Happy New Year 2025

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Tristan Thompson responds to Raptors coach Darko Rajaković’s suggestion Cavaliers star lacked class

On Wednesday, Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajaković described veteran Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson as a “no-class” player after the Cavs’ 131-108 win over the Raptors.

Rajaković also suggested Thompson’s actions showed a lack of respect.

“I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful,” Rajaković said during a postgame press conference. “I’m not going to stand for that, for sure. I love when my team stands up for themselves. That was no class.”

Rajaković was irked by Thompson’s two-handed slam in the final seconds of the game.

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Raptors players Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead confronted Thompson immediately after the final buzzer sounded, and some fans directed boos at the Cavs big man.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson, right, has words with the Toronto Raptors in Toronto Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Thompson took to social media Thursday to share his response to Rajaković’s remarks. Thompson asserted that the Raptors engaged in a “full court press” even as Toronto was trailing by double-digits late in the game.

LUKA DONČIĆ’S TRADE TO LAKERS COULDN’T BE VETOED, NBA COMMISH SAYS

“You wanna full court press with under a minute left in the game when you get cracked by 30 this will happen to you. Lose for draft lottery and be happy buddy boy. Hopefully you and most of your guys see the light at the end of Bobby and Masai long term plan. Bless up stay warm in MY CITY,” Thompson wrote on X Feb. 13.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he didn’t understand Thompson’s thought process at the time, but he also did not believe there were “bad intentions” behind the dunk.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson dunks against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Feb. 12, 2025. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)

“I’m not sure what he was thinking,” Atkinson said. “Sometimes, though, you’re playing the game, and you just have a reaction. I know with Tristan, there’s no bad intention there. I think just sometimes you’re playing, and the goal of the game is to score. Unfortunate.”

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Thompson, who is from Canada, had four points in four minutes. He is averaging 1.7 points and 3 rebounds per game in 28 games this season.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
GOP chairman responds after protesters are tossed from USAID spending hearing

A group of protesters attempted to derail a USAID hearing at the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, demanding that President Donald Trump’s administration restore aid funding.

Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., poked fun at the protesters for being behind the times after they interrupted opening statements from witnesses before the committee.

“PEPFAR saves lives. Restore AIDS funding now,” the protesters chanted as they were forced out of the chamber.

“I guess these guys don’t watch the news. They didn’t realize that PREPFAR was one of the many programs that did prove to be life-saving so the funding was restored,” Mast said. “Somebody better give them a link to, I don’t know, maybe Fox News or something like that.”

RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’

Chairman Brain Mast suggested protesters should read more news articles. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

PEPFAR is a global AIDS relief program that has been credited with saving over 20 million lives since it was created under President George W. Bush.

The program received a waiver from Trump’s administration to continue its work despite the wider funding freeze impacting USAID and state department aid programs.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also created a wider exemption for “life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance,” Congressional Republicans noted in a memo.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave an exemption to the funding freeze for programs that are “life-saving,” among other things. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

Republicans have blasted the wider wasteful spending at USAID and the state department, however.

NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY HOUSE GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

The memo also highlighted funding programs including “$39,652 to host seminars at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on gender identity and racial equality through the State Department” and “$425,622 to help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly through USAID.”

USAID has been folded into the State Department. (Getty Images)

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Other priorities listed included “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at the southern border through the State Department,” “$446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal through the State Department” and “$32,000 for an LGBTQ-centered comic book in Peru.”

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 13, 2025
NASCAR star Bubba Wallace responds to Trump possibly attending Daytona 500 after past feud

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President Donald Trump is rumored to be attending this year’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. If he shows up, he will be there to watch a driver he has a spotty history with.

Bubba Wallace, who drives the McDonald’s car for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team 23XI Racing, engaged in a public feud with Trump in 2020.

In July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the George Floyd riots, Wallace made multiple posts on X, then known as Twitter, condemning Trump for promoting hate.

