Comedian Jim Gaffigan takes surprising shots at Harris for skipping ‘Catholic Met Gala’
Comedian Jim Gaffigan took surprising digs at Vice President Kamala Harris for skipping the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday, instead opting to send a pre-recorded video message to be shown at the bipartisan and light-hearted Catholic charity event.
“You know, this event has been referred to as the Catholic Met Gala. Twenty-two percent of Americans identify as Catholic. Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state,” Gaffigan, the emcee of the charity dinner, said Thursday.
“I’m sorry. Why is Vice President Harris not here?” he continued, with some of the audience jeering. “I mean, consider this. This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City. This is a layup for the Democratic nominee. I mean, in her defense, I mean, she did find time to appear on “The View,” Howard Stern, Colbert and the long time staple of campaigning, the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. You know what I think it is? I think she doesn’t like me.”
In another jab at Harris and the Democratic Party, the comedian joked about the political “coup” against President Biden over the summer, when the 46th president dropped out of the presidential race amid mounting calls from members of his own party to exit the race amid concerns over his mental acuity.
TRUMP SPEAKS AT ANNUAL AL SMITH DINNER, HARRIS SENDS PRE-RECORDED VID
“The Democrats have been telling us Trump, Trump’s reelection is a threat to democracy. In fact, they were so concerned of this threat, they staged a coup. Ousted their democratically elected incumbent, and installed Kamala Harris,” Gaffigan said.
“In other words, all her dreams have come true.”
HARRIS TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER THAT RIVAL TRUMP IS HEADLINING
Harris is the first presidential candidate in 40 years, outside of 2020’s virtual dinner during the pandemic, to not physically attend the Catholic charity event. Failed Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale in 1984 was the last nominee to skip the event.
Harris’ snub of the historic Catholic charity event irked New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the host of the dinner, on his podcast this week.
“This year will be imbalanced because sadly, Kamala Harris isn’t coming,” Dolan said on his podcast Tuesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism, humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a reply. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris was skipping the event to focus on campaigning in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday.
KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION
“The Vice President is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election. Her team also told the organizers that she would very much like to attend their event as President. This would make her one of the first sitting Presidents to attend,” the campaign said.
Harris recorded a video that was aired during the dinner, in which she was joined by comedian and actress Molly Shannon. During Shannon’s days as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” she played a Catholic student named Mary Katherine Gallgher, a role she reprised for the video.
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“So tell me something, I’m giving a speech. Do you have some thoughts about what I might say tonight?” Harris asked Shannon.
“Don’t lie. Thou shall not bear false witness to thy neighbor,” Shannon responded.
“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris said in a jab at Trump.
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The Al Smith dinner was launched in 1946, and has raised millions of dollars for charities supporting women and children. It has since grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served as the 42nd governor of New York. He ran for president as a Democrat in 1928.
Mastermind of ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal breaks silence in first interview
EXCLUSIVE — “Everything that the FBI and U.S. attorney and everybody else in the world says I did? ,” 64-year-old Rick Singer told Fox News in his first-ever interview about his sensational “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal.
Not long ago, Singer was one of the most talked about and controversial men in the country. Today, he’s quietly living at a halfway house in Los Angeles, where he expects to finish out the rest of his 42-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2019 to racketeering, money laundering and obstruction charges.
Singer says he’s able to leave the halfway house most days for a job with a restaurant group.
“I’m the guy that’s hiding in plain sight. Nobody even knows who I am,” Singer told Fox in an exclusive sit-down interview in Los Angeles. “Now, somebody may recognize me, and I can hear people talking. But nobody cares.”
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXPERT SENDS SHOCKING MESSAGE ABOUT IVY LEAGUE PRESTIGE: ‘IS IT WORTH THE INVESTMENT?’
Singer’s charity, the Key Worldwide Foundation, billed as a way to help disadvantaged kids, took in at least $25 million in what Singer calls “donations” from celebrities like actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, with the expectation Singer would work his magic to get their kids into elite colleges.
Huffman pleaded guilty for her role in the crimes and served eleven days of a two-week sentence in a California federal prison. Loughlin pleaded guilty and also served two months in a federal lockup in California.
