Fox News 2025-03-15 00:10:35


Senate to take up key spending bill as clock ticks down to government shutdown

The Senate will take a key procedural vote on Friday afternoon to potentially tee up final passage of a crucial stopgap government spending bill to avoid a shutdown as time runs out. 

After tense caucus meetings, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed that he would vote for the House-passed short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), because “a shutdown would be a gift” for President Donald Trump and Republicans. 

The Friday cloture vote was scheduled shortly after his Thursday evening announcement. It will take place shortly after 1:15 p.m. ET.

CHUCK SCHUMER WILL VOTE TO KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN: ‘FOR DONALD TRUMP, A SHUTDOWN WOULD BE A GIFT’

In order to move forward to a final passage vote, the stopgap bill will need 60 favorable votes to beat what’s known as the legislative filibuster. 

During a partial government shutdown, federal agencies and non-essential services would be halted. However, government functions deemed “essential” would continue. National security protocols, such as border patrol, law enforcement and disaster response, stay active during shutdowns, for example. 

House Republicans managed to pass a CR earlier in the week that would keep spending levels the same as fiscal year (FY) 2024 until Oct. 1. But if a spending bill is not passed by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, the government will enter into a partial shutdown.

DEM HEARD SCREAMING AT COLLEAGUES DESPITE SCHUMER’S UNITY CLAIM AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

While some Senate Democrats, such as Schumer and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., have committed to supporting the CR, far more of their colleagues have publicly stated that they will oppose it. 

 “The House bill also irresponsibly fails to impose any constraints on the reckless and out-of-control Trump Administration,” Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said in a late Thursday statement.  

“I will oppose the House budget proposal. The best available solution is a 30-day stopgap funding measure to avoid a shutdown, during which time Congress can do its job to properly pass a bipartisan budget,” he said. 

Democrats had pushed for a month-long CR, but Republicans didn’t budge from the House-passed plan. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS COIN ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE ON TRUMP SPENDING BILL

Before Schumer revealed his intention to support the bill while the rest of his caucus made their own decisions, meetings between the Democrats became so contentious that the press could hear a senator yelling, through thick, heavy wooden doors on Thursday. The voice was identified as that of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., by press, but her office would not confirm. 

Earlier Thursday, Fetterman slammed his colleagues for pledging to vote against the short-term bill, joking that their video announcements were “spicy.”

CANADA EXPLOITING ‘LOOPHOLE’ HURTING US DAIRY FARMERS AMID TRUMP TARIFFS, SENATORS SAY

“It wasn’t that long ago before we were lecturing that you can never shut the government down. So, that’s kind of inconsistent,” he told reporters. 

“We can all agree that it’s not a great CR, but that’s where we are, and that’s the choice,” Fetterman explained. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

If the procedural vote on Friday garners enough votes to beat the legislative filibuster, a vote on final passage will be planned for within the next day and a half. It could come sooner if parties reach a time agreement.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Listen to this article
4 min

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced at the very beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term that new and independent media would be invited to play a big role in covering the administration, the collective eye roll from traditional media was as immediate as it was condescending.

We all remember Trump’s first term, when his press conferences often devolved into a full-contact sport, with former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta wrestling a female White House aide for the microphone, for example, amid nothing but constant “gotcha” questions.

MARK HALPERIN AND FORMER POLITICO REPORTER SCORCH ‘LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS’ ON NETWORKS LIKE MSNBC

The snarky back and forth from the media in those days created entertainment, but a lot more heat than light. The White House press in Trump’s first term sought always to expose Trump for this or that, but almost never to truly understand the administration’s policies.

There were exceptions, of course, such as your favorite cable news network, whose White House correspondents play it down the middle no matter who’s in office. But in general, Trump faced a daily inquisition, while his successor, President Biden, more or less got a free pass throughout his abysmal four years as president.

Today, the addition of independent outlets such as Epoch News, The Post Millennial, OAN, and others has transformed Trump’s press availabilities from a hackling shouting match, into a substantive, almost daily discussion of the administration’s actions and priorities.

With the exemption of the recalcitrant Associated Press, which has weirdly decided to die on the hill of defending the name “Gulf of Mexico,” all the old Trump haters from The New York Times to NBC News are still in the room; they just don’t completely dominate it anymore.