Trump himself attacked Wallace on social media over the driver calling for a ban on confederate flags at races and alleged that an investigation into a noose being found in his garage was a “hoax.” An FBI investigation found that the noose had been in the garage stall since October 2019, and no crime had been committed.

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Bubba Wallace, #43, wears a “I Can’t Breathe, Black Lives Matter” shirt before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 7, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Later that year, Wallace alleged that he had been told he was “bringing politics into NASCAR,” in response to his condemnation of Trump. However, in 2024, Wallace made no political posts to speak of. Wallace previously told Fox News Digital why.

“Investing my time into that seems like a waste of time,” Wallace said at the time. “I was definitely more vocal then because our sport was in desperate need of change.”

Now, with Trump set to possibly attend the Daytona 500, Wallace feels just as indifferent as he did during the past year’s election. At the Daytona 500 media day on Wednesday, Wallace said he “couldn’t care less” if Trump showed up or not.

“We’re here to race. Not for the show,” Wallace added.

The response is in line with Wallace’s recent approach to politics. Unlike in 2020, he no longer makes any political social media posts. His feed on X is now just a curated mix of racing photos, promotional posts and photos of family.

NASCAR ICON RICHARD CHILDRESS DESCRIBES ‘GREAT’ RECEPTION FOR JD VANCE APPEARANCE AT NORTH CAROLINA RACE

Bubba Wallace, right, argues with Kyle Larson after the two crashed during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

One of the biggest reasons Wallace abandoned that habit from 2020 is because of cultural shifts in social media during that time. Wallace said there is overwhelming “negativity” on the platforms he would use to get any messages of his beliefs out.

“Social media nowadays is just a way for people to hide behind a screen and voice their opinions on things they don’t really know about,” Wallace previously told Fox News Digital.

“It’s just too much negativity that it’s going to take years and years and years to get rid of, and we don’t have time for that,” Wallace said of the current culture of social media. “Now, with being a dad and trying to be the best that I can be here for my race team and my team here, that’s where I’m investing my energy so that’s all you can really ask for.”

For Wallace, the impact of becoming a father has been a transformative experience for him in such a short amount of time. Since his son was born, Wallace has two top-10 finishes in the three races he has competed in. He is also looking at life through a lense he was not looking through before.

“You have your kid at home and a full family to provide for now, so it’s crazy to go through all that,” Wallace said.

Meanwhile, if Trump shows up, it will be two major sporting event appearances for the president within the span of a week.

Last Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend a Super Bowl when he traveled to the Superdome in New Orleans to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

Trump previously served as grand marshal for the 2020 Daytona 500 and gave the command for drivers to start their engines. He also took a parade lap around the 2 1/2-mile speedway in his armored limousine, leading the 40-car field before the green flag. The presidential motorcade remained on the apron in the corners instead of taking to the high-banked turns.

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President Donald Trump, accompanied by Ivanka Trump, speaks before signing the National Security Presidential Memorandum to Launch the “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity” Initiative. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Thousands cheered, and a band played patriotic music when Air Force One flew over the famed track, a flyover that was simultaneously shown on big screens. Trump’s presence energized fans and caused huge headaches because of logistical issues at entrance points.

Trump, with first lady Melania Trump by his side, addressed the crowd before the race and called the Daytona 500 “a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits and the American skill, speed and power that we’ve been hearing about for so many years.”

A notice from the Federal Aviation Administration posted Monday indicated that Trump was expected to attend the race, but NASCAR said Wednesday it had gotten no confirmation.

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February 13, 2025
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts responds to Trump attending Super Bowl LIX: ‘He’s welcome to do what he wants’

President Donald Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl, and the stars playing in the game are aware of his attendance.

Trump’s expected presence sparked an enthusiastic reaction among multiple Kansas City Chiefs players, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and even Gracie Hunt, the daughter of the team’s owner.

However, one star on the opposing Philadelphia Eagles gave a more lukewarm answer about Trump’s attendance.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was asked how he feels about the president attending the game while talking to reporters Tuesday.

