamdani established the NYC Groceries Task Force to "convene city agencies, industry experts and local small business owners to guide implementation," the administration said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Additionally, the city launched an OPEN Task Force to "identify and eliminate unnecessary red tape and reduce fines and fees for small businesses," according to Mamdani's office.

The sentiment surrounding the stores' impacts on local businesses was echoed by Elvis, the owner of American Deli Mini Market Corp, identified only by his first name.

"If [Mamdani opens this store] in front of [my] business, [I’m] going to go out of business," Elvis said through a translator at the press conference. "[I] pay a lot of taxes and this is not fair."

NYC GROCERS SOUND ALARM ON MAMDANI'S SUPERMARKET PLAN: 'WE'LL LOSE CUSTOMERS'

MAMDANI'S GROCERY GIVEAWAY HITS ID SNAG AS CRITICS CRY FOUL: 'MAKE IT MAKE SENSE'

Mamdani has long defended his plan for government-run grocery stores, saying Monday that he is "fully confident in both the legality and the importance of our initiative."

"The administration plans to open one city grocery store in each borough by the end of the Mayor's first term. There are more than 1,000 grocery stores and supermarkets and over 10,000 bodegas and corner stores across New York City," Mamdani's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "There are more than 1.4 million New Yorkers currently struggling with food insecurity. The five city grocery stores will not have a significant impact on the hundreds of grocery stores or the thousands of bodegas across the city."

However, Jaffe insists the opening of the city-run, subsidized stores will do more harm than good to the surrounding businesses and will ultimately drive the minority entrepreneurs out of the Big Apple.

"It is doomed to fail. History shows us that communist supermarkets have empty shelves," Jaffe said, adding, "We have better ways to help feed the struggling people. Please listen, Mr. Mayor. Don't keep campaign promises that will hurt people."

Trump questions state of MLB while renewing push for Roger Clemens' Hall of Fame induction

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:57:14 -0400

Major League Baseball is entering the final weeks of its regular season as labor talks between the league and the MLB Players Association reportedly remain stalled, creating uncertainty ahead of the playoffs.

The current agreement between the two sides is set to expire on Dec. 1. If they do not reach a new deal by then, a lockout could follow. In July, ESPN reported that the sides’ fundamental disagreement centers on the league’s pursuit of a salary cap system. The union likely prefers to preserve the current system, and neither side appeared willing to move from its position.

President Donald Trump has frequently weighed in on sports during his second term. In March, he convened the "Saving College Sports" roundtable, which brought together conference leaders, former coaches and media executives to discuss challenges posed by name, image and likeness deals, the transfer portal and the future of the NCAA.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Last month, during MLB All-Star weekend, commissioner Rob Manfred was asked whether he had any sense of whether President Donald Trump might intervene in the league’s labor negotiations.

Manfred said at the time he did not want to "speculate" about Trump's potential involvement.

"Look, I think it would be wildly, wildly inappropriate for me to speculate what the President of the United States might do or not do in a hypothetical situation," Manfred said. "We know this. He's a great sports fan, and he is really knowledgeable about the business of sports, so it doesn't surprise me."

Manfred did say, however, that Trump was "interested."

Beyond labor negotiations, Trump has also repeatedly pushed for seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens’ induction into the Hall of Fame. In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump cited Clemens’ career achievements and criticized Hall of Fame voters over his exclusion.

"How about Roger Clemens not being in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, all because a bunch of jealous people with far less Talent, voted that he shouldn't be there," Trump wrote. "He was also not convicted, or admitted, to taking Drugs. Roger is easily one of the few Greatest Pitchers of All Time, winning 354 Games, 7 Cy Young Awards (A Record, by 3!), and played in three World Series, winning two! He was third in most Strike-Outs."

Trump then turned his attention to Manfred, claiming the commissioner had told him he would approve Pete Rose’s reinstatement but waited until after Rose’s death to do so. "The Commissioner told me he was going to approve Pete Rose, but he waited long enough until Pete died."

Last year, Manfred announced that Rose, who died in 2024, and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson would be reinstated, which made both eligible for Hall of Fame consideration.

Trump concluded by questioning the state of the sport. "No wonder Baseball is in trouble!"

MLB COMMISSIONER UNDERSTANDS WHY TRUMP IS 'INTERESTED' IN MLB CBA NEGOTIATIONS

Almost exactly one year ago, on Aug. 24, Trump said he had played golf with Clemens and his son, Kacy. The president then backed Clemens’ Hall of Fame candidacy, writing that the former Boston Red Sox pitcher "should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, NOW!"

Clemens responded on X, writing, "I appreciate the love! DT knows more than anyone the fake news that’s out there. Everyone has their agendas… I played the game to change my family’s direction generationally and to WIN!"

Clemens’ 10-year run on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot ended in 2022, when he received support from 65.2% of voters, short of the 75% threshold required for election to the Hall of Fame.

NFL warns clubs they cannot sign any player who returns to college football for 2026 season, memo says

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:30:30 -0400

As the college landscape continues through a whirlwind of uncertainty, the NFL reiterated to its clubs on Wednesday that any player returning to college ranks will be prohibited from signing with a team this season.

Multiple players in various sports are trying to return to college athletics despite going professional, which has led to quite the stir for the NCAA. Among them is tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who cleared waivers after being released by the Cleveland Browns this week.

Wright was expected to sign with LSU, where he would reunite with his old Ole Miss coach, Lane Kiffin.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The league issued a memo, obtained by ESPN, that reiterated rules already in place saying any player signed to an NFL contract who is subsequently cut will be a free agent. While that player can sign with another NFL club or join the CFL, if they return to college, they will not be available for this season.

Furthermore, any player cut by an NFL team who returns to college for the 2026 season will still be considered a free agent and won’t be able to put their name into a future NFL Draft.

RAMS' SEAN MCVAY REACTS TO WILD COLLEGE FOOTBALL CONTROVERSY: 'FEEL LIKE I TOOK A FREAKIN' GUMMY'

Other than Wright, Zxavian Harris, who was cut by the New Orleans Saints, is also expected to sign with Kiffin at LSU. He and Wright were teammates during Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff run last season, where Kiffin ultimately took the LSU vacancy mid-season after the firing of Brian Kelly.

Both Wright and Harris received a temporary restraining order that allows them to return to college football, granting them an extra year of eligibility.

But hours after Wright cleared waivers, he and the rest of the college football world saw the SEC and Big Ten, which will soon be joined by the ACC and Big 12, create new guidelines for eligibility that would prevent players like Wright who have participated in professional sports from reentering college athletics.

Under the new policies set by the SEC and Big Ten, any athlete that has signed with a pro team in the NFL, declared for the NFL Draft or participated in any type of professional training camp will be ineligible for conference competition.

Attorney Ryan Downton, who represents a number of players trying to get back into the college landscape, told OutKick’s Trey Wallace on Tuesday night that they are currently "working on a legal strategy" on how to move forward against both the NCAA and the respective conferences that enacted the new guidelines.

"The SEC’s actions put the NCAA in contempt of multiple court orders," Downton told OutKick-Fox News on Tuesday night. "It is cartel-like conduct when NCAA conferences attempt to create their own spur of the moment rules in response to Courts enjoining those same rules at the NCAA level."

ATF investigates ‘major’ cybersecurity incident as ransomware group claims attack

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:26:10 -0400

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said Wednesday it is investigating a cybersecurity incident involving a standalone system, which senior Justice Department officials have designated a "major incident" under federal guidelines.

The disclosure comes as the Qilin ransomware group claimed ATF as a victim, according to cybersecurity outlets tracking the group's leak site. The group has not publicly provided evidence substantiating its claim, and the ATF has not attributed the incident to Qilin.

The ATF said the affected system operates separately from its enterprise network and that there is no indication the incident affected the agency's broader network, its eForms system or any other ATF system.

The agency disconnected the affected environment after discovering the incident and launched forensic and incident-response efforts. The ATF is coordinating with the Justice Department as it investigates what happened.

FBI WRAPS UP CYBERCRIME OPERATION TARGETING GLOBAL NETWORKS PREYING ON AMERICANS

The agency did not identify the affected system, say when the incident was discovered or disclose whether any data was accessed or stolen.

Cybernews reported Wednesday that Qilin claimed ATF as its latest victim but had provided no evidence or details supporting the claim.

GalaxyWarden, a breach-monitoring service, separately reported that ATF appeared on Qilin's leak site and that the group claimed it obtained files from the agency. GalaxyWarden said it had not independently verified the group's assertions.

Fox News Digital reached out to the ATF and the Justice Department for additional information, including whether officials believe Qilin was responsible for the incident, whether any data was accessed or stolen and what prompted officials to designate the event a "major incident."

The ATF said senior Justice Department officials designated the cybersecurity event a "major incident" under applicable federal guidelines and that required notifications have been completed.

DOJ CHARGES 3 RUSSIANS IN ALLEGED $63M CYBERCRIME SCHEME TARGETING AMERICANS

The incident has not disrupted ATF operations or affected the agency's ability to carry out its missions, according to the agency.

The agency asked anyone with information related to the incident to contact the ATF Tipline at 1-888-ATF-TIPS, or 1-888-283-8477.

Hawley rips Flock’s sprawling surveillance web as Texas cities cut cameras over privacy and data fears

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:04:12 -0400

Sen. Josh Hawley is demanding answers from Flock Safety over whether its rapidly expanding network of AI-powered cameras has helped create a searchable national database of Americans’ movements as communities across the country pull the plug on the technology amid mounting privacy concerns.

"Flock has assembled an unprecedented national surveillance network," Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. "They boast more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states and more than 20 billion vehicle scans every month."

"I’m investigating Flock cameras to determine who has access to hundreds of millions of Americans’ data and what they’re doing with it," he added. "Americans deserve answers."

POWERFUL CRIME-FIGHTING SURVEILLANCE GROWTH SPURS LAWMAKERS TO ISSUE WARNING: 'ORWELLIAN'

Robert Frommer, director of the Institute for Justice’s Project on the Fourth Amendment, told Fox News Digital the core concern is not simply the use of cameras, but police being able to search a person’s past movements without first getting approval from a judge.

"The No. 1 reform that I think is needed here is a warrant," Frommer said. "Go to a judge, explain to the judge why you should be able to use this tool."

FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS NEED CONSTITUTIONAL GUARDRAILS BEFORE FURTHER DEPLOYMENT, TENNESSEE MAYOR ARGUES

Frommer said police should still be able to act immediately in genuine emergencies, including cases involving imminent danger or missing people, but should be required to justify the search afterward if there was no time to obtain a warrant.

"Most law enforcement searches are things that happen within a few days of the crime," he said. "You don’t need to be keeping this gigantic database on everybody’s movements."

FLOCK SURVEILLANCE SPREADS ACROSS THE SOUTH AS RED STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO AX '1984'-STYLE TRACKING TOOLS

Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, launched the investigation Wednesday in a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley.

The Missouri Republican said Flock’s camera network goes far beyond the discrete, local investigations for which law enforcement surveillance tools are traditionally used.

LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS AT HOME DEPOT AND LOWE’S SPARK PRIVACY FEARS

"Instead of serving discrete local investigations, as contemplated by our constitutional processes and safeguards, these camera networks harness artificial intelligence to pool what they capture into a national database that customers can search," Hawley wrote.

Flock’s automated license plate reader cameras capture passing vehicles and can log details, including a vehicle’s license plate, description, location and time. The Atlanta-based company markets its technology to law enforcement agencies, businesses and homeowners associations.

‘DARTH VADER’ USES DARK SIDE TO MOCK CONTROVERSIAL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: 'THE EMPEROR IS A FAN OF FLOCK'

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel said the company had received Hawley’s letter and would respond directly to the subcommittee’s questions.

"We look forward to working with Senator Hawley and the Subcommittee to provide additional context about how our technology works, the safeguards built into our platform and how law enforcement agencies use Flock to solve crime and find missing people," Lewbel said.

Hawley said law enforcement needs tools to catch offenders and keep communities safe but argued Americans should not have to surrender their privacy while carrying out everyday routines.

DAVID MARCUS: CHINA TRIP A GLIMPSE INTO THE SURVEILLANCE STATE AMERICA MUST NEVER BECOME

"Americans do not surrender their privacy rights when they drive to work, drop their kids off at school, or go to church," Hawley wrote. "The Supreme Court has recognized that a comprehensive, retrospective record of a person’s movements is different in kind from ordinary observation in public."

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, echoed Hawley’s concerns in a post Wednesday on X, arguing the Fourth Amendment "is not up for ‘compromise.’"

"Our Founders did not risk their lives so a CEO could trade our rights for profit and perceived ‘safety,’" Self wrote, invoking Benjamin Franklin’s warning against giving up essential liberty for temporary safety.

Axios first reported Hawley’s investigation.

Frommer said Flock’s position that agencies control their own data-sharing settings does not resolve the privacy issue when those agencies can be connected to far broader networks than they realize.

"The fact that they technically control the data is a false promise when reality has shown that these things are often spread much further than agencies expected," he said.

The scrutiny comes as a growing number of cities and counties reconsider their relationships with Flock, citing concerns over data sharing, privacy and the potential for misuse.

On Tuesday, the Pflugerville City Council voted unanimously to end the Texas city’s agreement with Flock. City staff will turn off all 28 automated license plate reader cameras covered by the contract and disable access to the system, according to the city.

"Public safety and public trust have to go hand in hand, and recent revelations about the Flock system have fueled concerns throughout the community; we can’t engage with organizations we can’t trust," Pflugerville Mayor Doug Weiss said in a statement.

Pflugerville police had used Flock cameras since 2020. The city had considered a new two-year agreement that included updated privacy, security and data policies, but officials said they lost confidence in the company’s ability to meet the city’s standards.

FOREIGN ENEMIES HAVE A SHOCKINGLY SIMPLE WAY TO TRACK US TROOPS OVERSEAS, LAWMAKERS WARN

"ALPR technology is a valuable investigative tool, and we have seen firsthand its ability to help protect our community during critical incidents," Pflugerville Police Chief Willie Richards said. "But as useful as this tool is, we must have confidence that the safeguards and settings we put in place function exactly as intended. Unfortunately, we’ve lost confidence in the current system and the vendor’s ability to meet our data and privacy standards."

Lewbel said Flock respects Pflugerville’s decision and said the city had participated in Texas’ statewide sharing network, which she described as distinct from one-to-one sharing between agencies.

"Statewide sharing allows participating Texas agencies to search across the network using a full license plate," Lewbel said. "Agencies control their sharing settings and can change or revoke them at any time."

Lewbel said Flock’s audit logs showed statewide sharing had been enabled for Pflugerville since 2024, and that agencies receive monthly emails detailing their sharing relationships.

She said the company identified two out-of-state agencies that had been mistakenly categorized as Texas agencies and included in the statewide network.

"We take responsibility for that error, which was corrected months ago," Lewbel said.

NORTHEASTERN CITY VOTES TO END SHOTSPOTTER CONTRACT FOR GUNFIRE-DETECTION TECH DESIGNED TO FIGHT CRIME

In Hood County, Texas, the Commissioners Court voted to end its relationship with Flock and later unanimously directed that the county’s three cameras be disconnected and covered until they can be removed.

Constable John Shirley said his office carried out the court’s decision, sharing photos of the cameras unplugged and covered.

"Today is a good day for the Freedom of the people of Hood County," Shirley wrote in a Facebook post. "These cameras were constantly scanning and recording regular folks just going about their day.

"That kind of permanent, warrantless tracking doesn’t belong in a free society," he added. "Privacy isn’t optional, and mass surveillance isn’t how we do things here."

Shirley later stressed that he supports technology that helps police solve crimes, find missing people and locate dangerous suspects, but he said public safety cannot end the conversation about individual liberty.

"We can have good policing and still insist on boundaries," he said. "We can use technology without giving government unlimited surveillance capability."

Shirley said the cameras remain Flock’s property and that he was carrying out the Commissioners Court’s direction, not acting independently. He told the company to "come get your garbage out of my county."

Tempe, Arizona, has also turned off its Flock automated license plate reader system and will end its contract with the company, city officials said.

The cameras are no longer collecting license plate data, and Tempe said it does not plan to hire another company to replace the system.

While Tempe police said the cameras had helped solve crimes, the city cited recent misuse of automated license plate reader systems in Arizona and elsewhere as raising concerns about the risks associated with the technology.

Tempe police found no misuse of its own Flock system, according to the city. Flock will remove the cameras, and Tempe said previously collected data will be automatically deleted after 30 days unless it is tied to an ongoing case or investigation.

Frommer said the constitutional concerns extend beyond Flock to any provider of interconnected license plate reader technology.

"License plate readers, as a technology, are incredibly helpful. They can help solve crimes," he said. "But there have to be safeguards in place, constitutional safeguards in place — no matter whether it’s Flock or Axon or Motorola or another company."

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith stepped away last year after losing three family members

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:01:03 -0400

Within months of abruptly stepping away from the NFL last season, Za'Darius Smith lost his mother, his grandmother, and his father in rapid succession.

Now, after navigating unimaginable grief, the three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher is back on the field, using football as his sanctuary with the Atlanta Falcons.

After playing for six different franchises across 11 seasons, the 33-year-old was ready to hang up his cleats when he left the Philadelphia Eagles mid-season in October 2025.

FALCONS COACH KEVIN STEFANSKI MAY POACH FORMER PRO BOWL PASS RUSHER FROM BROWNS TEAM THAT FIRED HIM

But when Atlanta came calling, Smith was navigating a heavy personal trial that ultimately brought him back to the game.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith opened up about heartbreak, healing, and his return to the field.

"I was in a dark place," Smith said.

He visited with the Cleveland Browns before reaching a deal with Atlanta, his seventh NFL team, saying football served as a much-needed outlet during a brutal stretch.

Smith’s signing gives Atlanta needed pass-rushing reinforcement following a season-ending ACL injury to Jalon Walker and an eight-game suspension for James Pearce Jr.

FALCONS SELECTED TWO PASS RUSHERS IN NFL'S 2025 DRAFT AND NEITHER MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO START 2026

"This is my happy place," Smith said. "Come back, play football. I was in a dark place, but, you know, coming out, running out on the field, the fans, not just the fans, man, the joy that I get from winning and just getting sacks."

"My mom, rest her soul, man, she always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons."

Since entering the league in 2015, the defensive end has put up consistently strong production, tallying 343 total tackles, 70.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Smith will turn 34 near the start of the season.

VON MILLER SIGNS WITH COWBOYS IN HOMECOMING MOVE FOR 2-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: 'LET'S MAKE THIS ONE SPECIAL'

Speaking on his career sack count, Smith added: "Now I'm trying to reach 100. However I need to do that, I'm going to try."

"I'm happy to be in Atlanta."

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

'View' host Ana Navarro rejects Hunter Biden's assertion that Trump is 'already' a 'dictator'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:26:31 -0400

"The View" co-host Ana Navarro appeared to disagree with former President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, after he accused President Donald Trump of being a dictator on her podcast Monday.

In the second half of a two-part interview on "Bleep! with Ana Navarro," Hunter Biden told Navarro the U.S. has "already" lost democracy under Trump regardless of who wins the midterm elections.

"He is a dictator ... in no uncertain terms," Biden said. "Everybody understands this. He has broken the system. It is gone. It is completely broken."

'THE VIEW' CO-HOST LAUDS HUNTER BIDEN AS 'RIVETING' AFTER PODCAST SIT-DOWN, CALLS HIM 'BIGGEST TROLL'

"They’re going through confirmation hearings right now of his personal attorney to be the attorney general of the United States," he continued. "He has used his position as president of the United States to jail, to attempt to jail journalists. He is prosecuting Don Lemon for following someone into … and we’re not all sitting here up in arms?"

Trump's former personal attorney and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general earlier this month. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from his coverage of an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon maintains he was there as a journalist.

"He goes on Air Force One, and he gets a question that he doesn’t like, and he looks at a veteran woman reporter and tells her to ‘Be quiet, piggy,’ and no one says anything," Biden added. "We have lost our democracy at this point."

"Can you imagine if your father had ever done that?" Navarro asked.

"I can't even remotely imagine," Biden said.

However, Navarro stopped short of calling Trump a dictator, though she said "he would like to be."

"I fled dictatorship," she said. "I fled the Sandinistas in 1980, and I live in Miami, where there’s a lot of Cuban-American exiles, a lot of Venezuelan-American exiles, a lot of Haitian-American exiles. I think he definitely would like to be a dictator and have no guardrails, have no pushback.