If you listen to a news conference with Trump now, as opposed to five years ago, you do not come away with the impression that he is some sort of pariah who everyone hates and thinks is a liar. We have a full spectrum of media in there, and it has brought comity to the process, but there are still tough questions, too.

Does the new, mostly conservative, media in the White House toss up some softballs? Sure. Are the online thank yous to Leavitt for opening up the room a bit saccharine? Certainly. 

But compared to what? A mainstream media that just nodded along as former White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told us Biden was fit as a fiddle and she was a very important historical figure? Spare me.

The fact of the matter is that outlets like the Daily Caller or even Steve Bannon’s War Room, are no more biased to the right than NPR, a long-time staple in the Oval Office, is biased to the left, nor are they abnormal. Even super leftwing California Gov. Gavin Newson just had Bannon on his new podcast.

For four years, we had a White House press corps that, with the exception of Fox News and Real Clear Politics, ran cover for Biden and KJP. Even CNN’s Jake Tapper is now out with a book, basically apologizing for the liberal media’s horrible coverage of Grandpa Joe.

So if we all admit that the press did a terrible disservice to the American people with its one-sided and farcical coverage of Biden, then how can we complain that both sides of the American political divide are now represented in the room?

Seventy percent of Americans do not trust journalism today, and for extremely good reasons like those outlined above. I’m a journalist, and even I don’t trust journalism. But this fresh approach from the White House could be a step in restoring some level of trust.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Americans know when they are only getting one side of the story, we have a basic sense of fairness that rankles when we see the powerful put a thumb on the scale, and by inviting all perspectives in the room, the White House is allowing us to weigh arguments freely and fairly.

I came up in independent conservative media, writing for outlets including The Federalist and The Daily Wire, which have unwavering commitments to honesty. Of course, they belong in the White House, and everyone is better off for their presence there.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

To turn an old saying upside down, “if it’s broke, fix it,” and the news media’s coverage of the White House, for years now, has been badly broken, maybe, just maybe, these new and formerly banished voices in the Oval Office are just what we need to fix it.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS

Actor laments Disney downgrading premiere for movie embroiled in controversy

“Snow White” actor Martin Klebba, who voices the character of “Grumpy” the dwarf in the live-action adaptation, lamented that the film’s premiere is being downgraded amid public backlash.

Variety reported this week that the studio is scaling down the film’s red carpet premiere on March 15, making it a smaller event than Disney’s typical big-budget premieres.

The smaller red carpet event will not be attended by media outlets that usually attend premieres to speak to the film’s cast and crew. Though film stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are set to attend a pre-party and screening at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre, media coverage will only include photographers and a house crew. 

Disney did not reply to Fox News Digital’s questions about why the premiere was downsized, but the news comes as the film has been mired in controversy for years, stemming from the outspoken views of its lead actress, Zegler, as well as the film’s original portrayal of the Seven Dwarfs.

‘SNOW WHITE’ REBOOT STAR RESPONDS TO BACKLASH OVER HER COMMENTS CRITICIZING ORIGINAL 1937 FILM: ‘MADE ME SAD’

“I was a little disappointed,” Klebba, who plays one of the seven dwarfs, told The New York Post. “I’m not disappointed in Disney. I’m disappointed in the world.”

He explained, “We’ve come to this place in society where people work really hard on this movie, where Marc [Webb], the director, is probably four years into putting this together, [along with] the producers and Disney, and just because a couple of people have views that not everybody feels the same way, now we’re having to alter the fun part of making a movie, which is premieres.”

Even so, he said that he ultimately understands why Disney chose its current course of action for the film’s premiere.

“So I’m a little bummed, but I understand it as well,” Klebba said. “Disney is one of the greatest production companies of all time, so you gotta be really careful in today’s world. So I see why they did it. I’m just still a little bummed because I was really looking forward to doing the red carpet.”

“I just was really hoping to get together and walk the red carpet with these guys,” he said, referring to his fellow cast members.

DISNEY DELAYS WOKE ‘SNOW WHITE’ REBOOT FOR A YEAR FOLLOWING BACKLASH: ‘WHAT A DISASTER’

Nonetheless, the actor, who has been in projects like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and the upcoming “Electric State” film on Netflix, said that times have changed. 