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Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

“He’s welcome to do what he wants,” Hurts said.

When Hurts was asked a follow-up question about whether Trump being there would put more pressure on him, the quarterback responded, “No.”

Hurts turned down an opportunity to play golf with former President Barack Obama at the end of October.

Hurts claimed during a press conference the reason he didn’t golf with Obama was because of a clause in his contract that prohibited the quarterback from playing golf.

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However, no such clause actually exists in his five-year, $255 million contract. An Eagles spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer there is an unofficial agreement between Hurts and owner Jeffrey Lurie in which the quarterback doesn’t become “golf-obsessed.”

Still, Hurts called Obama an “all-time leader” in October.

Hurts was not the only Eagles player to address Trump’s attendance Sunday.

Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said Tuesday Trump attending was “cool” but dismissed it beyond that.

“That’s cool, but Donald is not on that field. That’s cool, but, again, that’s blocking out the noise,” Mailata said. “What am I going to do thinking about Donald Trump? How is that going to make me win the game?”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts walks off the stage after a news conference in Philadelphia April 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mahomes and Kelce expressed more excitement for Trump’s attendance when they were asked.

Kelce called it an “honor” earlier this week.

“I think, you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know. And having the president there, you know, it’s the best country in the world. So, that’d be pretty cool,” Kelce said.

Mahomes gave his thoughts on Trump attending the game to reporters Wednesday.

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“It’s always cool to be able to play in front of a sitting president,” Mahomes said. “Someone that is at the top position in our country.”

Earlier Wednesday, when Trump was asked who he expected to win the Super Bowl, the president didn’t give a definitive answer but alluded to Mahomes’ success.

“I don’t want to say, but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner,” Trump said when asked which team he’s rooting for.

Donald Trump and Brittany and Patrick Mahomes (AP Newsroom/Getty Images)

While Trump didn’t identify Mahomes by name, he has expressed fondness and respect for the quarterback and his wife Brittany in recent months.

Mahomes recognized Trump was probably talking about him and gave his thoughts about the cryptic praise from the president.

“It’s cool to hear that he’s seen me play football and respects the game that I play,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday.

After the NFL’s conference championships wrapped Jan. 26, Trump sent a congratulatory post to the Chiefs on Truth Social, while neglecting the Eagles.

However, Trump did acknowledge the Eagles in a more recent post expressing his excitement for the game and even hinted at praise for Hurts and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

“Two great Quarterbacks in this game. Also, an unbelievable running back, and the absolute best tight end in football (Ever!). Incredible coaching!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 8, 2025
Chiefs’ Andy Reid responds to NFL officiating debate: ‘They don’t favor one side or the other’

While Andy Reid is primarily concerned with getting a win for the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, concerns about the way the Super Bowl will be officiated are also being brought to his attention.

Over the past several months, fans, sports commentators and social media observers have debated whether the Chiefs have benefited from favoritism from NFL referees.

Reid quickly shot down the idea, saying officials “don’t favor” the Chiefs, or any other team.

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks to referee Shawn Hochuli during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Dec. 17, 2023. (Eric Canha/USA Today Sports)

“They don’t favor one side or the other. … That’s not how this thing goes. I don’t think the officials care about what’s said,” Reid said. “They’re doing their job, and they’re doing it to the best of their ability.”

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Reid argued the perceived favoritism creates a “good story” but is not based in “reality.”

“It’s a good story, but that’s not the reality of how it works,” he added. “You’d be insulting them to think that’s what they do. They go out, and they call it like they see it. There’s some, as a coach, I sit there and I go, ‘I don’t agree with it.’ There are some I agree with. That’s how it goes.”

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to a referee during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Dec. 8, 2019. (Paul Rutherford/USA Today Sports)

During a press conference in New Orleans earlier this week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dismissed assertions that officials have given the Chiefs an advantage.

“That’s a ridiculous theory for anyone who might take it seriously,” Goodell said Monday. “It reflects a lot of the fans’ passion, and I think it also is a reminder for us how important officiating is. And I think the men and women that officiate in the NFL are outstanding.”