"I still have some hope in some of the courts. And I think we still have elections. And despite the fact that there's threats against the free press, we still do have the free press."

ANA NAVARRO AND FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN AIDE CLASH OVER PRESIDENT'S COMBATIVE EXCHANGES WITH FEMALE JOURNALISTS

She argued that the larger problem was a lack of congressional oversight from Republicans to balance out Trump's power and questioned whether Democrats retaking the House and Senate could make a difference.

"I don't know that they have the stomach to do some of the s--- that Republicans do without any qualms," Navarro said.

Navarro's response on the podcast marked a stark departure from her past comments on Trump, when she warned of him behaving like a dictator and suggested his actions were dictatorial.

During her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Navarro compared Trump to several communist dictators.

"Let me tell you what communist dictators do, and it's never just for one day," she said at the time. "They attack the free press. They call them the enemy of the people like Ortega does in Nicaragua. They put their unqualified relatives in cushy government jobs so they can get rich off their positions like the Castros do in Cuba.

"And they refuse to accept legitimate elections when they lose and call for violence to stay in power like Maduro is doing right now in Venezuela," Navarro continued. "Now, you tell me something. Do any of those things sound familiar? Is there anybody running for president who reminds you of that?"

DAN RATHER AMONG 200 JOURNALISTS DEMANDING TRUMP BE CALLED OUT AT WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER

As recently as May, Navarro accused Trump on "The View" of being a "wannabe dictator" or having "small dictator energy" after a golden statue of Trump was installed at Trump National Doral golf course after the PGA Tour's Cadillac Championship.

Fox News Digital reached out to Navarro for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the suggestion that Trump was a dictator and mocked Hunter Biden in a statement.

"Just like sleepy Joe, Hunter Biden’s brains are fried potatoes. We wish him and his family well during this difficult time," Ingle told Fox News Digital.

HEAR IT: 911 call captures horrifying first moments of deadly shooting at Seattle’s Bite of Seattle festival

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:24:27 -0400

Newly obtained 911 calls shed new light on the deadly shooting at Seattle’s famed Bite of Seattle festival, capturing the frantic response as first responders raced to help with multiple people down.

"I’m losing blood," a caller who described being shot in the back told a dispatcher.

The caller did not know who had opened fire.

GUNFIRE SHATTERS TORONTO LATIN STREET FESTIVAL LEAVING AT LEAST 2 DEAD AND MULTIPLE WOUNDED

"I don’t know who did it. I took cover. I see the officers down here," the caller said.

The dispatcher tried to keep the wounded person calm as help was sent toward the water fountain where the caller was believed to be waiting.

"It’s OK. Just breathe. Breathe with me. I’m going to stay with you," the dispatcher said.

Moments later, the caller spoke of being with an officer.

Other emergency transmissions capture dispatchers and first responders working to assess the scope of the unfolding violence near the Seattle Center Armory.

"Multiple people down at this point," one dispatcher said when asked whether anyone had been shot.

TOLEDO POLICE FOLLOWING 'MULTIPLE LEADS' AS MANHUNT ENTERS 3RD DAY AFTER FESTIVAL SHOOTING

As reports continued to come in, another dispatcher requested "as many aid units as possible," saying there were at least two people down "but more than that."

Emergency crews initially treated the area as an active scene while officials worked to determine whether it was safe for responders to enter.

"Let’s treat that as an active scene for now," a dispatcher said.

A dispatcher later said there were "six confirmed gunshot wounds" amid the chaotic response.

MULTIPLE PEOPLE KILLED IN SHOOTING AT IDAHO IN-N-OUT RESTAURANT, SUSPECT DEAD

The calls come as Seattle police have offered few public updates on the investigation.

Fox 13 Seattle reported that interim Police Chief Andre Sayles said earlier this month that investigators had developed new information and expected to make an arrest, but he declined to disclose details.

SEATTLE MAYOR'S INTERVIEW CUT SHORT AS STAFF BLOCKS QUESTIONS ON GUN VIOLENCE, SURVEILLANCE

"I think the biggest thing is, you know, it’s going to cause a little bit of frustration, is the integrity of this investigation," Sayles said Aug. 7, according to the outlet. "There’s some information that we have. I want to make sure that we keep the integrity of that investigation close to the vest until we can make the appropriate arrest."

A 15-year-old suspect remains in custody in the shooting.

TWO TEEN SUSPECTS HELD AFTER 5 FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED IN 'TARGETED MASS SHOOTING'

The Mayor’s Office said in a statement to the outlet that the administration "continues to work closely with the Seattle Police Department to ensure information about critical events reach(es) the public."

The shooting erupted last month outside the Seattle Center Armory during the Bite of Seattle food festival near the Space Needle. Three people were killed, and four others were wounded, including a 2-year-old boy, authorities previously said.

The dead included a 19-year-old man and a 44-year-old man who were pronounced dead at the scene. A 56-year-old woman later died after she was transported to a hospital in critical condition.

Wilson called the shooting "an act of horrific violence."

"Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection and joy ended in gunfire," Wilson said at the time.

"No one should have to weigh the risk of being shot before attending an event, gathering with friends, or experiencing their city."

Wilson said officials believed a 15-year-old had opened fire into the crowd, though details remained under investigation. The teen was booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of gun violations and first-degree assault. No homicide charges had been filed as of the most recent update.

Former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators believed gunfire was exchanged outside the Armory after a conflict involving small groups believed to be at odds with one another, leaving bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Investigators initially believed two gunmen were involved. But a juvenile court document later indicated the detained teen and an acquaintance who was found dead at the scene may have exchanged gunfire with at least one other, unidentified suspect.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Seattle Police Department and mayor's office for comment.

2026 TOUR Championship picks for East Lake: Why Chris Gotterup, Hideki Matsuyama and Russell Henley stand out

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:14:08 -0400

The 2026 PGA TOUR season concludes this week anticlimactically with the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. After using a "starting strokes" format from 2019-24 that no one liked — not the fans nor the golfers — this is the second year all 30 guys in the TOUR Championship field will start at even-par.

Fortunately, new PGA TOUR commissioner Brian Rolapp announced a new postseason format earlier this week that will start in 2028. The top 90 players will compete in a final stroke-play event (the first round of the playoffs) before the top 32 advance to a two-week, match-play TOUR Championship.

'PAR TALK': WHY WYNDHAM CLARK DESERVES PGA TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR, LIV GOLF'S FINAL HOORAH, AND SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER'S MONEY

Designed by the legend Donald Ross, East Lake is a 7,455-yard, par-70 that has hosted the TOUR Championship every year since 2004. It is a driver-heavy layout with wide fairways, long approach shots and fast Bermuda greens, rewarding players who can bomb it off the tee and create birdie looks with their irons.

This has been a nightmare season for me betting on golf. I've donked off -50.94 units (u) in 2026, finished 4,133rd out of 5,297 entries in the Race for the Mayo Cup (one-and-done league) and I've only hit one outright: Nico Echavarria at the Cognizant Classic (+5900).

That said, I'm trying to minimize the loss and end the season on a high note by backing these three dudes.

The following odds are from when I bet on the golfers listed below. Subject to change.

🇺🇸 Chris Gotterup +2654 (0.75u) and Top-10 with ties +124 (1u), both at Kalshi

🇯🇵 Hideki Matsuyama +3200 at DraftKings (0.63u) and Top-10 with ties +146 at Kalshi (1u)

🇺🇸 Russell Henley +3500 (0.57u) and Top-10 with ties +167 (1u), both at Kalshi

I love Gotterup's price because, as I wrote last week, his game travels. His four wins over the last 13 months have been at different types of courses and conditions: 2025 Genesis Scottish Open, Sony Open in Hawaii, WM Phoenix Open in Arizona, and the John Deere Classic in Illinois.

East Lake is a driver-heavy course that favors distance over accuracy and has easy Bermuda greens, according to Betsperts Golf.

Well, Gotterup ranks second in this field for Strokes Gained (SG): Off-the-Tee (OTT) and second in driving distance over the last 30 rounds. He's picked up more than eight strokes on the greens last week in a T4 finish at the BMW Championship, and Bermuda is his best putting surface.

Ultimately, we are getting such a good price on Gotterup because he's not as popular as the names ahead of him on the oddsboard, such as Tommy Fleetwood (+1900), Patrick Cantlay (+1700) and Ludvig Åberg (+1450). Yet, Gotterup is playing better than all of them, hence the value.

Hideki let me down last week by tying for 28th at the BMW Championship when I bet him outright (+3000) and to finish in the top 10.

Nonetheless, Matsuyama is getting a better price this week at Kalshi in a field with 20 fewer golfers, and he is third in my model at Betsperts Golf behind World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gotterup.

My model includes stats for East Lake and comparable course history, putting on Bermuda greens, SG: OTT, approach shots from 200+ yards, birdie-or-better rate, etc. Over the last 24 rounds, Hideki is second in this field for total scoring, SG: T2G and SG: Ball-striking (driving and approach), per Betsperts Golf.

Matsuyama’s short-game held him back last week at the BMW, but he gained strokes with his driver for a seventh straight tournament and with his irons for a fourth straight, according to DataGolf.com.

Driving has been the biggest weakness in Hideki's game, and I'm expecting his short-game to bounce back because he is a wizard around the green.

STAY "FEARLESS" ON THE GO! TAKE TOMI LAHREN WITH YOU. DOWNLOAD THE TLIF PODCAST NOW!

Granted, Matsuyama's TOUR Championship history is nothing to write home about (his best finish was T4 in 2018). But the 2021 Masters champion is knocking on the door, and this number is too good to pass up.

This is a "good number" for a few reasons.

First, Henley is a native Georgian who played college golf at the University of Georgia, so he’s familiar with East Lake’s agronomy and playing conditions, including Atlanta's hot, sticky summer weather. The Georgia Bulldog has gained strokes on the greens in five consecutive starts and Bermuda is his best putting surface.

Henley has also finished higher on the leaderboard in the last three TOUR Championships: T14 in 2023, T4 in 2024, and T2 last year. Per DataGolf.com, he’s gained strokes across the board (driving, approach, chipping and putting) in the last two TOUR Championships and tee-to-green (driving, approach and around-the-green) in the last three.

Finally, Henley is underrated and playing better than several guys with shorter odds. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May and hasn’t missed the cut in his seven starts since, which includes a T9 at the British Open.

_____________________________

Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my "OutKick Bets Podcast" for more betting content and random rants.