“The world has come a long way. Whether you’re woke or not woke, God doesn’t make mistakes. Just be you and accepting,” he said. “Accept everybody for who they are, and the world would be a great place.”

He did say that Hollywood has room for improvement, however.

“I wish Hollywood would be a little bit more open minded with people with disabilities,” he told The Post. “Whether they’re in a wheelchair or they’re shorter or whatever it might be, give everybody an opportunity.”

“Step outside the box and be open to casting someone for their abilities, not just for what they look like, even though I’m better looking than Brad Pitt,” he quipped.

He expressed gratitude for Disney granting him significant opportunities, however.

Even if he is frustrated by how this premiere panned out, he credited the company for granting him some major opportunities so far. 

“When I was 8 years old and I went to Disney World, I was like, ‘I’m gonna work for this company one day,’” he said. “Only I thought I was gonna be one of the characters that walked around the park with a big plastic head on, you know? Never did I think I was gonna become an actor and work on some of the biggest franchises of all time.”

“I love Disney. They do what they gotta do,” the actor said. “It’s sad that society has gotten to the point where we have to do this nowadays.”

The film endured multiple controversies in the years before it was released. During Disney’s D23 expo in 2022, Zegler slammed the original movie, telling the media, “I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.”

One of the remake’s other controversies included discussion of how the film’s dwarves would be portrayed. Disney ultimately said the company would be taking a “different approach” for the characters. In October 2023, the film was delayed a year. In November 2024, star Zegler apologized for her social media rant against Donald Trump and his supporters that wished they never knew peace.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Teen track runner who bashed opponent’s head rallies supporters after assault charge

The Virginia teen who was seen bashing an opponent’s head with a baton during a high school track meet held a rally of supporters on Thursday to reiterate her innocence. 

The rally came just one day after she was served with a misdemeanor battery and assault charge

The student, Alaila Everett, held the rally outside of her school, I.C. Norcom High School, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Dozens of individuals were seen attending the rally, as Everette delivered a tearful speech, where she thanked her supporters while sobbing. 

“Thank y’all for supporting me,” Everett said to the supporters, as seen in footage by local Virginia news station WAVY. “There’s no one else that wanted to hear my story, except the people that know me and people that know I would never do anything like that, I would never harm anybody. I’m not a fighter, I’m not even confrontational, I wouldn’t even do that on purpose, and I thank y’all for believing in me. I love y’all.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Everett’s speech was met with loud applause and a chant of “We stand with you.”

Portsmouth NAACP President James Boyd also spoke at the rally, alleging threats and slurs that have been directed at Everett’s family.

“The Everett family has experienced racial slurs, they’ve experienced death threats, and we think unequivocally that those things are unacceptable,” Boyd said.

Local community activist Germain Green called for unity from the community in support of the teenager. 

“It bothered me to my heart to see how the whole world was dragging this young lady, dragging her character based on what they thought they saw. I just wanted to step up, speak out, and bring unity and let this young lady know that the city of Portsmouth has her back,” Green said. 

Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office confirmed to Fox News Digital Wednesday that one misdemeanor charge of assault and battery jad been filed over the incident. 

The incident occurred last Tuesday during a championship meet, as footage showed Everett smashing her baton onto the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a relay race. Everett and her whole team were disqualified.

INGRID ANDRESS ADMITS SHE WAS ‘DRUNK’ DURING MLB HOME RUN DERBY NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMANCE, CHECKS INTO REHAB​​

Tucker was later diagnosed with a concussion and possible skull fracture, as footage of the incident went viral. 

Everett has since said the hits were accidental, in interviews with WAVY and “Good Morning America.” 

The Virginia High School League (VHSL) previously issued a statement to Fox News Digital on the matter. 

“The VHSL does not comment on individuals or disciplinary actions due to FERPA,” the league’s statement read. “The actions taken by the meet director to disqualify the runner were appropriate and correct. We thoroughly review every instance like this that involves player safety with the participating schools. The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Portsmouth Public School District for comment from the Everett family.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Prior to the misdemeanor charges being announced on Everett, the Portsmouth NAACP released a statement defending the embattled teen on Wednesday. 