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Coming back late and pulling off close wins seemed to have been a hallmark of the Chiefs’ season. In the AFC championship game victory over the Buffalo Bills, referees sparked contoversy when they ruled quarterback Josh Allen inches short of a crucial first down in the fourth quarter.

The critical measurement ignited questions about whether the NFL should adopt a form of ball-tracking technology.

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt also shrugged off the idea that the back-to-back Super Bowl champions have gotten preferential treatment from referees, saying you “almost have to laugh at” the idea.

The NFL Referees Association described the criticism as “insulting and preposterous.”

The Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet in the Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

FOX’s Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage can also be streamed live on Tubi for the first time.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
SJSU president responds to federal investigation into university’s transgender volleyball player scandal

San José State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson has addressed an investigation into the university by the U.S. Department of Education over its handling of a transgender volleyball player.

SJSU will be investigated for potential Title IX violations over its handling of transgender athlete Blaire Fleming, the DOE told Fox News Digital earlier Thursday.

Teniente-Matson provided a statement to Fox News Digital saying the university is prepared to cooperate in the investigation.

“San José State University is committed to ensuring that all of our students, including our student-athletes, are treated fairly, free from discrimination, and afforded the rights and protections granted under federal and state law, including privacy rights.

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“We follow policies and regulations set forth by the California State University system and applicable law, and we recognize that, at times, these laws and policies may intersect in complex ways. In navigating these frameworks, our focus remains on upholding our responsibilities while supporting our students.

“Recently, we were notified that the U.S. Department of Education has initiated a directed investigation related to Title IX in light of President Trump’s executive order with respect to athletics participation. As with any federal inquiry, we will fully engage with the process, follow established procedures and remain transparent in our compliance with all applicable laws.

“While we adhere to legal and regulatory requirements, San José State will continue to act within our authority to uphold the values that define us as an institution. Our focus remains on our values, including fostering an environment that cultivates compassion, where every student has the opportunity to thrive. We remain steadfast in our role as a place of learning, respect and opportunity for all.”

WHO IS BLAIRE FLEMING? SJSU VOLLEYBALL PLAYER DOMINATING FEMALE RIVALS AND ENRAGING WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS

Fleming played three seasons on the women’s team, from 2022-24, as one of the Mountain West’s top hitters, leading the team in kills. However, SJSU administrators allegedly withheld the truth about Fleming’s birth sex from other female players on the team, according to a lawsuit filed by 11 Mountain West volleyball players and a former SJSU assistant coach.

Former Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser leads that lawsuit and alleges San José State administrators and volleyball coach Todd Kress actively prevented her from knowing Fleming’s birth sex while assigning her to share bedrooms with the transgender athlete on most road trips during their first season together in 2023.

The controversy involving Fleming prompted five of SJSU’s opponents in 2024 to forfeit a total of eight matches. The final forfeit was a Mountain West Tournament semifinal against Boise State, which had already forfeited twice to the Spartans in the regular season.

That forfeit sent Fleming, Slusser and SJSU to the conference final, where they lost to Colorado State. The plaintiffs in Slusser’s lawsuit filed for an emergency injunction in November prior to the tournament in an attempt to have Fleming removed from competition and all losses by forfeit wiped from their opponents’ records. However, federal Judge Kato Crews, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in January 2024, ruled Fleming could play.

The situation became so volatile the team needed regular police protection for its home and away matches. Slusser previously told Fox News Digital the experience was “traumatizing.”

“This season has been so traumatizing that I don’t even have a proudest moment,” Slusser said.

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Former San José State University assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was let go from the program, was suspended from the program Nov. 2 after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university regarding its alleged handling of the situation involving Fleming. The complaint included allegations that Fleming had conspired with an opponent to have former SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser hit in the face during a match in October.