Internet reacts to Georgia schoolteacher's groundbreaking invention, the 'fart corner'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:45:45 -0400

The old adage goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention," and nowhere is that perhaps more true than with one Georgia teacher’s invention: the "fart corner."

That's not a euphemism. It is indeed a corner one goes into to release a little gas.

But, like many pioneering inventions and technological breakthroughs, it is dividing — and at times clearing — the proverbial room.

'SPIDER-MAN' SHOWING WAS REPORTEDLY EVACUATED DUE TO SOMEONE'S UNCONTROLLED GAS RELEASE

According to NBC San Diego, second-grade teacher Candy Sydney-Browning had about enough of her students' inability to control their gas.

"I have a very weak stomach, so I cannot take it," Sydney-Browning told TODAY. "And so I was like, OK, I’m just gonna create this little area over here, and you just get up, you go over there, do your business, come back, and that’s just it."

Boom. Fart corner.

The "Gusty Winds Area" is stocked with Febreze (veteran move) and gives innocent bystanders a significant buffer zone from wayward odors.

SCIENTISTS REVEAL SURPRISING BRAIN BENEFIT OF LAUGHTER: 'IT'S A MENTAL WORKOUT'

But is this a good idea? I mean, are kids so coddled today that they don't understand the kind of intestinal fortitude it takes to hold a gasser in for several periods because you don't want it to escape in front of the girl you have a crush on in your biology class?

While some see it as a way to normalize a bodily function — by the way, why does everything have to be normalized? — fart corners are not winning over those with an old-school view on public flatulence.

I think fart corners are a slippery, rather foul-smelling slope.

Ripping one in front of the class is something that will haunt you for the rest of your life. I could rattle off several names of my grade school chums who did it, but I'm not going to because I'm a gentleman.

So, I think while this teacher's heart is in the right place, that stigma will still be there, just in a different form.

No longer will they be the "smelly kid who farted in class," but instead they'll be the "smelly kid who is constantly getting up to use the fart corner to the point that everyone else is like, 'Seriously, what the hell does that kid eat? Nothing but baked beans and kimchi?!'"

Justice Thomas recalls why he wasn't friends with Alito in law school: 'Clarence, you were scary'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:37:42 -0400

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently recalled a funny conversation with Justice Samuel Alito about why they weren't friends during their time at Yale Law School.

When asked why they were never friends at the Ivy League institution, Alito told Thomas he was "scary."

Thomas sat down with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for a rare interview in which the pair discussed race, politics and a variety of other issues on an episode of the "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast, which aired Wednesday.

CLARENCE THOMAS SCORCHES RACIAL LITMUS TESTS POLICING THOUGHT: ‘STAY BLACK AND DIE’

Thomas was talking about his Supreme Court colleagues when he noted that Alito attended Yale a year behind him.

"He was a year behind you. But you didn't know each other," Cruz said.

"He's a funny guy. He's brilliant. He was always nerdy. Princeton guy like you, right?" Thomas replied.

Thomas then recalled asking Alito about their time at the university.

"So I said, 'Sam, how come we were there two years together? Why weren't we friends?'" Thomas recalled.

JUSTICE THOMAS REVEALS THIS ELITE INSTITUTION IS ‘OFF LIMITS’ TO HIM: ‘THAT'S THE WORLD WE'RE IN’

"'Clarence, you were scary,'" Thomas said Alito told him.

The justice explained that he wore bib overalls and combat boots throughout law school.

"I'm so glad they didn't have these phones where you could take a lot of pictures," he added.

During an appearance Wednesday on "The Will Cain Show," Cruz noted that Thomas was a "left-wing radical" in college before eventually embracing conservatism.

"He journeyed to become an extraordinary thinker," Cruz said. "No other justice has overcome so much adversity to reach the very pinnacle of American law."

Trump's lawyers put Dem AG on notice for targeting his family in NY fraud fight: 'Cannot stand'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:33:56 -0400

On Wednesday, representatives of President Donald Trump filed a brief in the New York Court of Appeals, arguing the court should throw out his liability finding in a $464 million civil fraud case that centered on Trump's real estate valuations.

The reply, made in response to an appeal from New York Attorney General Lititia James' efforts to resurrect those penalties after a lower court tossed them out, argues the case had several legal flaws that should have prevented it from being heard in the first place.

"This case should have never been brought, and the judgment cannot stand," the appeal states. "This case is extremely unusual; it involves not only reams of improper statements targeting President Trump, his family, and his businesses, but also a decision to apply [New York law] against those targets in a completely unprecedented and unlawful way."

The response is the latest instance of President Donald Trump pushing back against what he has characterized as politically charged lawfare that he endured between his two administrations. It also gives Trump a renewed opportunity to push back against some of the penalties that still apply to him from that verdict.

LETITIA JAMES HAMMERED AFTER NY MEDICAID FRAUD UNIT FUNDING FROZEN OVER INEFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT

In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, alleging 200 instances of fraud. Specifically, her office alleged that Trump had routinely overvalued properties in New York City to secure favorable loans or insurance rates in violation of New York Executive Law § 63(12). The provision instructs the attorney general to prosecute cases of repeated fraudulent or illegal acts.

The law defines fraud as "any device, scheme or artifice to defraud and any deception, misrepresentation, concealment, suppression, false pretense, false promise or unconscionable contractual provision."

Trump was found liable in 2023.

As a result, Trump was required to pay $355 million plus interest in damages and was banned from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for two years.

He was also banned from applying for loans from any New York bank or financial institution for three years. Although an intermediate appeals court later vacated the monetary award, Trump's lawyers argue the underlying liability finding and the remaining restrictions should also be overturned.

APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT

The appeal filed Wednesday argues against the verdict along five key lines.

The document argues that Attorney General James lacked the authority to bring the case, noting that the case involves private commercial transactions rather than harm to the public. It also contends that Trump’s valuations reflected subjective estimates that lenders independently evaluated rather than fraudulent misrepresentations.

"The only supposed 'victims' here are a handful of ultrasophisticated banks and insurers that have never claimed to be injured, were eager to do business with President Trump and his family, and made over $100 million from these transactions," the appeal states.

The appeal further argues that the prosecution’s premise of overvaluation is based on the misguided idea that real estate has one objective value and that deviations from that value must be fraud.

"Under that breathtakingly broad theory, NYAG can second-guess any business transaction in this State on almost any imagined grounds," the filing states.

And, on the penalties, the appeal argues that the $450 million disgorgement is excessive, unlawful and even unconstitutional.

Finally, the appeal argues that the politically charged nature of the case, on its own, should have been enough to halt its consideration.

"NYAG cannot point to a single Section 63(12) enforcement action against similarly situated developers (or any other type of defendant) based on practices comparable to those alleged here," the filing states.

TRUMP PICKS JAMES MCDONALD TO LEAD POWERFUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK AFTER JAY CLAYTON'S DEPARTURE

"Ms. James repeatedly called President Trump a 'criminal'; promised to 'investigate President Trump and his business transactions,' 'review ... Trump-related real estate transactions,' and 'take on ... his business in New York'; and threatened President Trump's 'family' and 'anyone in his orbit," the document states.

James' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Jon Stewart asks whether 'The Daily Show' is like high-sugar food giving US 'political diabetes'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:19:37 -0400

Talk show host Jon Stewart told former first lady Michelle Obama Wednesday he questions whether shows like his have been a net positive or net negative for the country.

On her "IMO" podcast, Obama asked Stewart whether it’s healthy for young people to get their news from "The Daily Show."

"Do you think comedy helps or hurts the political climate?" she asked. "I wonder what you think, because sometimes I think, ‘Is it good that most young people are getting their news from The Daily Show?’ Or that they — you know — they want you to run for president?"

Stewart began by questioning his show's impact, saying that late-night shows are becoming a "relic."

JIMMY KIMMEL FIRES BACK AT CRITICS TELLING HIM HOW TO DO HIS JOB AS LATE-NIGHT COMEDIAN

"We are in some ways a relic of a previous era where it's sort of like I'm running a Blockbuster, a video store inside of a Tower Records," Stewart replied, noting social media’s impact and how even his show has had to adapt to it to boost reach. Multiple commentators have noted that the late-night talk show as an entire format appears to have been increasingly outmoded by long-form podcasts.

Stewart went on to note that he has learned not to confuse cultural power with actual power but nonetheless appreciated how cathartic shows like his can be. He said the format feels somewhat "impotent" and possibly like something of an "opiate" for American citizens.

"Is it an opiate?" he asked. "Is it creating a, you know ... And having worked on some of those things on Capitol Hill and all that, I know the difference now, which I didn't before. The difference between activists who are in the trenches doing that day-to-day work, trying to bend that arc of the moral universe slowly towards justice, not realizing there's a bunch of people trying to bend it back."

COLBERT CALLS TRUMP 'AUTHORITARIAN' BUT REJECTS 'PARTISAN' LABEL IN EXIT INTERVIEW WITH NY TIMES

Stewart said he is curious about what a double-blind study would show about his work.

"Like, does this help? Does it corrode? Does it pervert? Is it something to be — is it ultra-processed, you know, food that's given the country a kind of political diabetes? I don't know," he said.

"I think I also have to step back on — it may not be an honorable thing we do, but we do it as honorably as we can in that it is not in bad faith," Stewart continued. "So, the way that I try and judge it is, any good faith art, material, speech, talk that goes into the universe, I feel like is a win.

"There's so much bad faith," he warned. "But I can't sit here and honestly answer like, ‘It's a win for society. What I've done over these past 25 years,’ you know, I'd hate to think, obviously, but there's many people on social media who would tell me, you know, that that is the case."

Tim Graham, the executive editor of the NewsBusters division of the Media Research Center, agreed that Stewart is right to question what his show has done for political discourse.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

"The concept of Americans getting their 'news' from comedy shows is always a terrifying prospect," Graham began. "Stewart's right with his metaphor of ultra-processed food. Political comedy's a Twinkie and not a bran muffin. People can have very distorted views on a comedy-alone diet, like thinking Sarah Palin actually said, ‘I can see Russia from my house.’

"Late-night comedy can be compared to an opiate because their natural audience uses their overwhelming tilt against Trump to get over their anger that Trump won the White House again," he continued. "In 2024, the late-night shows devoted 82% of their political jokes to Trump and the Republicans.

"It's a little bit funny that they're discussing partisan hackery on the Michelle Obama podcast," Graham added. "The Obamas have been the most fawned-over couple in modern American media history. Late-night comedians never act on the Michelle principle, ‘When they go low, we go high.’"

Ex-ESPN host Cindy Brunson embarrasses herself trying to discredit Caitlin Clark

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:18:15 -0400

We previously discussed the all-time low the sports media reached in defending DiJonai Carrington after she clotheslined Sophie Cunningham and then posted "White privilege" from the locker room following her ejection. In doing so, no one embarrassed themselves more than former ESPN broadcaster Cindy Brunson.

Brunson claimed Carrington did not deserve a Flagrant 2. Instead, she argued that Cunningham should have been ejected — not the player who clotheslined her.

Brunson also shared a post claiming white WNBA players benefit from "reverse DEI."

ELLE DUNCAN BLAMES CAITLIN CLARK, HER FANS FOR MEDIA SMEAR CAMPAIGN WHILE IGNORING FACTS

If it appeared Brunson's remarks were driven by an agenda, she later confirmed it. She said she is Team DiJonai "all day every day."

"I’m team @dijonai all day every day and at most that should’ve been a flagrant 1 not an ejection," she posted on Threads.

One player Brunson does not support "all day every day" is Caitlin Clark.

In another bizarre Threads tangent, Brunson attempted to discredit Clark while discussing a game that did not involve the Fever.

On Sunday, Clark scored 37 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including 8-of-12 from three-point range. She also had 10 assists as the Fever defeated the Sky, 113-90.

Brunson wasn't impressed. She quickly argued that Clark’s performance should be discounted because the game was not competitive.

"Miss me with that stat padding 37 points, on the floor up 20 w/ a minute to go BS. The 32 points in just 26 minutes was WAY more impressive from the ⭐ on the playoff team from the lone star state," Brunson posted above a story about Seattle’s game against Dallas, in which Clark did not play.

Apparently, Brunson could not praise Paige Bueckers without taking a shot at Clark.

Brunson later deleted the post. But she did not do so because it was personal, desperate, or demeaning. Instead, she said she removed it because it prompted "racist" and "transphobic" comments her way.

Look familiar?

LET'S HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK, RACISM, AND MEDIA COWARDICE

Like so many players in the WNBA, Brunson took an unprompted shot at Clark — again, she didn't even play in the game Brunson was discussing — Clark's fans defended her, and the aggressor cried racism.

They all so badly want to be victims.

Brunson has since continued her crusade against Clark on X.

This week, Clark recorded her fifth career 30-point, 10-assist game. She now has more 30-point, 10-assist games than the rest of WNBA history combined. Every other player in league history has combined for just four.

Yet Brunson was, again, not impressed by Clark's achievement. She dismissed the accomplishment as a "small sample size."

Huh?

Clark has accomplished something more times in fewer than three full seasons than every other player in the WNBA’s 30-year history combined. By definition, that is not a small sample size.

Elsewhere, on Tuesday night, Brunson celebrated Bueckers’ 22 points and 11 assists in a — wait for it — 96-78 Wings victory. Yet there were no complaints about stat-padding due to the margin of victory this time.

Why? According to Brunson, it is "different."

Apparently, it is also different when Angel Reese sets records early in her career, which Brunson might call a "small sample size" if Clark were involved.

"So impressive @Reese10Angel just broke a record that has stood since May of 2003 when Chamique Holdsclaw hauled in 24 rips for her Mystics vs the Shock. Reese finished w/ 26 rebounds, 18 on the defensive glass. So TUFF. #WNBA," Brunson posted this week.

When users pointed out the blowout and the level of competition, the same arguments Brunson used to diminish Clark, she said those qualifications did not matter anymore.

"It doesn’t matter who the competition is, she set not one, but two WNBA records tonight‼️ Plus, Smesko doesn’t use his bench much, esp w/ Bri Jones hurt. ALL of his starters were on the floor to end this game."

Got that? The competition, score and playing time do not matter when it's Reese setting the record.

Further, Reese actually has padded her stats throughout the season. Literally. There are videos of her team deliberately allowing her to inflate her statistics late in games. You can see and read more about that here.

To be clear, Brunson does not appear as bitter or racially motivated as some of Clark and Cunningham’s most vocal detractors. In her videos, she comes across as pleasant. And yet, she has greatly damaged her credibility. Her coverage of Clark and Cunningham is so nonsensical that it looks plainly personal.

Compare how she belittles the two Fever players with how she celebrates the rest of the league. It's obvious. It is pathetic.

DAKICH: SPORTS MEDIA HAS CREATED AN ‘INDUSTRY’ OUT OF COMPLAINING ABOUT WHITE ATHLETES LIKE CAITLIN CLARK

It is unfortunate to watch someone who has spent nearly 30 years covering the WNBA damage her credibility because she cannot control her emotions when discussing Clark and Cunningham.

Brunson likely knows the WNBA well. But how can anyone view her commentary as honest moving forward when she has so clearly abandoned honesty in her recent coverage?

They cannot.

For those who claim White Fever fans are the reason the WNBA has become toxic, Brunson’s timeline offers a more honest explanation. She and people like her are fueling the league’s divisiveness. They have clear personal vendettas against Clark and Cunningham, then claim victimhood when others notice it.

Perhaps pandering to a small group of people on WNBA Threads is worth sacrificing credibility with the broader public. We doubt it, though.

Busy Philipps diagnosed with rare brain tumor after undergoing body scan her doctor told her she didn't 'need'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:05:07 -0400

Busy Philipps is sharing how she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor.

During a recent interview with People magazine, the 47-year-old "Cougar Town" actress shared the terrifying moment her doctor told her she had a brain tumor, the day after her "Dawson's Creek" co-star, James Van Der Beek, died after a battle with colorectal cancer.

"Dr. Devinsky says to me, 'I'm just going to say this to you the way I would want someone to say it to me,'" she recalled.

'BACHELORETTE' STAR REVEALS BRAIN TUMOR DIAGNOSIS AFTER ROUTINE HEALTH SCAN

"And that was when the wind like sort of knocked out of me, and I had to sit down. He was like, 'I need you to breathe. I can hear that you're not breathing.' And I was like, 'Just tell me what's happening.' And he's like, 'This isn't any of those other things that they said it could be. This is a real tumor, and it's inside your brain, and Busy, it's got to come out. We got to take it out.'"

She was then connected with Dr. John Golfinos of NYU Langone and scheduled the five-hour surgery for March 2, during which surgeons removed a 2.6-centimeter mass from her brain.

The mass was then biopsied and revealed to be a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare tumor that Dr. Alexandra Miller, Philipps’s neuro-oncologist at NYU Langone told People, affects 1,100 to 1,300 people a year in the U.S. She added that "it is considered malignant, but it has the best prognosis of all of the malignant gliomas."

"It’s sort of defined as a cancerous tumor based on the ability of the tumor to regrow over time, rather than it looking very malignant under the microscope," Miller said.

The diagnosis came after Philipps told her cousin’s husband, a doctor in Los Angeles, that she was interested in getting a Prenuvo scan but that her primary care doctor had told her in 2025, "You're super healthy. We've done all this other blood work. We've done, like, all kinds of tests. You're super healthy. There's no need for you to get one."

"'Oh, I love them,'" he told Philipps about the scan. "And I was like, 'OK, cause my doctor just a few months ago said that I shouldn't get one.' He's like, 'Oh, like respectfully, don't know your doctor, but disagree. I think knowledge is power.'

"And what he said really resonated with me. And I was like, 'That was kind of what I was feeling, too. I think I want to get one.' He's like, 'Well, I'd be happy to help you set that up.'"

GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE

After getting the scan, the "Freaks and Geeks" star went to an audition and later that night got a call from her cousin's husband, who let her know there was a lesion on her brain and that she should get an MRI.

Dr. Devinsky later told her the MRI showed a tumor that needed to be removed.

Philipps’ neurosurgeon, Dr. John Golfinos, told People that the early detection of the tumor ultimately made the surgery much easier, adding that had the tumor been found later, it "would have been two or three times the size."

Over a month after recovery, Philipps was back on the operating table after her dermatologist flagged that her incision site looked concerning.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE

She had contracted staphylococcus, which required another surgery to cure, leaving Philipps feeling "really upset" and "like I was back at square one."

Despite her health scares, Philipps still managed to film her upcoming legal drama, "Cupertino," in which she plays the ex-wife of an AI billionaire who becomes the financier of a new law firm.

Philipps does not need chemotherapy or radiation but will get regular scans to monitor any potential reoccurrence. Through this experience, the actress learned to trust her instincts.

"We are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about [when] you kind of know that there’s something to worry about," she said.

"There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering."

Why Dolly Parton could bring together Americans who agree on almost nothing

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:03:56 -0400

Throughout her life, Dolly Parton kept reminding me of something beautiful about being human.

Perhaps you noticed it too.

Her death has brought an outpouring of affection from people who otherwise might agree on very little. And it leaves me wondering: What was it about Dolly? Talent alone doesn't explain it. Success doesn't explain it. Even her extraordinary generosity doesn't fully explain it.

DOLLY PARTON DIES AT THE AGE OF 80: A LOOK AT HER LIFE THROUGH PHOTOS

I suspect we recognized something deeper — a way of being human that somehow enlarged the humanity around her.

Many years ago, my friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu introduced me to an African word that has stayed with me ever since: Ubuntu. It is often translated as "I am because we are."

Over time, I have experienced Ubuntu less as a definition and more as a way of moving through the world. It is the quiet conviction that another person's life can become larger because you showed up. It is the belief that another person's humanity matters too much to be reduced to a label, a failure, a fear or someone else's judgment.

Dolly Parton struck me as someone who intuitively Ubuntued her way through life.

DOLLY PARTON'S ‘ALL-AMERICAN HEART’: HOW COUNTRY ICON FORGED SPECIAL BOND WITH US MILITARY

In an America increasingly divided into competing camps and tribes, she was one of our great exceptions. Conservatives admired her. Liberals admired her. Christians admired her. People with no religious affiliation admired her. Rural America admired her. Urban America admired her.

She seemed to delight in people. She didn't require that people become more like her before she could enjoy them.

Want to have some of what Dolly had? Lean into Ubuntu.

Most of us know what it feels like to be reduced to a label, a mistake, a fear or someone else's judgment.

And most of us have encountered someone who refused to leave us there.

Perhaps you've known someone who saw more in you than the labels that had been placed upon you.

Perhaps you've encountered someone who made it feel safe to speak in your own voice.

DOLLY PARTON'S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITY

Perhaps you've known what it feels like when another person's belief in you arrived before your belief in yourself.

Perhaps you've known someone who called forth a larger version of yourself than you could yet imagine.

People like this leave us feeling more alive.

Perhaps that's because we are not completed in isolation. We are enlarged through encounter.

I have yet to meet anyone who isn't carrying more than they should. Maybe that's why another person's humanity can feel so nourishing. Someone sees us. Believes in us. Delights in us. And something in us comes alive.

I have no idea whether Dolly Parton ever heard the word Ubuntu. But I suspect she understood it instinctively.

Her Imagination Library put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children, most of whom she would never meet. The number is extraordinary. But perhaps more revealing is what it says about her: She believed in the possibilities of children she did not know.

We saw that same instinct in the way she encountered people — in her easy laughter, her delight in others and her apparent belief that the person in front of her mattered. She used her success to enlarge possibilities for people far beyond herself.

Dolly Ubuntued.

One of the things I love most about Ubuntu is that nobody has to qualify for it. There is no means test, no dress code, no success code, no educational requirement, no preferred political party, no preferred religion, no preferred heritage, no preferred ZIP code, no VIP entrance and no secret handshake.

Bring your humanity. That's it.

In a world that constantly encourages us to sort, rank, label and separate ourselves from one another, Ubuntu offers an astonishing possibility: None of us becomes fully human alone. Your humanity strengthens mine while mine expands yours.

We need one another's humanity in order to thrive.

Ubuntu may help us survive difficult seasons. But its deeper promise is that we flourish.

Not despite one another.

Through one another.

The older I get, the more convinced I become that this is not simply a beautiful idea. It is a practical truth. We are changed, nourished, challenged and enlarged through our encounters with one another — sometimes most unexpectedly by people whose lives seem different from our own.

And we don't encounter this only in people whose names the world knows.

It appears in teachers and neighbors, nurses and firefighters, grandparents and lifelong friends and complete strangers. In someone who saw more in you than you could see in yourself. In someone whose humanity surprised you because their life seemed so different from your own.

And chances are, you've been that person for someone else.

Ubuntu is not merely a word. It's a human thing — a way of helping one another flourish, of becoming more fully ourselves and of discovering that neither of us necessarily leaves an encounter unchanged.

Humanity is one of the few things in life that grows when it is shared. When we strengthen another person's humanity, we strengthen our own.

Dolly Parton is gone. But what we loved in her isn't.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

It is still possible every time someone refuses to reduce another person to a label. Every time someone believes in another person before that person can believe in themselves. Every time one human being calls forth something larger in another — and discovers that they, too, have been enlarged.

Maybe that's some of what Dolly was showing us all along.

So let's celebrate humanity.

Let's celebrate the people who enlarge it.

You've been Ubuntued.

Perhaps you've Ubuntued others.

Let's Ubuntu together.

'Tragic accident' unfolds as travelers, employees witness deadly passenger jet incident

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:00:44 -0400

An airport worker was killed on the job this week after being struck by a passenger jet.

The incident took place at YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport in Quebec, Canada, Monday, airport officials said.

The incident involved an Airbus A350 operated by French Bee, a low-cost airline, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

MYSTERY WI-FI NETWORK ABOARD FLIGHT RAISES 'UNUSUAL' ALARM ABOUT TRAVELERS' INFORMATION

The employee, who was not identified by airport officials, worked for ground-handling company Samsic.

French Bee told Fox News Digital the accident occurred during ground operations ahead of the departure of Flight BF5761 to Paris-Orly.

The airline said the accident occurred during the aircraft's pushback operation, though the exact circumstances "remain to be established."

"The airline extends its deepest condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones as well as its support to colleagues and all teams affected by this event," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

UNRULY PASSENGERS COULD BE BANNED FOR LIFE FROM MULTIPLE AIRLINES UNDER NEW PROPOSAL

"French Bee is fully cooperating with the relevant Canadian authorities," the airline said, "and providing them with all necessary assistance to support the ongoing investigation."

In a statement, officials from Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) said they were "deeply saddened" by the incident.

"The loss of a member of our airport community affects us all deeply," said Yves Beauchamp, president and chief executive officer of ADM.

"During this difficult time, our thoughts are with the employee's family, loved ones and colleagues, to whom we extend our heartfelt sympathy and sincere condolences."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

ADM said it worked with its partners to provide assistance and support to employees and passengers "who witnessed this tragic accident."

ADM is also "cooperating with the authorities responsible for the investigation since the outset of their work," it said.

The Quebec coroner's office was also notified of the death and is investigating its causes and circumstances, CityNews reported.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

ADM said it would not provide further comment out of respect for the victim and the victim's loved ones. It directed media inquiries to the authorities leading the investigation.

Fox News Digital reached out to Samsic and the TSB for additional information.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The fatal incident in Montreal comes just months after two other deadly incidents at major North American airports.

Earlier this year, a Delta Air Lines employee was killed on the job after an airport tug vehicle crashed into a jet bridge at Orlando International Airport.

At around the same time, a Frontier Airlines jet struck and killed a person who was walking on a runway at Denver International Airport.

Hegseth upgrades Abbey Gate Marines' valor awards after 5-year delay: 'Those days are over'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:42:57 -0400

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth upgraded valor awards Wednesday for three Marines who risked their lives to save others during the deadly Abbey Gate bombing, saying their original award submissions were "inappropriately" downgraded after one of the darkest days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition," Hegseth said during a Pentagon ceremony marking exactly five years since the Aug. 26, 2021, terrorist attack.

"Today, on this milestone anniversary, we declare that those days are over."

WOUNDED MARINES RELIVE THE HARROWING KABUL AIRPORT ATTACK IN EXPLOSIVE NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY

Hegseth presented upgraded Bronze Star Medals with "V" devices for valor to Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston. Cpl. Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a "V" device for valor.

"For too long, leadership in this capital city failed to match that frontline courage with administrative backbone, inappropriately downgrading the original award submissions that these men rightfully deserved," Hegseth said.

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT JAMES CAPERS JR. SAYS RECOGNITION IS BITTERSWEET AFTER LOSING 'SO MUCH'

Eby, then a staff sergeant, was screening evacuees from an exposed position when the suicide bomber struck. With his platoon commander and half his platoon wounded or killed, Eby took command, rallied his remaining Marines to establish security and helped evacuate the wounded, according to his award citation.

His actions "undoubtedly saved the lives of many," the citation said.

Houston was roughly 32 feet from the blast and knocked unconscious. He awoke with shrapnel wounds but remained in an exposed position to cover fellow Marines and provide lifesaving treatment to those more seriously wounded, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said.

Houston concealed his injuries because he feared being taken out of the fight and later removed shrapnel from his own body before receiving medical treatment.

"I don't know where we find such men, but I'm not sure we deserve them," Commandant Gen. Smith said.

Gretzon was also struck by shrapnel, suffering an arm wound severe enough that he applied his own tourniquet. After medical personnel bandaged him, he immediately returned to his squad and continued helping until his platoon sergeant personally ordered him to the casualty collection point, Smith said.

ARMY VET LAWMAKER MARKS ABBEY GATE ANNIVERSARY WITH BLISTERING MESSAGE FOR BIDEN-HARRIS: 'ABJECT FAILURE'

The ISIS-K suicide bombing killed 13 American service members as U.S. forces carried out the final evacuation from Afghanistan.

The fallen were Marine Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui; Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak; and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.

REMEMBERING THE COLLEAGUES WE LOST: A VETERAN'S MEMORIAL DAY REFLECTION

"Today our hearts remain anchored to the memory of the 13 warriors who gave their last measure of devotion on August 26th of 2021," the ceremony's chaplain said, asking for continued comfort for their Gold Star families.

The award upgrades come as the War Department's Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel continues examining the attack and withdrawal.

AMERICA’S PROMISE TO OUR AFGHAN ALLIES IS STILL UNFINISHED FIVE YEARS LATER

Sean Parnell, who chairs the panel, said Wednesday that investigators recently recovered "highly relevant classified documents," material he said should have been disclosed but was "stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found."

After investigators examined the material, Parnell said, "it became clear why someone tried to hide them."

MOSCOW, TALIBAN FORGE MILITARY ALLIANCE IN POWER GRAB AFTER US AFGHANISTAN EXIT: REPORTS

Parnell did not disclose the documents' contents because they are classified, and the War Department has not publicly identified who allegedly concealed them.

Hegseth said the broader Afghanistan review is ongoing and that the department expects to have a full report to provide by the end of the calendar year.

"Marines, on this fifth anniversary, your valor is now officially, permanently and properly recognized," Hegseth said. "You represent the very heart of peace through strength."

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Girl Scouts denies teaching religion amid scrutiny of Muslim faith awards, mosque visits

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:23:01 -0400

Girls Scouts of the USA pushed back Wednesday on reports that mosque-based troops incorporated Islamic prayer, hijab lessons and faith-specific patches into scouting activities across several states, saying outside faith organizations independently run the optional programs.

"Girl Scouts is proudly for every girl. Contrary to misinformation circulating online, Girl Scouts is not a religious organization and does not teach religion. For more than a century, we've welcomed girls of every faith and background," a GSUSA spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"Our national My Promise, My Faith pin invites girls to connect the Girl Scout Law with their own faith. Any other faith-based patches are developed by independent faith organizations, not GSUSA, and participation in these programs is always optional."

EL-SAYED'S DEFENSE OF SHARIA LAW STANCE SPARKS ONLINE ERUPTION FROM CHRISTIANS, CONSERVATIVES: 'HE'S DONE'

GSUSA’s own materials state that the organization has approved religious-recognition programs created by faith groups and permits their insignia on official uniforms. A chart currently hosted on its national website says each religious organization develops and administers its own curriculum.

The chart lists four Islamic recognitions — Bismillah, In the Name of Allah, Quratula’in and Muslimeen — alongside programs for Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i and other faith communities. It directs Muslim families to the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting.

A 2025 Girl Scouts of Orange County, California, faith toolkit says the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting provides Muslim Girl Scouts with activity booklets and medals. The toolkit also lists churches, mosques and temples as possible venues for faith events.

A separate All About Islam Patch website aimed at Girls Scouts requires every age level to complete sections on all Five Pillars of Islam and at least three activities. Options include attempting a partial fast, donating to charity and completing a Five Pillars worksheet. The program is hosted separately from GSUSA's national website.

TEXAS TEEN TELLS CONGRESS HE RECEIVED DEATH THREATS AFTER REVEALING ISLAMIC BOOTH AT HIGH SCHOOL

Moms for Liberty New Jersey Ambassador Alexandra Bougher criticized the religious recognition programs in a statement to Fox News Digital Wednesday, arguing that faith-specific badges could exclude girls who do not share the beliefs required to earn them.

"No Girl Scout chapter should push one faith over another by incentivizing it with badges some girls, because of their own faith, will not be able to earn," Bougher said. "Girl Scouts should rededicate itself to its true mission instead of getting involved in ideological battles that exist to endorse a particular faith or exclude young scouts of another faith from earning merit badges."

The scrutiny followed a report Saturday by White House correspondent Natalie Winters alleging that mosque-based troops had incorporated Quran study, Islamic prayer, Ramadan observances and hijab activities into Girl Scout programming. The report cited programs in California, Illinois, New York and Virginia.

The cited examples involved local troops, councils and faith organizations rather than a compulsory national curriculum. GSUSA’s website has also highlighted Orange County Muslim troops that organized an Open Mosque Day for Girl Scout families.

ONE OF NATION'S LARGEST CHRISTIAN FOSTER AGENCIES WILL NOT ALLOW LGBTQ COUPLES TO ADOPT CHILDREN

American Heritage Girls (AHG), a Christian scouting organization founded in 1995 as an alternative to Girl Scouts, emphasized its upfront disclosure of religious programming in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"American Heritage Girls is unapologetically Christ-centered, and we lead with that identity rather than obscure it. Every family is told upfront, before they ever join a troop, that our programming — including our curriculum, activities, or any other facet of the ministry — is built around a relationship with Jesus," an AHG spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said AHG discloses what girls will learn from the outset and vets outside materials for consistency with its Christian mission.

"We welcome girls from all faith backgrounds, but we don't soften or hide our core beliefs and values," the spokesperson continued.

"Faith formation shouldn't be a surprise for a parent to discover. For us, it’s something we’re intentional about, transparent about, and proud of. And parents appreciate that."

NFL ends Pro Bowl after decades of declining interest, will turn all-star game into an award for 88 players

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:22:18 -0400

The Pro Bowl is dead. The NFL finally laid its season-ending All-Star event to rest Wednesday.

(This was a long time in coming because the Pro Bowl has been something of a corpse for years and the NFL has finally admitted it needed to be buried.)

The NFL will no longer stage an AFC vs. NFC Pro Bowl game. Instead, the league will place greater emphasis on the moment a player is selected, the recognition that accompanies that distinction, and bringing the Pro Bowl class together to celebrate the achievement.

"The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL," said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business, International and League Events. "A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans."

Beginning with the 2026 season, 88 players will comprise the official Pro Bowl roster, with none of the replacement selections that in recent years diminished the honor. The roster will continue to be determined through an equal-weighted voting process among players, coaches and fans.

By limiting the honor to the 88 players originally selected, the Pro Bowl will "return its focus squarely to recognizing the league’s most outstanding performers, reinforcing the significance of an achievement held in especially high regard by players themselves," the NFL said in a statement.

This had to happen.

The modern NFL Pro Bowl began in January of 1951, following the 1950 season, as an East-vs.-West all-star game. In 1971, it became the familiar AFC-vs.-NFC format.

Its television high point came with the 2000 Pro Bowl, which drew 13.24 million viewers on ABC.

NEW RESEARCH FINDS 1 IN 4 NFL PLAYERS COULD DEVELOP CTE IN THEIR LIFETIME: 'SHOULD BE A CALL TO ACTION'

But the game’s standing noticeably eroded thereafter as fear of injuries and venue changes led to withdrawals, replacements and low-effort football because players concluded that an exhibition was not worth jeopardizing their health.

After the league ended the tackle edition of the Pro Bowl in February 2022, it was replaced by the Pro Bowl Games in 2023.

US FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM STUNNED BY AMERICAN SAMOA IN SHOCKING FIRST LOSS IN 14 YEARS

It was a farce.

The Games were built around skills competitions and AFC-NFC flag-football games.

The Games were something of a curiosity the first year and 6.2 million viewers tuned in. But that quickly crashed and the ratings cratered this year at 2 million viewers – below even preseason viewership.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The Pro Bowl announcement will come in late December through an "enhanced announcement," highlighting the 88 selected players across NFL, club, social and broadcast partner platforms and celebrating the performances that earned them the honor.

The NFL never loses. It is ending one television event in February but possibly adding another in December and billing it as an "enhanced announcement."

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo apologizes to Chicago Cubs after sign stealing controversy: 'bush league'

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:07:02 -0400

It's one of baseball's oldest, and often most misunderstood, traditions: stealing signs from the opposition.

Despite popular misconceptions, sign stealing in baseball is perfectly legal. If, say, a runner at second base is able to pick up signs from the catcher to the pitcher, he's within his rights to relay them to the hitter. It's up to the pitcher and catcher to come up with their own elaborate system to keep the other team guessing.

The Houston Astros in 2017 and into 2018 are the most obvious and prominent example of how sign stealing could be abused, particularly in the pre-pitchcom era. Should players or coaches pick up on signs and relay them on the field, there's no issue. However, when teams employ video technology to relay signs in real time from the dugout, as the Astros did, that crosses into cheating. That distinction is precisely why the Astros' 2017 World Series title carries the asterisk it does.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS FIRED ADVANCE SCOUT NICKNAMED 'BASEBALL SPY' AFTER HE WAS CAUGHT FILMING ROCKIES

Even though advancements in pitchcom have eliminated physical signs for some pitchers and catchers, sign stealing remains part of baseball. Whether through picking up on tipping or through decoding other physical movements. And that sign stealing tradition boiled over during a recent game between the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Cubs and Diamondbacks played a series this week in Phoenix, with tempers boiling over during the fifth inning of Chicago's 7-0 win on Monday evening. The disagreement started when the Diamondbacks' dugout came to believe that Cubs' third base coach Quintin Berry was picking up on signs from pitcher Merrill Kelly, then relaying those signs from his position on the field.

A breakdown from popular baseball account Jomboy showed what seemingly happened.

"Stealing signs is as old as baseball," Kelly said Monday night after the game. Though he added that he does not believe it's acceptable coming from a coach. "I think it’s a little bulls--- when it comes from a coach."

MLB EFFECTIVELY OUTLAWS USE OF AI ON DUGOUT IPADS DURING GAMES

"If it’s a guy on second base, and they see a grip in your glove or if the hitters can see something you’re doing with your glove, I think that’s fair game. I think guys have been doing that since the beginning of baseball. I think it’s a little bush league when it comes from outside that. I think inside the lines is one thing. I think the guys that are standing outside the lines I think it’s a little bush league," he said.

This resulted in a shouting match between the two dugouts, with Arizona personnel seen yelling across the field. Manager Torey Lovullo, pitching coach Brian Kaplan, and bench coach Jeff Banister in particular used some flowery language to tell Berry to stop relaying signs.

Lovullo went so far as to reach out to Major League Baseball's league office, asking for confirmation that Berry's actions were against the rules. After Tuesday night's game, however, he explained to the media that the league told him Berry and the Cubs hadn't done anything wrong.

"It was a fantastic conversation," Lovullo said. "The third base coach and the first base coach can do whatever they want, as long as they are inside the dimensions of the base coaching box, so I stand corrected. And I had a chance to call [Counsell], apologized to him, and told him that we were wrong, and they were doing everything right."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

It's funny, because it seems like something that should be against the rules. As long as coaches don't leave their boxes though, they're within the rules. Lovullo, though, admitted that with the team fighting for a postseason spot, each game has become more "intense" than a typical regular season match up.

"It's a very intense time of the year, and you know a lot goes on," Lovullo said. "Two teams trying to protect their turf. I told him that I'd take care of our clubhouse, which I did."

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he appreciated the gesture and conversation.

Said Counsell, "I think the world of Torey. I think he runs a great ship here. I think he's done a heck of a job. So I enjoy every conversation I get to have with him. So yeah, he felt like he wanted to do it, and I appreciated it."

In a sense, all's well that ends well, but it's an interesting reminder that sign stealing, even as technology continues to improve, is a part of baseball. Some traditions never die.

Accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 3 co-defendants set for 2028 trial

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:06:30 -0400

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and three alleged co-conspirators will stand trial in 2028, a military judge ruled Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Michael Schrama set the trial for June 5, 2028, rejecting prosecutors’ request to begin proceedings in January 2027. Mohammed and the three other defendants have been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2003 in the long-delayed case stemming from the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Schrama said the prosecution’s proposed Jan. 11, 2027, trial date did not leave enough time to resolve outstanding pretrial matters.

"A realistic trial date must account for the hearing and resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions, including the FBI LHM suppression motions," Schrama wrote.

COURT THROWS OUT PLEA DEAL FOR 9/11 MASTERMIND KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED, TWO OTHER TERRORISTS

The scheduling order establishes a series of deadlines and milestones for the case leading up to the June 2028 trial, while leaving existing deadlines governing ongoing pretrial litigation in place.

"The TSO issued today serves as the overarching scaffolding. It assumes the successful completion of the deadlines in the AE 989O TCO and the FBI LHM TCO and establishes milestones leading to a trial on the merits starting on Monday, 5 June 2028," Schrama wrote.

Under the order, jury selection, including assembly, challenges and empanelment of commission members, will begin June 5, 2028.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin 30 days after the members are empaneled. The defendants may choose to defer their opening statements until prosecutors have finished presenting their case.

COURT PUTS PLEA DEAL ON PAUSE FOR 9/11 MASTERMIND KSM: 23 YEARS LATER, JUSTICE FOR TERRORISTS IS DELAYED AGAIN

Prosecutors will begin presenting evidence immediately after opening statements conclude. Once the prosecution rests, the defendants will have 14 days to seek a finding of not guilty under the Rules for Military Commissions.

The prosecution would then have 14 days to respond to such a motion, followed by seven days for the defendant to reply. If prosecutors choose to reopen their case to address an alleged deficiency raised in the motion, the order gives them 45 days after the conclusion of their initial presentation of evidence to do so.

The defendants are scheduled to begin presenting their own evidence 60 days after prosecutors conclude their case-in-chief. The order also sets procedures for rebuttal and surrebuttal evidence, additional motions for findings of not guilty and closing arguments.

Schrama wrote that, absent good cause, the commission will not grant extensions or continuances involving motions for findings of not guilty or the presentation of rebuttal or surrebuttal evidence.

JUDGE RESTORES CONTROVERSIAL 9/11 TERRORIST PLEA DEALS INVOLVING KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED: REPORT

The trial date comes after years of legal wrangling over the prosecution of Mohammed and his co-defendants, including a failed effort to resolve the case through plea agreements.

A divided federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., ruled in 2025 that then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had the authority to withdraw from plea agreements that would have allowed Mohammed and two co-defendants to plead guilty in exchange for sentences of life in prison without parole, potentially taking the death penalty off the table.

Austin argued that a decision on whether to remove the possibility of capital punishment should rest with the secretary of defense. The D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 that Austin acted within his legal authority when he withdrew the agreements.

"Having properly assumed the convening authority, the Secretary determined that the families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out," Judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao wrote in the majority opinion. "The Secretary acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment."

Mohammed, a Pakistani national, is accused of spearheading the Sept. 11, 2001, plot in which hijackers crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania.

The 2028 date sets a timetable for a case that has remained in pretrial proceedings for years as the military commission has addressed disputes over evidence and other legal issues before a trial on the merits can begin.

Chicago Sky owner opens up on Enes Kanter Freedom ejection, makes analogy to shooting a gun

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:03:42 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Chicago Sky principal owner Michael Alter addressed the team's decision to eject and ban Enes Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. When asked why Freedom was not given a warning, Alter made the analogy that someone would not receive a warning for shooting a gun at someone before being punished.

Alter announced on Tuesday that Kanter was banned after his ejection from Sunday's game against the Fever, as the team determined that he was "a threat." Alter said Wednesday the determination that Freedom was a "threat" was a when he "took a step towards the court."

"That's when he became a potential threat," Alter said. "We had league security, we had arena security, we had Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky security, Chicago Police Department, all of them were there. All of them acted immediately. All of them, you know, it was the quickest decision I've ever seen in someone being ejected from a game."

ENES KANTER FREEDOM, DEEMED TO HAVE ‘THE POTENTIAL TO BE A THREAT,’ RESPONDS TO SKY OWNER'S COMMENTS

OutKick reached out to Chicago police for a request for comment.

Freedom has since argued he should have been given a warning before his ejection in a letter to the WNBA. The WNBA fan code does not state that fans are entitled to a warning before ejection. When asked why Freedom was not given a warning before his ejection, Alter said "He wasn’t given a warning because certain threats don’t get warnings.

"To use an extreme example, uh, when you, when you shoot a gun at someone, you don't get a warning, 'Don't do that again.' It, it's, you know, your action doesn't deserve a warning."

Alter acknowledged that he does not know if Freedom actually stepped on the court. Freedom has said he did not step on the court.

The WNBA Fan Code states that fans who attempt to enter the court will be immediately ejected. Footage shows Freedom stepping toward the court, before a security guard promptly comes over and stops him from going any further.

"The security were there to stop him ... The Indiana Fever guy was right there. He was right in front of him. The guy from the arena, Monterey, was right there. It took a second for Chicago's guys to go to get there, but they got there pretty damn fast," Alter said, later adding, "I can’t tell you what his intent was beyond his actions. I don't know what was in his head, OK. Neither do you. And if he tells you what's his intent based on the other things he's told you, you have to know he is completely unreliable."

Freedom has alleged that the confrontation began after he cheered for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. According to Freedom, Cloud turned toward him and said, "She’s not going to sleep with you," before later cursing at him.

"Was she part of the confrontation? Yes, she was," Alter said. "They were going back and forth, so that is correct."

When asked whether the Sky had determined that Cloud violated any rules or planned to discipline her, Alter said, "There was not."

Alter said he had not spoken to either participant about that allegation.

"I’ve not talked to Natasha nor Mr. Freedom about it, but I have talked to several people who were sitting right there and did not have a stake in the matter," Alter said. "These are people who did not know each other. They didn’t come with each other. I spoke with them independently of each other, so they had no knowledge of what the other person told me."

Alter said those spectators told him that Freedom initiated the first verbal interaction by directing basketball-related trash talk at Cloud. He said security did not intervene at that point because the comments had not crossed the line.

EX-LAKERS PLAYER SPEAKS OUT IN DEFENSE OF ENES KANTER, DOUBLES DOWN AGAINST WNBA'S TRANS ISSUE

"What they all shared with me was that he initiated the first verbal contact with Cloud, with doing some what I characterize as basketball trash talking," Alter said. "That was the first initial contact between Cloud and Mr. Freedom. That’s what then spiraled into the back and forth between them."

Alter said the exchange included "her shouting things at him" and Freedom making "hand gestures and facial gestures" toward her.

However, Alter could not provide the exact words the spectators attributed to Freedom.

Alter also acknowledged that he did not have audio confirming the spectators’ accounts.

"I do not have any audio," he said.

But according to Alter, at least one nearby spectator offered a different perspective. A woman wearing Fever apparel who sat behind Freedom said she did not hear him say anything to Cloud before Cloud approached him, Alter said.

"She was sitting behind him, contrary to whoever did write about it, said she was sitting in the same row with him or near him," Alter said. "She wasn’t. She was actually sitting behind him and a few seats down. So I believe her that she didn’t hear him say anything."

Alter suggested that the woman couldn't hear it.

"It would be very hard for her to hear it given where she was sitting," Alter said. "Her comment is not inconsistent with what I was told by people who were actually sitting in direct proximity."

The witnesses have not been publicly identified, Alter could not provide Freedom’s alleged words and no audio has surfaced to verify either version.

Alter nevertheless characterized Freedom’s claim that he did not initiate the exchange as a lie.

"We now know that is a lie," Alter said.

Alter also repeatedly declined to discuss whether Cloud’s actions received or would receive a separate review.

When asked why the Sky had not disciplined Cloud if she approached Freedom before he stood and moved toward the court, Alter said her conduct did not affect Freedom’s responsibility for his own actions.

"Her role in this has nothing to do with our decision and how we handle Mr. Freedom," Alter said.

When pressed about whether Cloud was partially responsible for the overall confrontation, Alter said, "Fans have to be responsible for their own actions, period."

Alter then declined to answer additional questions about Cloud.

"I’m not here to talk to you about Natasha Cloud," he said.

The WNBA rulebook allows officials to assess a technical foul without warning for conduct they consider detrimental to the game. It also identifies profanity and taunting as unsportsmanlike tactics.

Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Cloud after the game and described her as someone who protects her teammates and "people that need to be protected."

Alter also addressed the advance notice the Sky received that Freedom would attend the game.

Freedom’s manager, Hank Fetic, sent Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca a text at 2:31 p.m. Sunday that read:

"Jeff,

"This is Hank (Enes’ manager) i got a new number. You have always been fair to me so i figured you deserved a heads up in advance.

"Enes and I will be at the sky game tonight.

"Hope you are well."

Pagliocca responded at 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled tipoff:

"Appreciate the text, hope you are well too."

Freedom had previously characterized Pagliocca’s response as telling his manager to "enjoy the game." However, the screenshot does not include a text that said, "enjoy the game."

Alter pointed to that discrepancy as one example of what he said were inaccurate statements from Freedom.

"He said that he was told by our GM to enjoy the game," Alter said. "Now that you have the text, you know that’s not what he said."

Pagliocca’s message acknowledged the notice and returned Fetic’s well wishes. It did not tell Freedom to "enjoy the game." Freedom's representatives have addressed the inconsistency in the text.

"The text was sent by his manager and his manager paraphrased to him," Freedom's representative told OutKick.

But the exchange also did not tell Freedom that he was unwelcome. Pagliocca did not instruct him to stay away, warn him about his conduct or place any special conditions on his attendance.

The parties instead disagree about how to interpret Fetic’s statement that Pagliocca "deserved a heads up in advance."

Alter said the Sky viewed that language as a warning that Freedom planned to create a disturbance.

"When you say you deserve to know, why would you say you deserve to know?" Alter said. "That’s a clear, direct indication that be ready, trouble’s coming."

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Alter argued that someone simply attending a game would ordinarily provide notice in more welcoming terms.

"If you’re coming to a game to have fun, you say, ‘Hey, guess what? I’m coming. Wanted to let you know. Look forward to seeing you,’ something like that," Alter said. "You don’t say, ‘You deserve a heads up.’"

But Fetic’s text did not explicitly mention trouble, a protest or an intention to provoke anyone. Alter’s interpretation rested on an inference from the wording and the surrounding circumstances rather than an express warning in the message.

Alter also cited the fact that another person purchased Freedom’s ticket. He said Freedom had acknowledged that arrangement publicly and indicated that he did not want the Sky to learn about his attendance through the ticket purchase.

"Most people, 99.9% of the people who come to Sky games, do not try and hide the fact that they’re coming," Alter said.

However, Freedom’s manager did notify the Sky more than three hours before the scheduled start of the game. Alter argued that Freedom’s group controlled the timing of that disclosure and left the organization with limited time to prepare.

"They went out of their way through the way they purchased the ticket to make sure that we didn’t find that out any sooner than they wanted us to find it out," Alter said.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS

Alter said the organization informed its security personnel once it learned Freedom was coming. The Sky did not prevent him from entering or remove him because of his shirt. Alter said staff members were instructed to ignore Freedom and not "take the bait."

The players, however, were not told that Freedom would be present.

"Correct," Alter said when asked whether security knew but the players did not. "You probably heard me say yesterday that that was something I regret not doing."

Alter said learning about Freedom’s attendance earlier might have given the Sky more time to prepare and allowed the organization to notify its players. But he said it probably would not have changed the decision to allow Freedom inside the arena.

"We didn’t keep him from coming," Alter said. "Despite all these things, despite the fact that we knew his intentions were not to just do no harm, we knew very well what his intentions were."

The text exchange establishes that Freedom’s manager provided advance notice and that Pagliocca acknowledged it.

What the exchange does not establish is Freedom’s intent. Alter interpreted it as a warning of impending trouble. Freedom’s side presented it as a courtesy notice that demonstrated the group was not secretly entering the game. The language itself does not expressly resolve between those interpretations.