Federal prosecutors say the donations were bribes and conducted an extensive undercover investigation dubbed “Varsity Blues” to bust Singer and his accomplices.
According to research conducted by Fox News, at least 50 people had pleaded guilty or been convicted in the college admission scandal as of October 2023.
“I want to apologize profusely to all of the families that I’ve hurt, all the kids that I hurt. The administrators that I hurt. My own family,” Singer said in an exclusive sit-down interview in Los Angeles.
Singer’s elaborate scheme centered around creating falsified and embellished college student applications complete with fake test scores, athletic experience and doctored photos. Singer recruited a network of university coaches and administrators to help him perfect the fake applications, and they accepted Singer’s money in what he refers to as “side-door” deals.
When the news first broke of Singer’s scheme, the country erupted. Parents and critics alleged Singer robbed a countless number of students of their hard-earned, warranted spots in some of America’s best colleges and universities, like Georgetown, the University of Southern California and Yale University.
Singer’s scandal became a monstrous media sensation, sparking months of news coverage, books, TV specials and a Netflix documentary that featured authentic recorded conversations between Singer and his clients.
Despite the blowback and outrage, Singer, now a convicted felon, insists he never took a spot from a deserving student. Instead, he claims, his scheme exposed a budget tactic that higher education institutions rely on — blocking off certain “spots” on sports teams and within departments from everyday applicants and setting them aside for big donors willing to pay for a student’s entry.
WHO IS WILLIAM RICK SINGER, THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CHEATING SCANDAL’S ALLEGED RINGLEADER?
“In 90% of the cases, the coaches every year are calling me saying, ‘I got a spot open. I need to raise this amount of money. … Find me a family,’” Singer said.
When asked specifically how he did the most harm, he said it was ruining people’s names.
“The biggest thing is reputation … that they worked so hard to create and build and be great people,” Singer said.
Singer acknowledges his crimes, admitting he considers the test cheating the most brazen part. But he says the college admissions offices have not faced the same intense scrutiny.
“The media missed that the colleges, they’re my partner in this. It takes two parties to play,” Singer said.
Fox News reached out to the three schools Singer alleges he partnered with the most — the University of Southern California, Georgetown and Yale. So far, Yale responded and has declined to comment.
Singer told Fox he believes he seized on one of the three ways a student can get into college.
They can get in through the “front door” with legitimate merit and grades, through the “backdoor” when a family publicly donates massive amounts of money to a university or campus or through a “side door.”
Singer says he mastered the side-door method by crafting fraudulent student applications and paying off people on the inside at a university.
“This has been going on for hundreds of years. I am not that smart to make up this process,” Singer said.
The former basketball coach says he thinks his side-door deals were targeted because they were done in private, yet he questions why the major backdoor donations often given in public with the expectation of favors are viewed as acceptable.
Singer told Fox his scheme began in part with a student from Vancouver. Singer describes the student as intelligent but a poor test taker. So, Singer enlisted the help of Mark Riddell, which Singer says he now feels badly about, by convincing him with $10,000 to fake the Vancouver student’s final test score. Ridell went on to to become a key player in Singer’s scheme and was also convicted.
OPINION: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ARE FACING A CHEATING EPIDEMIC. COLLEGES SHOULD DO MORE TO GUARD AGAINST FRAUD
“What I can absolutely tell you, what I did do that was illegal, was cheating on tests,” Singer said.
Singer did not reveal entirely how the first test was cheated, but he said it involved a fake ID and described that first run as a satisfying, cinematic-like heist that paved the way for the future of his misdeeds.
Singer, who considers himself a lifelong “coach,” says aside from his side-door deals, he was also always running a legitimate college coaching business he claims has helped hundreds of students get into college. Singer says business moguls and Hollywood A-listers have used his legitimate college counseling for their children.
Prior to his time in the halfway house, Singer says he spent 16 months at a federal prison camp in Pensacola. Singer says he’s made friends while being incarcerated, many of whom he says were locked up for fraudulent COVID-era PPE crimes. Singer claims he’s hardly ever eaten a prison-issued meal. Instead, he tries to find healthy grocery items to create his own meals.