Batie-Smoose’s complaint alleges Fleming provided a scouting report to an opponent to ensure a Colorado State competitive advantage and allegedly established a plan to set up an opponent with a clear lane to spike Slusser in the face during a match.

Slusser was never spiked in the face during that match, but Colorado State did win in straight sets.

A Mountain West investigation into Batie-Smoose’s allegations did not find sufficient evidence to discipline any player named in the allegations.

Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock, later provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that the investigation had been “infected with bias.”

SJSU transgender player Blaire Fleming, left, and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)

“Because the MWC’s investigation was inadequate, and anything but thorough, and because the MWC’s close-out letter is riddled with errors, the undersigned is issuing this rebuttal and demands that the MWC immediately and publicly release: (1) the investigative report prepared by its investigator(s), and (2) all documents connected to the MWC’s claimed ‘thorough investigation’ and upon which the MWC’s decision not to proceed further was based,” Bock’s statement said.

Nearly every one of the players on SJSU’s 2024 team that has remaining NCAA eligibility has entered the NCAA transfer portal, Fox News Digital previously reported.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports. The NCAA announced Thursday it is amending its gender eligibility policy to fall in line with Trump’s executive order.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Patrick Mahomes responds to possibility Trump will attend Super Bowl LIX

Donald Trump is expected to become the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl Sunday to watch Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs attempt to become the first team in NFL history to win a third straight Super Bowl.

Mahomes gave his thoughts on Trump attending the game to reporters Wednesday.

“It’s always cool to be able to play in front of a sitting president,” Mahomes said. “Someone that is at the top position in our country.”

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Earlier Wednesday, when Trump was asked who he expected to win the Super Bowl, the president didn’t give a definitive answer but alluded to Mahomes’ success.

“I don’t want to say, but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner,” Trump said when asked which team he’s rooting for.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Ivanka Trump, speaks before signing the National Security Presidential Memorandum to launch the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

While Trump didn’t identify Mahomes by name, he has expressed fondness and respect for the quarterback and his wife Brittany in recent months. The other quarterback playing in the game, Eagles star Jalen Hurts, has yet to win a Super Bowl.

Mahomes recognized Trump was probably talking about him and gave his thoughts about the cryptic praise from the president.

“It’s cool to hear that he’s seen me play football and respects the game that I play,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday.

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Mahomes’ mother, Randi Mahomes, endorsed Trump just days before the Nov. 5 election in a video to OutKick.

Other Chiefs figures have also acknowledged the historical impact Trump’s presence will bring to the game.

Gracie Hunt, the daughter of Chiefs team owner Clark Hunt, spoke to Riley Gaines on OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast and reacted to Trump’s remarks.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty awesome,” she told Gaines. “Sometimes, I just look at whoever I’m talking to, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that just wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card.’ But, wow, that’s just absolutely incredible.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce called it an “honor.”

CHIEFS DYNASTY TIMELINES: HOW LOVABLE LOSERS BECAME AN EVIL EMPIRE

“I think, you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know. And having the president there, you know, it’s the best country in the world. So, that’d be pretty cool,” Kelce said.

The tight end said this despite dating Taylor Swift, a longtime Democrat who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Mahomes declined to endorse a candidate in the recent election when reporters pressed him about it Sept. 11, but he did encourage people to vote in the best interest of their families.

“I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” Patrick said at the time. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

Brittany incited controversy and support in August when it was revealed she liked an Instagram post by Trump that laid out his 2024 policy agenda. She addressed the backlash multiple times and appeared to double down on her support for Trump with additional social media likes. Trump even thanked her for the support in a post on Truth Social.

After Swift endorsed Harris Sept. 10, Trump said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” the next morning he liked Brittany “much better” than Swift.

Patrick Mahomes commended his wife’s influence Sept. 11 when asked about Trump’s comments about her.

“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community,” Mahomes told reporters. “At the end of the day, it’s about me and my family and how we treat other people.”

After the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game Jan. 26, Trump sent a congratulatory post to the team on Truth Social.