“Alaila is NOT AN ATTACKER and media headlines that allude towards that in any way is shameful. We understand the sensitivity of the circumstances for both athletes and their families involved but this narrative must not go unaddressed,” the statement read.  

“Alaila is an honor student and a star athlete at the historic I.C. Norcom High School. From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well documented and recognized across our state. She has carried herself with integrity both on and off the field and any narrative that adjudicates her guilty of any criminal activity is a violation of her due process rights.”

Man who found Gene Hackman, wife dead raised concerns weeks before death

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman hadn’t been heard from in weeks when Jesse Kesler, owner of MudCity Builders, made the decision to alert law enforcement officials. 

Kesler had stopped by the Hackmans’ Santa Fe property unplanned on Feb. 26 because he hadn’t heard from Betsy in two weeks, a stark contrast to their “every three days” communications Kesler was used to.

“We were getting pretty worried,” Kesler exclusively told Fox News Digital. “We knew something was wrong.”

GENE HACKMAN DEATH: COMPLETE COVERAGE

“We asked law enforcement for advice on how to do it. We started the process of a wellness check,” Kesler said. “We had to involve a family member to do a wellness check. They had to have an authorization from a family member.”

He added, “We couldn’t get hold of any family members. … We were in the process of getting hold of a family member, and it was taking too long. And finally, finally, I saw the security guard, and that’s when me and him went in.”

GENE HACKMAN’S ESTATE ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK RELEASE OF PHOTOGRAPHS, FOOTAGE FROM DEATH INVESTIGATION

In the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, Kesler and maintenance worker Roland Lowe Begay were identified as the two individuals who found Gene and Betsy’s bodies in their home. Kesler, who worked for the couple for 16 years, made the harrowing 911 call.

“We asked law enforcement for advice on how to do it. We started the process of a wellness check.”

— Jesse Kesler

Gene’s daughter, Leslie, exclusively told Fox News Digital that not only had she never spoken to Kesler before, she was unaware of anyone pursuing a wellness check on her father or Betsy, including the sheriff’s department.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office for comment. 

GENE HACKMAN’S DOGS HELPED AUTHORITIES LOCATE HIS BODY

“No one had reached out,” Leslie said. When asked if authorities had contacted Leslie about her father’s well-being before he was found dead, she said, “Not prior to the discovery.”

“No one had reached out.”

— Leslie Hackman

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

LISTEN: GENE HACKMAN 911 CALL

Gene died due to hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor, New Mexico officials confirmed one week ago. He was likely alone in the home for about a week until he died around Feb. 18, which was the last time activity was recorded on his pacemaker.

Betsy died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is transmitted from animals to humans and is commonly found in rodents, the New Mexico Department of Health confirmed. Her autopsy determined the manner of death as natural. Authorities believe she died on or about Feb. 11.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Hantavirus is characterized by “flu-like symptoms consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure,” Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell explained during the news conference.

WATCH: NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS CONFIRMED THE CAUSES OF GENE HACKMAN AND WIFE BETSY’S DEATHS

Jarrell performed a full autopsy on Gene the day after his body was discovered, which showed “severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks, and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure.”

Both Gene and Betsy tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning, and a full toxicology report is pending.

The investigation remains ongoing until cellphone data can be reviewed, and a necropsy is performed on their deceased dog, Zinna.

Kesler told Fox News Digital that he remembers the Hackmans as “kind” and “generous.”

“They cared about people,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump official calls out ‘intolerant Left’ after Vance jeered at concert

People jeered Vice President JD Vance at the Kennedy Center on Thursday night.

“Boos for JD Vance as he enters tonight’s concert at the Kennedy Center,” Global Affairs correspondent for The Guardian Andrew Roth tweeted when sharing a video of the episode on Thursday evening.

Vance, seated next to his wife Usha, waved from a balcony amid the cacophony.

BILL MAHER RIPS LEFT’S ‘EXCLUSIONARY ATTITUDE’ AS ‘HAMILTON’ CANCELS SHOWS AT TRUMP-BACKED KENNEDY CENTER

Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell, who is serving in a leadership post with the Kennedy Center, suggested that people on the political left are “intolerant.”

“The intolerant Left are radicals who can’t even sit in the same room with people that don’t vote like they do. What has happened to today’s Democrats? They are so intolerant,” he declared when commenting on the episode.

Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s team to request comment on Friday, but no comment was provided.

KENNEDY CENTER DIRECTOR ENCOURAGES REPUBLICAN ATTENDANCE, SAYS ‘EVERYONE IS WELCOME’

The event was a National Symphony Orchestra concert, reports indicate.

Vance, the author of the book “Hillbilly Elegy,” previously noted that he was shocked to find out that people listen to classical music for enjoyment.

“Elites use different words, eat different foods, listen to different music — I was astonished when I learned that people listened to classical music for pleasure — and generally occupy different worlds from America’s poor,” Vance said, according to The New York Times.

KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP WILL USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARTS’ UNDER TRUMP, RIC GRENELL PREVIEWS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Donald Trump announced a shakeup of Kennedy Center leadership last month.

“I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” the president declared in part of a Truth Social post in February.

He later announced that Grenell would serve as interim executive director.

A Kennedy Center press release stated, “the Board elected President of the United States Donald J. Trump as Kennedy Center Board Chair, replacing former Chair David M. Rubenstein,” and “terminated Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter’s contract and announced Richard Grenell as interim Kennedy Center President.”

The press release also noted that more than a dozen new Kennedy Center Board of Trustee members were announced, including Usha Vance, Trump, and others. 

Congressman says MLB is ousting controversial pitcher due to Trump support

Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO) wrote a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, stating his belief that Trevor Bauer has been ostracized from the league due to his support for Trump.

Bauer was suspended for 324 games in 2021 for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. His suspension was reduced to 194 (representing the time he missed in 2021 while on administrative leave and the entire 2022 season), but he was still released by the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2023 season began. As a result, he played professionally in Japan in 2023 and in Mexico in 2024.

The majority of Bauer’s legal issues are behind him, and has maintained his innocence, settling with one accuser while another is facing 16 years in prison after being charged with fraud following the faking of a pregnancy and asking Bauer for money for an abortion.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

However, it has been almost four full years since Bauer last took an MLB mound, and Burlison is taking MLB to task as to why.

“Mr. Bauer was suspended for 324 games; the longest non-lifetime suspension in the history of the league, despite the fact that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue criminal charges against him, citing insufficient evidence. . . .” Burlison wrote

“Given that no legal action was taken against Mr. Bauer, I am concerned his absence may be tied to certain political statements he made that diverged from prevailing league orthodoxy, as well as statements he made that were critical of MLB and particularly you. Specifically, in 2016, Mr. Bauer publicly expressed positive views about then-candidate Donald J. Trump, including comments on social media praising Trump’s campaign rhetoric and outsider status. Additionally, Mr. Bauer, in responding to a social media post, noted his belief that disrespecting fellow human beings should not be tolerated, which was taken as an opposition to MLB’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. And lastly, Mr. Bauer made a number of remarks prior to his suspension critical of MLB and specifically you, ranging from expanded playoffs, the marketing of MLB players, to the then refusal of MLB to investigate pitchers using sticky substances. . . .

KANSAS BASEBALL TEAM TIES NCAA RECORD WITH 5 STRAIGHT HOME RUNS IN 29-1 VICTORY OVER MINNESOTA

“Given the timing and severity of Mr. Bauer’s suspension, it is reasonable to question whether MLB’s actions were influenced more by his political stances and criticisms of [Manfred] and MLB than by the allegations against him, which have since been undermined by judicial review and evidentiary shortcomings.” 

Bauer, who once said that he “may have no other choice” but to sue the league for his ouster, told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview last year that he had never done anything “criminally” but still had to look in the mirror and work on himself after the allegations.

“Anyone that’s willing to sit down with me and listen: I’d like to play the second half of my career in a better way than I played the first half,” Bauer told Fox News Digital. “I’d like to be an example that you can make mistakes, recognize them, adjust and then be better in the future. I think that’s something us as humans have to do and should be doing constantly.”

In a combined 28 starts in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and his abbreviated 2021 campaign, his ERA was a minuscule 2.24, and he struck out 11.8 batters per nine innings with a 0.92 WHIP. He was named the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Bauer and Lindsey Hill, who accused the pitcher of beating and sexually abusing her in 2021, settled their case late last year. Bauer revealed texts from Hill, who had said that Bauer would be her “next victim,” among other damning messages. Hill has since said that MLB has more evidence of Bauer’s alleged misconduct. 