Singer says he now wants to revolutionize college admissions and education with his new company called ID Future stars, which he says will legally re-start his college counseling business with no grey area. He says he’s also launching a company called Are You The One which will test students to figure out their IQ and competitive edge to figure out where they fit into the work force without going to college.
“We have a notion that everybody needs to go to college, and it’s the right place to be for everybody. And ‘you have to go to certain schools to be successful.’ And that’s not the truth based on tens of thousands of kids I’ve worked with,” Singer said.
Singer also says he thinks experienced mothers who want to return to the workforce are a hidden source of reliable employees who have not been tapped into.
Singer insists everything he does moving forward will be done legally and with the review of attorneys, something he admits he wishes he had done all along. Singer claims he’s built such a revered name in the admissions world that parents are still reaching out to him for coaching and were doing so even during his trial.
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“I walk out of the court — out of the court — and I show my attorney my phone. There’s 93 texts: “Are you still coming over next week?”
Singer admits the clock may never run out on unlawful college admissions in the United States.
Asked if he thinks the college admissions system can still be gamed and if it’s still being gamed today, Singer replied, “Every day.”
Mark Cuban campaigns for Harris as Elon Musk stumps for Trump in key battlegrounds
LA CROSSE, WI – Mark Cuban, taking aim at former President Trump, as he warmed up the crowd at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
“The Trump that stole Christmas,” Cuban charged, as he riffed on the popular holiday classic.
The billionaire businessman argued that the former president “wants you to have a lousy Christmas” because Trump’s proposed tariffs would increase the cost of some holiday presents.
Cuban, the co-star of the popular long-running business-reality TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ and former majority owner of professional basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, has been a very visible surrogate on behalf of Harris since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket nearly three months ago.
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Now, Cuban’s hitting the trail on behalf of the vice president – and taking aim at Trump over his proposed tariffs.
“This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall,” Cuban claimed.
Cuban’s two appearances Thursday with Harris in battleground Wisconsin – at a business school class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the rally in La Crosse – kick off a multi-day campaign swing through the key battlegrounds states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the White House.
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On Saturday, Cuban will hold a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona to talk about Harris’ newly announced “Opportunity Agenda,” before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to campaign alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff on Sunday.
The efforts by Cuban – a well-known personality in both the business and sports worlds – could boost Harris as she turns up the volume on her efforts to court younger male voters in a margin-of-error race against Trump.
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Cuban’s campaign appearances on Thursday came as Trump’s best-known billionaire backer – Tesla CEO Elon Musk – campaigned on behalf of the former president in arguably the most crucial of the seven battleground states – Pennsylvania.
Musk spoke a town hall in suburban Philadelphia which was the second of a series of events to help Trump win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes.
“I’m in Pennsylvania. And I’m here for the very important reason which, you know….I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is… the lynch pin and in this election and this election, I think, is going to decide, the fate of America,” Musk stressed.
Musk isn’t just hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Trump.
The person estimated to be the world’s richest has donated roughly $75 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
‘Waitlist’ for Trump-Vance signs in key swing state points to reversal of voter trends
PLEASANT CORNER, Pa. – On a clear day, a hiker standing atop Bake Oven Knob, a high point along the Appalachian Trail in Lehigh Furnace, Pa., can see most of state Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s district.
Below the crest of Blue Mountain lies a patchwork of woods and farmsteads in the historically Pennsylvania Dutch communities. On the horizon lies the growing, diverse footprint of Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third-largest city.
Beyond Allentown lies mixed suburbs like Emmaus and Coopersburg, before again giving way to rural communities like Hosensack and Old Zionsville, the latter being the hometown of former three-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
As Pennsylvania’s friendlier economic climate draws transplants from New York and New Jersey, its farmland has been gradually replaced by residential subdivisions and corporate warehousing.
INSIDE DEMOCRATS’ GROUND GAME IN PENNSYLVANIA’S ‘SWING’ LEHIGH VALLEY AREA
All of those factors combine to create what Allentown Democratic Mayor Matt Tuerk called the “swingiest” area of the perennial bellwether state.
Coleman, a Republican and an airline pilot who entered the political scene as an outspoken conservative member of the Parkland School Board during the height of national controversies, said Republicans are poised to do well in the Lehigh Valley this year.
“We are seeing some of the highest levels of excitement and motivation from folks in the Lehigh Valley. I am hopeful for turnout to exceed 2020 levels,” Coleman said. The GOP underperformed that year in both Lehigh and Northampton counties.
“Although Lehigh County contains a ‘blue’ urban core, life for everyone, regardless of political party, has gotten harder under the current administration. This is prompting even some who have traditionally voted Democrat to cast ballots for GOP candidates.
“The economy, border and community safety remain top concerns for those in the Lehigh Valley.”
Democrats are also aiming to retake the Pennsylvania state Senate, and state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chairman, said in a recent interview the landmark achievement is within reach.
But, in terms of Harrisburg and Washington, Coleman said, “kitchen table issues” are front of mind in his district, which also includes a slice of the Philadelphia “swing” suburb of Bucks County, and will help the GOP at both levels.
“It’s very clear that the majority of Pennsylvanians — and especially those in the Lehigh Valley — are far worse off than they were four years ago. The GOP has a platform with specific steps to take to improve the lives of those in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and across the nation.”
Democratic “demonizing” of Trump has not helped his constituents’ pocketbook or public safety via the open border, he added.
Off the side of Bake Oven Knob, adjoining the county lake now named for him, lies the property of Revolution-era farmer Frederick Leaser.
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As the British approached Philadelphia in 1777, Leaser loaded the Liberty Bell onto his wagon during one of his trips to take produce to market and hauled it home to Lehigh County, preventing the Redcoats from melting it down for ammunition.
Such patriotic, community sentiment remains in that part of the valley, with American flags flying in yards during holidays and local churches and fire halls hosting community dinners, from the Jacksonville oyster supper to the German Groundhog Day spread at the local Grundsau Lodsch.
A few blocks west of the church where Leaser ultimately hid the bell is the headquarters of the Lehigh County Republican Committee.
Chairman Joe Vichot said the party’s presence is ubiquitous at many local events, including the Schnecksville Fair and Allentown Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Trump rallied at Schnecksville’s fairgrounds earlier this year, claiming how crucial the area is this cycle.
“We have literature on candidates, and we listen and speak to residents about the issues,” Vichot said, adding his party’s float won third place in the aforementioned parade and that more than a dozen attendees were registered to vote in only a few hours.
The party also registers voters and has made connections with civic leaders in the Jewish, Syrian and Muslim communities, he said.
“The top two issues we hear are the border and the economy,” Vichot said.
“[Voters] want a new direction. They don’t believe the open border policies of Biden/Harris is good for their wallet or safe for their family.”
In neighboring Northampton County, home to Bethlehem, Easton and smaller cities like Nazareth and Wind Gap, conservatives are similarly pounding the pavement to get their messages out.
“Our local party is very involved. We are able to communicate with our voters. We are able to text them, call them, and they are receptive to our requests to … help out in going door to door and making phone calls for us,” Northampton County Republican Committee board member Andrew Azan III said.
Azan told Fox News Digital there’s a “waitlist” for Trump-Vance signs in his county, which the Republican nominee flipped red in 2016 but lost in 2020.
“That’s a positive sign,” he quipped.
With Bethlehem and Easton’s population of retired steelworkers giving way to new Hispanic and African American residents, the party has adjusted its messaging, but not its principles, to meet the changing diversity of the Lehigh Valley where it stands, Azan added.
In that regard, according to Lehigh Valley Tea Party board member Tom Carroll, locals are more receptive to the conservative platform, and the right wing is “more unified than I’ve ever seen.”
“They are more concerned than ever about losing their country because of the Marxist and socialist policies that are coming out of both Biden and, of course, now Kamala Harris,” said Carroll, whose Tea Party group is the nation’s largest, with 7,000 recorded members.
“She’s going to open the borders, and she’s going to enact the tax policies that she’s talked about, things like [levying] unrealized capital gains. Our voters are educated, and they’re concerned because they know what that will do to the economy.”
Carroll, an attorney who also helps lead the Bethlehem City GOP, said he’s been involved in politics since the 2010 midterms and recognized Republicans typically lagged behind Democrats in that realm most cycles.
“But there has been such a reach-out to the voters … in Pennsylvania in that there’s a lot of grassroots knocking on doors and meeting people and having a lot of events and surrogates from the various campaigns coming in.
“We believe in President Trump. We want him to get elected. And we realize Pennsylvania is the most important state in the nation.”
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Walz, reportedly a millionaire, says mom has to wait for Social Security check to ‘feed herself’
On the first day of early voting in North Carolina, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz hit the campaign trail in Durham on Thursday evening, making a personal revelation about his mother.
During his campaign rally, Walz said that his mother has to wait for her social security check every month to feed herself.
According to Forbes, Walz has an estimated net worth of over $1 million.
Walz has spent the better part of his career in the public service sector. He was a former public school teacher and Army National Guardsman who served six terms in Congress before becoming the governor of Minnesota in 2019.
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“We are all products of our past. When you grow up a middle-class kid in Oakland or in Butte, Nebraska, you care about Social Security,” Walz said.
Walz continued, claiming Donald Trump and all his “rich friends” don’t care or even worry about Social Security.
“When my mom looks for that Social Security deposit to be made in her bank account, that’s how she’s going to feed herself. That’s how she’s going to get things done. He [Trump] doesn’t give a damn if his Social Security check comes or not,” Walz claimed.
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Walz also touted that a hundred million Americans under Kamala Harris as president would see a tax cut, adding that he passed the largest tax cut in Minnesota history, not for the rich, but for the middle class.
“The one thing we understand about this is the economy works best when it’s fair, and it’s focused on the middle class,” Walz said.
Walz, who was joined by former President Bill Clinton, has another campaign event in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This is his third campaign visit to the Tar Heel state as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
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After doing just one joint interview in the first three weeks of her campaign, Harris and Walz have stepped up their media appearances in recent weeks to more match those of their Republican counterparts.
Walz joined “Fox News Sunday” for the second straight week on Sunday, Oct. 13, and he also did interviews last week with Jimmy Kimmel and the “Smartless” podcast. He’s also spoken to Pennsylvania and Arizona news stations in the past week, in addition to an extended interview on ABC News.
Walz spoke with Georgia, Wisconsin and North Carolina TV stations in recent weeks. He spoke with MSNBC and ABC after last month’s presidential debate, and he was interviewed by Michigan station Fox 17.
Walz has also spoken to radio stations in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
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Walz was previously mocked for a comment he made during a speech in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a September rally when he told attendees “we can’t afford four more years of this.”
Although Walz may have been referring to gun violence or Trump’s rhetoric when he cited “four more years” of an issue, his statement led conservative commentators to roast the Minnesota governor on social media for what appeared to be a criticism of the Biden administration.
College explains why it won’t forfeit game against trans rival despite requests from players
The University of Nevada, Reno announced it will not forfeit its upcoming women’s volleyball game against San Jose State Oct. 26 despite multiple requests from players to do so.
A university spokesperson told Fox News Digital Thursday the program would not forfeit the match because it would be a violation of state law.
“The university made the decision not to declare a forfeiture and move forward with hosting the match as scheduled based on several factors. As a public university, the university is legally prohibited by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression,” the spokesperson said.
Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that “Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
However, that constitution was revised in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections.
Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the bill to get it on the ballot, said the law has helped transgender people maintain their identity.
“As a state university, a forfeiture for reasons involving gender identity or expression could constitute per se discrimination and violate the Nevada Constitution,” the university’s statement added.
Twenty-three states have laws in place that restrict the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. One of those states, Idaho, is home to Boise State, one of the first programs to forfeit a match against San Jose State.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order to carry out the Defending Women’s Sports Act in August, which is aimed at encouraging schools to ensure that only biological females compete in girls and women’s sports.
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Multiple states filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address this issue after the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions,” in April.
The administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women’s sports.
The Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to reject an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce portions of that new rule after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general sued to block the Title IX changes in their own states.
However, Nevada is not one of those states. The Silver State has been more compliant with the Democratic-leaning agenda on transgender athletes in women’s sports. So, now Nevada’s volleyball team will have to prepare for a match knowing multiple players will likely not participate.
The university also cited the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for choosing not to forfeit the match, claiming that playing against a transgender opponent is a right of free speech.
“We also acknowledge that a student athlete’s choice to play in the same match may also be intended as free expression protected by the First Amendment. Consequently, a forfeiture declared by the university prior to the match for reasons involving gender identity or expression could violate the rights of our student athletes whether they choose to compete or not,” the spokesperson said.
By that same thinking, the program also said it promises that any player who chooses not to play in the match will not face consequences.
“A student athlete’s refusal to participate in the match with San Jose State University can be interpreted as free expression,” the statement said.
Nevada players initially said in a statement to OutKick Monday that they planned to forfeit their match against the Spartans to “stand in solidarity” with Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State, who have all pulled out of their matches against the Spartans.
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Nevada team captain Sia Liillii met with Republicans, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown after her team’s win against Utah State on Tuesday and reaffirmed her stance about not competing against San Jose State.
“I know what our team is going to do, and we are going to have integrity,” Liillii told the Reno Gazette Journal. “I think this is the toughest thing our team has gone through, but I’m just glad I have so many brave young women behind me, and I get to be the captain of this team.”
Liillii said the players have had direct conversations with Nevada Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe, but they have not changed the program’s mind about forfeiting.
The players’ preference to forfeit drew praise from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who commended the players for standing up for what they believe in. It also brought praise from multiple players on San Jose State’s team who have shared a court with a transgender teammate for multiple seasons.
“Round of applause to the girls of the (Nevada Wolf Pack) volleyball team,” San Jose State women’s volleyball player Brooke Slusser wrote on X. “Deciding to go against what the school was forcing on you as young women and taking a stand for what you believe takes courage! Another great step in the right direction for women’s sports!”
Former media exec wants to ‘apologize to America’ for popularizing Trump
John D. Miller had a hand in creating “The Apprentice,” the show that supercharged former President Trump’s popularity, and he now laments being involved.
Miller, who was the former chair of the NBCUniversal Marketing Council and chief marketing officer for NBC and NBCUniversal, wrote a mournful mea culpa for U.S. News headlined, “We Created a Monster: Trump Was a TV Fantasy Invented for ‘The Apprentice.'”
“I want to apologize to America,” he began. “I helped create a monster,” recalling how he “led the team that marketed ‘The Apprentice,’ the reality show that made Donald Trump a household name outside of New York City.” He claimed that in order to “sell” the show to audiences, “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show. At the very least, it was a substantial exaggeration; at worst, it created a false narrative by making him seem more successful than he was.”
After noting Trump’s bankruptcies, Miller claimed that the “imposing boardroom where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV.”
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He also contested that Trump had been the ideal choice for this show in a certain sense, “because more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV and didn’t want to hire random game show winners onto their executive teams.”
Miller then argued that NBC itself, at the time, created what could be called “fake news.”
“At NBC, we promoted the show relentlessly. Thousands of 30-second promo spots that spread the fantasy of Trump’s supposed business acumen were beamed over the airwaves to nearly every household in the country,” the former NBC bigwig wrote. “The image of Trump that we promoted was highly exaggerated. In its own way, it was ‘fake news’ that we spread over America like a heavy snowstorm. I never imagined that the picture we painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House.”
Of Trump himself, Miller warned that Trump would make grandiose boasts about the show’s popularity, in that he “thought he could simply say something over and over, and eventually people would believe it. He would say to me, ‘”The Apprentice” — America’s No. 1 TV show.’ But it wasn’t.” The former NBC employee later quipped, “He didn’t like being fact-checked back then, either.”
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While “The Apprentice” was a success as a show, Miller argued it did “irreparable harm” by boosting Trump’s public image.
“I deeply regret that,” he said. “And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.”
The former NBC employee offered an alternative path, however.
“But I say now to my fellow Americans, without any promotional exaggeration: If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like ‘The Apprentice’ was. Even if you are a born-and-bred Republican, as I was, I strongly urge you to vote for Kamala Harris,” he wrote. “The country will be better off and so will you.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign and to NBCUniversal and did not receive an immediate reply.
Netanyahu says Hamas terror chief ‘ran away in fear’ before death, sends message to Gaza
Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar has been killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Thursday.
The IDF and Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency released a joint statement saying it can “confirm that after a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.”
“Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7th Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis,” the statement added. “Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday following the confirmation of Sinwar’s death that Hamas suffered a “heavy blow” but the war in Gaza is not yet over. Netanyahu added that “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza” and “this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny.”
Netanyahu also said Sinwar “ran away in fear from our soldiers” prior to being killed.
“He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den — and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers,” Netanyahu said in a televised message.
WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?
“The darkness has been retreating and the light has been rising,” he said.
Referred to by Israel as the Butcher of Khan Younis for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 61, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas militants on Oct. 7.
The IDF and Shin Bet said earlier Thursday, “During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated” and that it was “checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar.”
An Israel Army Radio report said Thursday that Sinwar was killed during a battle with Israeli soldiers.
The soldiers had spotted suspected terrorists in Gaza and opened fire before the individuals fled into a building, according to the report. It added that a tank then fired a shell at the building, causing it to collapse.
When the soldiers went inside to examine the aftermath, they found three bodies — one of which ultimately has been identified as Sinwar.
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“The master murderer, Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz also told Fox News in a statement.
A U.S. defense official has told Fox News that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was passed a note during a NATO Defense Ministerial meeting on Sinwar’s death. The Israelis, the official says, notified U.S. Department of Defense officials and have passed along photos.
Upon hearing the news of Sinwar’s death, President Biden said: “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.”
“Israel has had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another Oct. 7,” he said.
Biden said he would be speaking with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stressed on Thursday that U.S. forces were not directly involved in the operation.
“Just to be crystal clear, this was an Israeli operation,” he told reporters. “There [were] no U.S. forces directly involved. The United States has helped contribute information and intelligence as it relates to hostage recovery, and the tracking and locating of Hamas leaders, who have been responsible for holding hostages, and so certainly that contributes, in general, to the picture.
“But again, this was an Israeli operation.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Thursday in a statement that it “commends the security forces for eliminating Sinwar, who masterminded the greatest massacre our country has ever faced, responsible for the murder of thousands and the abduction of hundreds.”
“However, we express deep concern for the fate of the 101 men, women, elderly and children still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. We call on the Israeli government, world leaders, and mediating countries to leverage the military achievement into a diplomatic one by pursuing an immediate agreement for the release of all 101 hostages: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” it added.
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In Washington, D.C., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said, “Justice has once again been served by the brave men and women of the Israeli military.”
“At this moment, with the bloodthirsty leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah now gone, the Biden-Harris Administration must now work in tandem with Israel to apply a maximum pressure campaign against the head of the snake: Iran,” he added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, “The Israeli people — through their political leadership, the IDF and their intelligence services — have delivered a mighty blow to Hamas and Iran, and rendered some sense of justice with the elimination of Sinwar.”
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht had told reporters in October 2023 that “Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza and he’s a dead man walking.”
“We will get to him, however long it takes… and this war could be long,” he said.
Sinwar, who was believed to be somewhere in the Palestinian enclave but hidden deep underground in the warren of tunnels Hamas uses to transport weapons and fighters and where they may even be keeping the hostages, was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp when the area was part of Egypt.
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According to multiple sources, he was always a militant activist and joined Hamas not long after its founding in 1987. Two years later, he was arrested by Israel for his involvement in the abduction and killing of two Israelis, as well as the torturing and murder of four Palestinians he considered to be collaborators.
Sentenced to life in prison, Sinwar ended up serving 22 years in an Israeli jail and was eventually released as part of a prisoner exchange for the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.
“Sinwar has been active since the early days of Hamas,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, previously told Fox News Digital. “In jail, he became a prominent leader of Hamas prisoners and was a very influential figure among all Palestinian prisoners.”
After being returned to Gaza as part of the Shalit deal, Sinwar became a popular leader in Hamas, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and in 2017 was elected by secret ballot to replace the incumbent political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran in July.
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Following Haniyeh’s death, Sinwar was named Hamas’ new leader.