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After the Eagles won their only Super Bowl in February 2018, they skipped out on visiting Trump at the White House.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Iran’s foreign minister responds to Trump ‘maximum pressure’ campaign amid regime panic

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JERUSALEM—President Donald Trump’s decision to restore his maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran jolted the clerical regime in Tehran and established a clean break with the Biden administration’s concessionary policy toward the rogue nation, according to Mideast experts.

Trump also warned the regime on Tuesday that if it carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that the country is “obliterated.”

Trump’s message to the Iranians seemingly got their attention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “If the main issue is ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter.” He also added that “maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure.” He did not respond Trump’s sanction order targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for jihadi terrorist organizations.

IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Fox News Digital, “Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that Iran’s oil revenue surged to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden’s presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. “

Mansharof continued, “While Biden tightened sanctions, he did not enforce them, allowing Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, providing critical support to its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting to engage Ali Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] diplomatically while ignoring Iran’s oil smuggling.”

Fox News Digital also reported extensively on Biden’s decision to extend sanctions waivers that enabled repeated payments of $10 billion to be delivered into Iran’s coffers.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mansharof welcomed the reinstatement of the maximum economic pressure campaign. He warned, however, that in light of Iran’s progress on building a nuclear weapon “it is unclear whether this strategy is sufficient.” He said, “Military pressure on Iran is needed to disrupt its activities, send a clear message on its nuclear ambitions, and prevent further destabilizing actions.”

Both the Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) restoring maximum pressure on Iran states its aims are to deny “Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad.” Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah.

Demonstrators in Iran protesting the regime in 2022. (Credit: NCRI)

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker told Fox News Digital, “President Donald Trump’s reimposed maximum pressure campaign to cripple the Iranian regime is another differentiator from the former Biden administration’s defensive and even conciliatory approach to the Iranian regime.”

He added, “The first Trump administration maximum pressure that came in parallel with canceling its participation in the ill-fated JCPOA had essentially bankrupted the regime and Trump’s continuation of economic warfare against the regime underscores his commitment to U.S. primacy and power projection in the terror-ridden Middle East short of direct military intervention.”

TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) National Aerospace Park in western Tehran, Oct. 11, 2023. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The JCPOA, an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was former President Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. It was supposed to slow down Iran’s drive to build an atomic bomb in exchange for massive economic benefits for Iran. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and famously termed it “the worst deal in history.” Trump said at the time of the withdrawal, “At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program.”

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According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA did not prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapons device and allowed Tehran to finance global terrorism.

Diker said, “Trump will face an Iranian regime octopus that is still extending its terror tentacles across the region, particularly in the Israeli controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while prosecuting charm offensive with European and other powers to fend off the US initiative to strangle the Iranian regime.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this story.

February 5, 2025
China responds with tariffs on US goods after Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, discusses how Canada and Mexico caved to President Donald Trump’s tariff pressure on ‘The Bottom Line.’

China imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports early Tuesday morning in response to new tariffs President Donald Trump placed on Chinese goods beginning at midnight.

Trump had signed an executive order authorizing a 10% additional tariff on imports from China.

The order also included a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity. The president has since agreed to a 30-day pause on the tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

The additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports into the U.S. went into effect on Tuesday after Trump warned Beijing it was not doing enough to stop fentanyl from being trafficked into the country. Trump plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the week, according to the White House.

AUTOMOTIVE GROUPS REACT TO TRUMP TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO, CHINA

China imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports on Tuesday in response to new tariffs President Donald Trump put on Chinese goods. (Ton Molina/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

China’s Finance Ministry said shortly after the tariff started that it would impose a tariff of 15% for coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% for crude oil, agricultural equipment and large-engine cars imported from the U.S.

An anti-monopoly investigation into Alphabet Inc’s Google was also announced, while including both PVH Corp., the holding company for Calvin Klein and other brands, and U.S. biotechnology company Illumina on its “unreliable entities list.”

Additionally, China’s Commerce Ministry and its Customs Administration revealed it is imposing export controls on some rare earths and metals that are critical for high-tech gadgets and the clean energy transition.

The new tariffs on U.S. goods will start on Feb. 10, according to the ministry.

President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, the White House said. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Getty Images)

During Trump’s first term, he started a two-year trade war with China over its massive U.S. trade surplus, with each side imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods, hurting global supply chains and damaging the world economy.

Trump had warned he might continue to increase tariffs on China unless it blocked the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

CHINA THREATENS TO RETALIATE AGAINST TRUMP TARIFFS

China has said it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and look for other countermeasures. (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

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“China hopefully is going to stop sending us fentanyl, and if they’re not, the tariffs are going to go substantially higher,” the president said Monday.

China has said the flow of fentanyl is a U.S. problem and that it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and look for other countermeasures, although it also left the door open for dialogue.

Reuters contributed to this report.

February 4, 2025
Caitlin Clark responds to critics ahead of Iowa jersey retirement: ‘I really don’t care’

Caitlin Clark has become one of the most polarizing figures in all of sports over the last year-plus.

Her popularity reached a peak nearly two years ago when she and Angel Reese duked it out in the national championship – and then, she became a household name.

Clark set numerous records in her senior year, including becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, and parlayed it all into becoming the No. 1 overall pick.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark plays against the Dallas Wings in Indianapolis, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

But then came the culture wars that she found herself in the middle of, with many, including WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, saying that her race played a role in her popularity.

Clark was the victim of some hard fouls and trash talk throughout her rookie season, but it didn’t seem to faze her, as she set plenty of records in Year One.

Clark returned to Iowa on Sunday to see her No. 22 go into the rafters, and she was asked about the criticism she’s received recently.

“I think it’s just life. Everybody goes through some of the things that I’ve gone through, a lot of people go through a lot worse. I just try to remind myself every single day how grateful I am to be in the position I am, I want to treat everyone the same way that I would want to be treated. It speaks to the way I was raised and my parents raised me. There’s gonna be good days, there’s gonna be bad days. But it’s just, you go with the flow. I think having a good circle around me, a small circle around me of people that I really trust that I can always count on and lean on is what’s been so important for me over this past year,” Clark told reporters on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after drawing a foul in the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024, in Iowa City. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

ANGEL REESE BECOMES FIRST PLAYER EJECTED FROM UNRIVALED LEAGUE AND THEN CALLS COVERAGE OF IT ‘CLICKBAIT’

“But also, I’ve said this before, I feel like one of my greatest skills is I really don’t care. Like, I don’t. I don’t care. I believe in myself, I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in my teammates, I try to instill that in them, I’m confident in the coaching staff of whatever team I was on, whether that was [at Iowa], whether that’s at the Fever now. You just rely on those people. Nobody gets to step inside your locker room… Everybody thinks they know everything and have an answer, but that’s just not reality. That goes for all of professional sports, that goes for all of you as well and people in life.”

As Clark’s rookie season progressed, there were allegations of racism from both Fever and Iowa fans, a claim made by the aforementioned Reese.

But Clark’s appearances in games brought historic viewership to both the college and pro levels. The final three games of her college career were the most-watched women’s college basketball games ever. She also had several of her regular-season games draw more viewers than WNBA playoff games, and her WNBA matchups with Reese were some of the most-viewed WNBA games ever.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark works to the basket against Dallas Wings guard Sevgi Uzun, Sept. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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WNBA teams even had to move to larger arenas simply because of the ticket demand Clark drew; the Fever sold 90 times more tickets this past year than in 2023.

Clark was named the Rookie of the Year for her historic campaign during which she set the record for the most assists in one season in league history. She carried the Fever to a playoff appearance after a slow start, and she quickly became a double-double machine. She even set a single-game record with 19 assists. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double, registering two of them.

She received the most votes for the All-Star Game and was just the fifth rookie in league history to make the All-WNBA first-team.

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February 2, 2025