Staffers of Alabama football reveal what went down when Saban retired

The retirement of legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban shook up the college sports world. Now, for the first time, fans can learn what unfolded on the day it happened.

In the fourth episode of “The Tides That Bind,” a series streaming exclusively on Fox Nation, staff members of the Crimson Tide reflect on the shocking announcement of Saban deciding to end his coaching career. 

“Jan. 10, 2024, is absolutely a day that will always be in my memory,” Director of Sports Medicine for University of Alabama athletics Jeff Allen said in the new episode.

Join Now

During a scheduled team meeting on that fateful January day, Saban got up on stage and everything seemed “normal,” according to former NFL player and Director of Player Development Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. “He was having his normal conversations, like you know, we’re getting ready to go fight for another championship,” he said.

“And towards the end of his conversation, this meeting he kind of started, you know, stumbling a little bit, kind of teary-eyed. You can feel the energy change in the room.”

“It just came out,” Assistant Athletics Director Dr. Ginger Gilmore said. “He says, ‘so I’m going to retire.'”

Saban, 73, won six national championships with the Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2023. He produced four Heisman Trophy winners during his 17 seasons with the team, including Mark Ingram II, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Bryce Young. Before his stint with Alabama, he won a national championship in 2003 with Louisiana State. 

“The players are shocked,” Director of Player Development Denzel Devall remarked of the dreaded moment. “Everybody is in disbelief, like it’s a dream. And when he walks off the stage, that’s when reality hits like, damn… the GOAT is gone.”

“What we’ve known for 17 years has been absolutely, you know, turned upside down,” Allen echoed, describing the seismic shift Saban’s announcement made.

Despite the panic that took over Tuscaloosa during Saban’s exit from the program, the Crimson Tide managed to hire a successor with winning pedigree, former Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer. 

In DeBoer’s first year, the team finished the 2024 season 9-4 but failed to reach the expanded College Football Playoff.

DeBoer recently spoke with Fox News Digital about what it’s been like to fill Saban’s shoes and the team’s partnership with Fox Nation.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN FOX NATION

AG Bondi’s warning to Tesla vandals across the US: ‘We’re coming after you’

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is laying down the law when it comes to a recent surge in alleged vandalism on Tesla cars, charging stations and dealerships.

“They are targeting Tesla dealerships, the stations where you charge a Tesla. They’re vandalizing cars. I have already directed an investigation be opened to see, how is this being funded? Who is behind this, doing this?” Bondi said on “Mornings with Maria” Friday.

“We have people we’re locking up on that.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
TSLA TESLA INC. 240.68 -7.41 -2.99%

Tesla car owners, dealerships and charging stations have been targeted nationwide by protesters and vandals because of Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to slash wasteful spending and fraud within the federal government.

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR TESLA? THE VALUES ARE DROPPING

On Saturday, protesters rallied outside Tesla dealerships, holding signs denouncing Musk and DOGE, including in Decatur, Georgia, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Earlier this week, protesters struck an Oregon Tesla dealership, located 10 miles south of Portland, which was targeted by gunshots Thursday, damaging multiple cars and shattering windows, according to the AP.

Several Tesla charging stations have also been set on fire in Massachusetts. Seemingly non-violent rallies have also been held at Tesla dealerships in Michigan and New York City.

Musk, who’s the founder and CEO of Tesla and now the face of DOGE, recently blamed left-wing billionaire George Soros, billionaire Democratic mega-donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and others, claiming they are bankrolling the destructive “protests.”

“We have someone in jail right now from one of the dealerships. They threw a Molotov cocktail through a dealership. They’re looking at up to 20 years in prison,” Bondi revealed.

“So if you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything – you better watch out, because we’re coming after you,” the AG continued. “And if you’re funding this, we’re coming after you. We’re going to find out who you are.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Musk’s Tesla has seen other troubles this week, with shares dropping roughly 32% in the last month. Its valuation saw a slight gain after President Donald Trump announced his commitment to buy a Tesla on the White House lawn Tuesday.

Other anti-Musk sentiments have been seen on Teslas, including bumper stickers reading, “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy,” and red, circular cancel symbols with Elon’s name in the middle.

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *