Potential conflict of interest raising eyebrows ahead of ABC presidential debate
Ahead of next month’s presidential debate on ABC News, a potential conflict of interest is raising eyebrows.
Dana Walden, a senior Disney executive whose portfolio includes ABC News, is one of Vice President Kamala Harris’ “extraordinary friends,” according to a report in the New York Times. Walden and Harris have known each other since 1994, while their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s.
Dana Walden has donated to dozens of Democrats and contributed to Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco. She went on to donate to her subsequent campaigns for California Attorney General and U.S. Senate, as well as her 2020 White House bid. Harris even credited Dana and Matt for her marriage at a fundraiser in April 2022, which was held at Walden’s home in Los Angeles.
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ABC told the New York Times that Walden, who is Disney’s highest-ranking television executive, does not weigh in on editorial decisions. The network’s primetime debate is set for Sept. 10, and will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity,” the network said in its statement. “All editorial decisions are in the hands of ABC News management and the seasoned journalists and producers of ABC, who hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards.”
Disney Entertainment said in a statement to the New York Times that Walden has not hosted a fundraiser for Harris since June 2022, when ABC News came under her scope of responsibility, but in 2023, she donated $20,000 to support President Biden and the Democratic Party, according to public filings reported by the Times.
OpenSecrets finds Walden has donated extensively to Democrats across the nation over the years, including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker, among numerous others.
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Last month, Walden was described as a “Hollywood winner” in the rapid ascension of Harris to de facto Democratic nominee, according to a Puck report. Harris has extensive ties to the entertainment community, but few “go as far back with Harris as Walden does, nor do they enjoy the perch and purview Walden does at Disney,” the report said.
“[If there’s a Hollywood winner in her ascension it’s probably Dana Walden, the Disney TV chief,” Puck reported.
Walden is among the insider candidates who could take over as the next Disney CEO when Bob Iger’s contract expires in 2026, according to reports, and her coziness with a possible future president likely doesn’t hurt her stock.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ABC News, the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign for comment. Former President Trump is suing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after the ABC News host said several times on air that the former president was “found liable for rape” during a March 10 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
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Betting markets have a new favorite in Trump, Harris 2024 presidential race
Former President Trump is no longer favored to beat Vice President Harris in the 2024 race for the White House, according to major betting markets tracked by FOX Business.
As of Monday morning, Harris surpassed Trump as the odds-on favorite to win the presidency on BetUS with 55% implied probability, marking the first time since the platform opened the market that the Democratic nominee took the lead.
Over the weekend, the two presidential contenders had been in a dead heat on the site.
Traders on prediction site PolyMarket also favored Harris on Monday, giving her a 51% chance of winning the race, compared to Trump’s 46%. On PredictIt, where Harris has been leading Trump for weeks, bettors give Harris a 59% chance of winning, while Trump’s odds fell to 43%.
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“Not only is Harris now leading in the betting odds, but she is also leading in terms of the total number of wagers placed and total dollar volume bet so far, which is an impressive feat considering she only became the official nominee a week ago,” BetUS director of public relations, Tim Williams, told FOX Business.
He added, “I personally wouldn’t have expected so much money to have been bet on Kamala so quickly, but here we are.”
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Williams went on to note it would appear that Harris is also attracting larger wagers than Trump, which in the sports betting world is often indicative of “sharp money,” meaning more professional bettors.
Momentum for Harris continues to surge following President Biden’s unprecedented decision to withdraw from the race last month.
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A Wednesday poll from NPR, PBS and Marist found that Harris has a 3-point lead over Trump among registered voters, and a Thursday poll from Marquette Law School showed Harris has established a 4-point lead over the former president.
USA Gymnastics receives defeating notice in Jordan Chiles medal drama
USA Gymnastics appeared to be given a defeat in its efforts to fight a decision from the Center of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over its ruling about Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal.
The gymnastics federation appealed the CAS ruling that Chiles’ score in the floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics should be reverted to a 13.66 score and drop her from third to fifth place in the standings. The CAS said U.S. coaches made their inquiry for the judges to give her 0.1 points back four seconds too late.
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USA Gymnastics said Sunday there was video evidence to the contrary and asked the CAS for Chiles’ score of 13.766 to be reinstated. Its request to go over the newly found evidence was denied.
“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the federation said in a statement on Monday.
“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”
Chiles’ score was changed from 13.666 to 13.766 after her performance on the floor last week. It catapulted her from fifth to third over Romania’s Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. The U.S. made an inquiry in the final moments, which resulted in a score change.
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However, Romanian officials protested the score change and the CAS ruled Saturday that Chiles’ score should be reverted to 13.666 because U.S. coaches missed the deadline to file the inquiry by four seconds. However, CAS would put it in the hands of the International Gymnastics Federation to make the final ruling.
Eventually, the IOC determined early Sunday that Chiles should give back her bronze medal. USA Gymnastics said not so fast. The organization said that it had video evidence to show that coaches made two inquiries in the allotted time frame.
Barbosu put the blame on officials over the entire ordeal on Sunday.
“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share the same podium. That is my true dream.
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“The situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, as athletes, are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.”
‘The Pioneer Woman’ says bloodied husband’s ‘unrelenting grind’ had to come to an end
Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, is encouraging her husband to take a step back when it comes to working on the ranch.
In a recent post on her blog, The Pioneer Blog, the Food Network star opened up about how she feels watching her husband, Ladd Drummond, continue to work the fields on their ranch, explaining he had “a busy, slightly rough summer.”
“I think I say this ever year, but the work, the early mornings, the unrelenting grind, the exhaustion…it has been a little much,” she wrote.
She was quick to clarify later in the post that Ladd has not complained to her and these are all her own feelings, writing he would probably say, “It’s what he does and it’s part of life.”
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Ladd worked as a rancher in Pawhuska, Oklahoma for most of his life, as he comes from a long line of cattle ranchers. He and Ree own and operate their own ranch, Drummond Ranch, where they live in a newly built house on the property.
“A couple of weeks ago, after watching him limp inside, covered in dust and blood after a particularly long day, I actually said the words, ‘I don’t think we can do this anymore,'” she wrote. “It was partly in jest, but also maybe a little bit not. How much harder can you work, how much longer can you do this, are you okay, is what I was really thinking.”
Ree’s concerns about Ladd overworking himself come three years after he was involved in a car accident with his nephew Caleb when they were out trying to put out a wildfire on the ranch.
“Ladd has had…a busy, slightly rough summer. I think I say this every year, but the work, the early mornings, the unrelenting grind, the exhaustion…it has been a little much.”
Despite Ladd refusing medical attention at the scene of the accident and instructing paramedics to assist his nephew rather than himself, choosing instead to drive himself to the hospital, his injuries turned out to be worse than he thought.
“[Ladd] broke his neck in two places—and evidently one of the two fractures was very close to being catastrophic,” Lee wrote in a March 2021 blog post. “Have I mentioned cowboys don’t like to admit when they’re hurt? Ladd was transferred to Tulsa and had surgery to stabilize one of the fractures. Thanks to some rods and other hardware (and an amazing neurosurgeon named Dr. Kalani), it’s fixed now and that danger is over.”
A few weeks later, Ree posted a photo of her husband riding a horse on Instagram, letting fans know “Ladd and Caleb are healing up after their accident on the ranch.”
The couple share five children together: Alex, 27, Paige, 24, Bryce, 21, Todd, 20, and Jamar, 21, who they began fostering in 2018. They recently celebrated their daughter Paige’s engagement in Dallas, Texas, with Ree detailing the party in her blog post, noting how great it was to see her husband enjoy a break from the hard work on the ranch.
“So to see him smiling and walking around and enjoying the celebration of his second child and the man she’s gonna marry…well, it made me feel a little better about things,” she said.
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Media outlet spins Trump’s pledge to eliminate taxes on tips as ‘Harris’ tax proposal’
Newsweek’s misleading headline on Republican support for Kamala Harris’ no tax on tips policy was deemed “another reason to loathe the media” online.
The publication released an article titled “Kamala Harris’ Tax Proposal Backed by Majority of Republicans” on Monday regarding Harris’ new support for banning taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers, after former President Trump embraced the policy in June.
“Considering that 68 percent of Republicans support the policy proposal, according to our recent poll, the plan could help Harris sway GOP voters unconvinced by Trump’s candidacy toward supporting her in the November election,” Newsweek said.
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Though the headline implied support for Harris’ plan, the article itself acknowledged the poll was conducted on July 29, prior to Harris’ announcement. The piece also noted the plan was previously proposed by Trump and added to the Republican platform months prior.
“The majority of Americans support plans to end federal taxes on tips given to service industry workers, according to an exclusive poll for Newsweek which shows why Kamala Harris embraced the policy plan first announced by her opponent Donald Trump,” the article read.
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The headline, however, garnered the most attention with X users accusing the publication of trying to turn a Trump policy into a win for Harris.
“That’s because it’s Donald Trump’s tax proposal,” The Spectator reporter Matthew Foldi wrote.
Iowa State Rep. Carter Nordman agreed, “That’s because it’s literally @realDonaldTrump’s tax proposal…”
“Harris stole this idea from Trump. It’s not her proposal. This is an insane take – even for Newsweek,” Rick Scott communications director McKinley Lewis remarked.
“You mean Trump’s tax plan,” conservative personality Chad Felix Greene commented.
Twitchy’s Doug Powers joked, “’Hey Google, give me yet another reason to loathe the media.’ Google:”
“Shameless doesn’t begin to cover it,” RedState writer Bonchie wrote.
“OH MY GOD,” former Republican congressional candidate David Giglio exclaimed.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Newsweek and the article’s writer Giulia Carbonaro for a comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Trump campaign.
Trump himself has attacked Harris and accused her of stealing his plan after she announced her proposal during a rally Saturday.
”Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING, and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she can only steal from me,” he added.
Trump’s campaign later coined the hashtag #CopyCatKamala Sunday.
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Readers furious after NY Times announces new endorsement policy
The New York Times is facing blowback from New York City progressives and journalists over its decision to stop making endorsements in state and local races.
The Times itself first reported on the move and how “the change will be immediate,” saying that the paper “does not plan to take a stance in Senate, congressional or state legislative races in New York this fall, or in next year’s New York City elections,” which includes New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection bid.
“As the institutional voice of The Times, the editorial board serves our mission to help our global audience understand the world by providing a consistent, independent view of the world based on time-tested institutional values,” Times opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury said in a statement given to Fox News Digital.
“While elections everywhere remain critical to the lives and experiences of our audience, the editorial board is ceasing the endorsement process for New York elections. We remain a journalistic institution rooted in New York City, both historically, today and in the future. Our newsroom will continue to report aggressively on New York electoral races, and Opinion will continue to offer perspective on the races, candidates and issues at stake.”
The Times will continue to offer its endorsement in presidential races.
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Critics panned the Times’ decision on social media, including New York-based journalists, progressive politicians and even former Times staffers.
“What a terrible decision,” Semafor editor-in-chief and former Times columnist Ben Smith reacted on X. “The Times edit board abdicating the only thing anyone actually, really listened to them on, and leaving NYC politics to be continue to drift along, more or less controlled by tiny interest groups.”
“Unfortunate decision. NYT surrenders accountability mechanism and ability to influence the debate/outcome in its own backyard,” former Times editorial board member Carol Giacomo wrote.
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“The civic life of our city is stronger when the @nytimes Editorial Board weighs in for progressivism and good government. This is a miss,” lawyer and local Democratic figure Pablo Zevallos said.
“This is the exact wrong move,” progressive activist and former New York assembly candidate Ryder Kessler wrote, adding, “[Times editorial board member] @MaraGay and the board have been forthright on the most important challenges facing NY (e.g. housing scarcity, congestion pricing). If they believe these issues matter, they should be endorsing in MORE races — and further down the ballot.”
Others took swipes at the Gray Lady for ending their influential endorsements in New York races but maintaining their endorsements on a presidential level, which have all supported Democrats since 1960.
“This is psychotic. The local endorsements were influential (and usually in a positive direction.) Nobody cares who the NYT endorses for president,” Very Serious Substack writer Josh Barro said.
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“I could get behind the argument that newspapers shouldn’t be endorsing candidates *at all,* but to keep (largely meaningless) national endorsements and stop (quite influential) New York ones is something else,” New Yorker reporter Erin Durkin similarly wrote.
“I love the NYT but this is a terrible decision, an abdication of its civic responsibilities. And ironically it’s endorsements are nowhere particularly crucial * except * in NYC and NJ,” The Atlantic staff writer Michael Powell said.
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The Times did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquires beyond providing Kingsbury’s statement. It is unclear why the decision was made and whether it was a unanimous decision among its editorial board members.
Actor makes rare appearance with wife and kids at Hollywood Walk of Fame
Vince Vaughn made his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony a family outing.
On Monday, Vaughn was honored with a star, and his wife of over a decade, Kyla Weber, and their two children: daughter Locklyn, 13, and son Vernon, 11, were in attendance.
Vaughn, who has been a staple in Hollywood for decades, thanked his “beautiful wife” for attending the event.
“My beautiful wife, Kyla, so glad you’re here with me on this now. I’m so grateful for you and these beautiful kids,” Vaughn began. “And for all the laughter we’ve shared together. As much as all this means, you guys really do need to know that you guys are the most important thing in the world to me.”
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In typical Vaughn fashion, he joked, “You’re not as lucrative. You don’t give me access to the kind of stuff that this kind of thing does, but with that all being said, you guys are the most important.”
“My beautiful wife, Kyla, so glad you’re here with me on this now. I’m so grateful for you and these beautiful kids.”
WATCH: Vince Vaughn honored his wife and children during his Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
Other members of the “Wedding Crashers” star’s family were in attendance on Monday. Vaughn’s parents, Sharon and Vernon Vaughn, his two older sisters, his aunt and “all” of his friends attended his big day.
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Before the event, Vaughn told Fox News Digital it was “amazing” to have his wife and children with him on his big day.
“Yeah, it’s so great to share it with all of them. It’s nice when you can have some time together and share a moment like this,” the actor said.
WATCH: Vince Vaughn talks about career and family at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star honor
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Earlier in his speech, Vaughn shared what initially sparked his interest in acting. He shared that his older sisters took him to see “Animal House” in the theater when he was far too young to watch the film, and he knew he wanted to make people laugh the way he did viewing the movie.
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“[I felt like] I could do that, and maybe make people laugh and give families a good night to discuss stuff and have joy,” he said.
Angler charged after game warden discovers hidden fish in river
A Georgia fisherman is facing consequences for harboring an illegal number of freshwater fish.
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division shared news about the retrieval on the agency’s Facebook page.
The post said that Game Warden Will Gilstrap was patrolling for fish activity along the Chattachoochee River when he noticed something odd.
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“Game Warden Will Gilstrap observed a subject hiding fish along the river bank as he was catching them,” officials with the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division wrote.
Gilstrap spoke with the fisherman and found him to be in possession of 10 trout.
The man was “charged” with “being over the limit of trout,” according to the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division’s post.
“On seasonal trout streams, the creel limit (how many you may keep) for trout is 8 fish, and there is no size limit,” according to the Georgia DNR.
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The trout caught by the subject, who was not identified, were confiscated by Gilstrap and the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division. It’s not yet clear what fines or penalties the man faces.
The post on Facebook was met with mixed reactions by users who shared their thoughts about the confiscation.
“So charge him but let him keep the 6 limit. People are fishing not doing drugs, fighting or hurting anyone. Some rules and laws are ignorant,” one user stated.
“Times are hard for some people and that might be the only way of getting food for him or his family,” another person wrote.
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Others defended the actions of the game warden by recognizing the need for limitations in an effort to ensure a thriving trout population and allow other anglers to catch fish.
“If unlimited fish are caught eventually there will be limited resources for everyone that fishes,” one Facebook user commented.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Georgia DNR for comment.