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Duke-North Carolina clash highlights college games to watch this weekend

The regular season in men’s college basketball concludes this weekend, and there are more than a few matters yet to be decided with the postseason right around the corner.

Our final edition of the Starting Five features a trio of Top 25 showdowns, headed by a certain rivalry game that nearly always appears in this space on this particular point on the calendar. Some teams on this lineup are well positioned and hope to finetune some things prior to March Madness, while others are in need of a vital datapoint to keep their bracket aspirations intact.

Without further ado then, here are your recommended viewing options for Saturday.

No. 7 North Carolina at No. 8 Duke, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

This rematch between the bluest of bluebloods will determine the ACC regular-season title – sort of. Should the Tar Heels prevail and complete a home-and-home sweep of the Blue Devils, they’ll win the league by two games. A Duke victory would create a first-place tie, and the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament would then hinge on the order of finish behind them. All of that will matter little to the participants, however, who will be motivated enough to beat their archrivals. Likely ACC player of the year R.J. Davis will undoubtedly get his share of points for the Tar Heels, but it was the interior dominance of Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram that tipped the scales for them in the prior encounter with the Blue Devils. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski is none the worse for his unfortunate brush with the Wake Forest student section a couple of weeks ago, but he and Mark Mitchell will need to do a better job on the glass in this rematch.

No. 15 Kansas at No. 1 Houston, 4 p.m., ESPN

Any questions about the Cougars’ ability to handle the step up in competition in their first run through the Big 12 have been answered emphatically as they can claim the regular-season title outright with a win. The Jayhawks reversed a recent slump with a decisive victory against Kansas State but could use a strong outing on the road to reassure their nervous fans that they still have tournament staying power. While Kansas had more than a little added incentive in its rematch with its in-state rival Wildcats, it was quite evident what a difference Kevin McCullar can make when he’s available. He’ll be needed to help ease the relentless ball pressure the Cougars will deploy. Houston’s three-point shooting is occasionally spotty, but a quick start from L.J. Cryer would keep the home crowd fired up.

No. 13 Kentucky at No. 4 Tennessee, 4 p.m., CBS

The Volunteers removed any suspense from the SEC race by clinching the top spot Wednesday night at South Carolina. But they still wouldn’t mind entering the postseason on a high note in front of their home fans. The Wildcats are in a tight battle for seeding in the league tournament, and another quality result wouldn’t hurt either. Kentucky comes to Knoxville on a four-game winning streak, during which it has scored at least 91 points each time. The Wildcats managed 92 in their first meeting with the Vols but gave up 103, as they had no answer for Tennessee’s three-point barrage. Dalton Knecht will again need scoring help should another track meet break out.

No. 10 Creighton at Villanova, 2:30 p.m., Fox

The Wildcats look to take advantage of this final opportunity to enhance their complicated profile. They’ll try to do it at the expense of the Bluejays, who have some good results on their resume but would like to demonstrate their proficiency outside of their friendly Omaha environs. Villanova was unable to complete a sweep of fellow bubble dweller Seton Hall Wednesday night, as the Wildcats couldn’t find their offensive rhythm against the Pirates’ intensity. Creighton might not exert the same level of perimeter pressure, but inside points might still be hard to come by with Ryan Kalkbrenner protecting the rim.

New Mexico at No. 22 Utah State, 8:30 p.m., CBSSN

The Aggies have fought their way to the top of the hotly contested Mountain West and have a chance to wrap up the regular-season title at home. The Lobos probably have enough positive results to feel confident on Selection Sunday but another one here would certainly help, and would also improve their chance for a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Utah State isn’t the league’s deepest team but relies on good shot selection, with Great Osobor and Darius Brown leading the way after accompanying coach Danny Sprinkle from Montana State. New Mexico has a more experienced lineup, with Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House having just celebrated a successful senior night in Albuquerque. The Lobos got the better of the Aggies in the Pit back in January, but USU has only lost once in Logan this season.

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Messi finishes match after scary injury. Will he play Sunday?

Lionel Messi’s legendary left leg was kicked in the calf area by an opposing player, causing his left ankle to twist during Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw against Nashville SC in their Concacaf Champions Cup match Thursday night.

Messi suffered the injury in the 77th minute when he contested a pass from Nashville’s Lukas MacNaughton, whose right leg landed onto Messi’s after his kick.

It was a scary scene as Messi was writhing in pain for several minutes, and tended to by trainers while lying on the pitch.

Messi was seen smiling and appeared to be walking fine after the sequence, hydrating with a bottle of water and speaking to a Nashville player as he walked on the sideline before he re-entered and finished the match. Messi also received some treatment earlier in the match with a trainer massaging the back of his right leg above the knee.

“Leo finished the game. He’s tired. He’s fatigued. That’s why he was getting massages. But he is fine,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said after the game, in which Messi scored in the 52nd minute, and Luis Suárez scored a header in extra time.

Still, it’s a sequence that could see Messi sidelined for Inter Miami’s upcoming match Sunday at home against CF Montreal.

The match is a perfect candidate for Messi to rest, considering his workload amid a seven-game stretch with both Inter Miami and Argentina this month.

After the Montreal game, Inter Miami will face Nashville SC again on Wednesday in the second leg of their Champions Cup Round-of-16 matchup.

Inter Miami also had a road match against D.C. United on March 16.

Messi’s Argentine commitments could cause him to miss Inter Miami matches on the road against New York Red Bulls on March 23, and home against New York City FC on March 30.

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2024 fantasy baseball DH rankings: Who could challenge Shohei Ohtani?

It used to be no fantasy manager wanted to lock up a utility spot with a player who had no other defensive position. But that was before the days of Shohei Ohtani. You make room for that kind of talent.

Ohtani has switched leagues this season, moving to the NL with the Dodgers. And while he won’t be doing anything other than hitting in 2024, several current DH-only players (who didn’t appear at any position for at least 20 games in 2023) could lose those shackles this season. Once they do, Byron Buxton, Heston Kjerstad and Tyler Soderstrom will see their fantasy values rise.

2024 fantasy baseball designated hitter rankings

1 Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers NL12 Marcell Ozuna, Braves NL23 Eloy Jimenez, White Sox AL14 J.D. Martinez, free agent5 Byron Buxton, Twins AL26 Joey Meneses, Nationals NL37 Charlie Blackmon, Rockies NL48 Heston Kjerstad, Orioles AL39 Tyler Soderstrom, A’s AL410 Andrew McCutchen, Pirates NL511 Harold Ramirez, Rays AL5

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

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NFL trade candidates: 10 big-name players it makes sense to move

With the NFL’s annual scouting combine in the rear view and this year’s deadline to apply the franchise tag now passed, the next official waypoint on the league’s calendar arrives Monday – when pending free agents can begin negotiating new contracts with other teams (though they can’t officially sign until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday).

Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean the next few days will be quiet. Several teams still have players to cut and/or contracts to restructure – hey there, Dak Prescott – before coming into compliance with the 2024 salary cap.

It’s also likely that trade talks will begin heating up as some teams look for the piece(s) they hope is the missing component to a Super Bowl puzzle, while others look to offload expensive contracts and/or pick up draft capital, perhaps even paving the way for younger talent to play.

Here are 10 players (listed alphabetically) we either know are on the trade block or logically could be if you do something that solves so many NFL mysteries – follow the money.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

DT Jonathan Allen, Washington Commanders

Years of frustration and turmoil boiled over last season. After a loss to the Giants in New York, Allen, a team captain, fumed – in part – during a post-game rant, “It’s been seven (expletive) years of the same (expletive).” A few weeks later, in the midst of a 4-13 campaign, he offered, “I’m tired of trying to build character,” adding, “my character is built well enough. I’m trying to win.” If he reaches his incentives, Allen, 29, is owed $32.5 million over the final two years of his contract, but nothing guaranteed. Pretty reasonable for a Pro Bowler at his position … and for a vet thirsty to win.

WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

He’s expensive ($23.1 million, non-guaranteed, in 2024) and old (32 in April), last playing a full season in 2019. But with the Bolts needing to shed salary, and Allen entering his walk year after being highly productive when he did play in 2023 – 108 catches, 1,243 yards, seven TDs in 13 games – sure feels like a good opportunity for clubs and player to benefit from a change of scenery.

TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Unfathomable, right? This All-Pro-caliber stud is QB Lamar Jackson’s safety blanket, right? Yes? Kinda? But let’s dig a bit further. Andrews, 28, is under contract for two more seasons – no guaranteed money, but $11 million ($7 million in base salary and $4 million roster bonuses) apiece in both 2024 and 2025. The Ravens went 7-1 following his leg injury last November, the loss coming in a Week 18 contest Baltimore didn’t need. Second-year man Isaiah Likely also performed very effectively in Andrews’ stead. Per Over The Cap, Baltimore needs to cut nearly $10 million from its 2024 cap after franchising Pro Bowl DT Justin Madubuike.

LT David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers

The former All-Pro hasn’t been the same since an ACL injury suffered in practice near the end of the 2020 regular season. Over the past three years, he’s only played in 13 games – 11 of those during the 2022 campaign. Bakhtiari, who’s out of guaranteed money, is owed a $20.2 million base salary in the final year of his contract. If he can prove he’s not damaged goods – and if the Pack is maybe willing to eat some cash – Bakhtiari, 32, might bring something of value in return … maybe especially from a team that needs a left tackle and employs a quarterback who’s a close friend? A team that swung a big deal with Green Bay last year?

QB Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

He – and the team – have gotten incrementally better during his first three seasons. Yet it’s fairly apparent by what Bears brass are and aren’t saying that the club will go in a new direction behind center with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft. What does that mean for Fields? Seems almost unthinkable he won’t be in a new uniform soon, GM Ryan Poles acknowledging of a potential trade, “If we do go down that road, I want to do right by Justin.” But how much are potential suitors willing to give up knowing Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract (with a fifth-year option available for 2025)? In a comparable situation, the Jets dealt QB Sam Darnold after this third season to the Carolina Panthers for a second-, fourth- and sixth-round draft pick. Fields, 25, has been better to this point of his career than Darnold, but hard to see him fetching much more than a package built around Day 2 picks.

OLB Khalil Mack, Chargers

He’s in a similar boat as Keenan Allen, one of four Bolts (OLB Joey Bosa, WR Mike Williams being the others) with a cap hit exceeding $30 million in 2024 on an overbudget roster. Like Allen, Mack, 33, is in the final year of his deal, which owes him $23.3 million next season, including incentives (but no guarantees). Despite his age, Mack is still very durable, and the former Defensive Player of the Year posted a career-best 17 sacks in 2023. He could be really tempting for a team closer to the Lombardi Trophy than the Chargers seem to be.

LT Kolton Miller, Las Vegas Raiders

Does it make a ton of sense to move a reliable, 28-year-old blind side sentinel? Not necessarily. But if the Silver and Black really want to move up the draft board for a top quarterback prospect, it might take more than just picks – let’s not forget how the Bears insisted on the inclusion of WR DJ Moore in last year’s deal with the Panthers, which also involved the No. 1 overall pick. Miller is owed just shy of $25 million, none of it guaranteed, over the final two seasons of his current extension.

OLB Haason Reddick, Philadelphia Eagles

A first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 who was initially miscast as an off-ball linebacker, he’s essentially been playing for bargain rates across three teams since blossoming as a pass rusher in 2020 – collecting 50½ sacks over the past four seasons. There’s been smoke in recent weeks around Reddick, 29, who could make $16 million in the final year of his current pact (still pretty reasonable money for an elite pass rusher). However Philly EVP/GM Howie Roseman did almost nothing to douse rumors about a potential Reddick move during the combine. Make no mistake, Roseman is rarely in the business of unloading superb players, but he also knows a good deal when he sees one – and might choose to let someone else pay Reddick top dollar.

CB L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs

Franchised by the champs after becoming a defensive mainstay during his four years in K.C., his camp has nevertheless been permitted to explore the trade market. Currently on the hook for a $19.8 million tag in 2024, the Chiefs may not have the financial bandwidth to pay Sneed, 27, and re-sign All-Pro DT Chris Jones without incurring serious roster ramifications elsewhere.

QB Zach Wilson, New York Jets

The No. 2 overall pick in 2021, he’s been an unqualified disappointment and was (temporarily) replaced last year by Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP’s Week 1 Achilles injury granted Wilson, 24, a third chance to distinguish himself … and he squandered it, despite being backed by solid offensive weaponry and an elite defense. GM Joe Douglas revealed at the combine that Wilson has been given permission to seek a trade, though hard to figure – given how slowly it appears Fields’ market is developing – why another team would give up much more than a low Day 3 choice for Wilson.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

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Trump set to take over Republican Party by installing key ally, daughter-in-law to lead RNC

– The Republican Party on Friday will formally once again become what in reality it has been for eight years – the party of Trump.

That is when the voting members of the Republican National Committee (RNC), who are gathering for a quickly called general session, are expected to overwhelmingly vote to confirm a key ally of former President Trump and Trump’s daughter-in-law to serve as national party committee chair and co-chair.

The RNC gathering, which was scheduled in the last couple of weeks, comes in the same week Trump swept 14 of the 15 GOP primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday – which moved him much closer to officially locking up the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. It also comes just two days after Trump’s last rival for the nomination – former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – dropped out of the race.

‘He’s the presumptive nominee. He’s going to be our nominee. He’s going to be the guy to beat Joe Biden, and it’s normal for the presumptive nominee of the party to run the RNC,’ longtime RNC committee member from Mississippi Henry Barbour told Fox News on the eve of the meeting.

Additionally, New Hampshire GOP chair and former RNC committee member Chris Ager, who is also attending the meeting, emphasized that ‘Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee and this is the party of Trump.’

Longtime RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, whom Trump picked to steer the national party committee after he won the White House in 2016, is stepping down at the meeting. Her departure comes after Trump earlier this year repeatedly urged changes at the committee – after lackluster fundraising last year and his opposition to the RNC’s presidential primary debates – which essentially pushed McDaniel out the door.

In her place, Trump picked North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley to succeed McDaniel. Whatley, the party’s general counsel, is also a Trump ally and strong supporter of the former president’s repeated claims that his 2020 election loss to President Biden was due to massive voter fraud.

The former president also picked his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for RNC co-chair. She is expected to focus on fundraising for the committee and on media appearances.

Trump is also installing campaign adviser Chris LaCivita as RNC chief of staff. LaCivita, a longtime Republican strategist and RNC veteran, will continue to keep his role as one of the two top advisers steering Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

‘The people at the RNC know and like Mike Whatley, so he’s a good choice and Lara Trump is a trusted adviser to the president, so why not give him the tools he needs to get the job done. If he trusts those people, let’s give him what he needs to get that win in November,’ Ager told Fox News.

Trump’s takeover of the RNC is far from controversial. It is traditional as a presidential election cycle moves from the primaries to the general election for the presumptive nominee of the party out of power to take control and merge operations. 

Barbour emphasized that while ‘there’s always some drama’ at RNC meetings, ‘it’s really important that the party pull together… and we need the former president leading us on that, bringing us together as a party so we can win not just the White House but the Senate, the House, state, local.’

However, there has been some controversy in recent weeks over concerns that the cash-strapped RNC would be forced to pay some of Trump’s massive legal bills. 

The former president faces four major criminal trials and a total of 91 indictments, as well as a $355 million civil fraud judgment which Trump’s appealing. A political action committee affiliated with the former president has shelled out nearly $80 million in the past two years to pay Trump’s many lawyers.

The RNC paid some of Trump’s legal bills when he was in the White House and after he left office. However, McDaniel said two years ago that the committee would stop paying those bills once Trump became a candidate again.

LaCivita has said in recent days that the RNC would not be paying the bills. The Trump campaign told Fox News on Wednesday that the committee would  ‘absolutely not’ be providing any of its funds to alleviate Trump’s legal costs.

‘Hard no. Absolutely not. Asked and answered,’ a spokesperson reiterated.

Barbour recently proposed a non-binding resolution stating that RNC funds could not be used for Trump’s legal bills. However, the resolution was nixed after Barbour was unable to earn the support of RNC members from at least 10 states.

‘A small group of us offered a resolution to the committee that essentially said that the number one job and the only job of the RNC is to win elections. And if that’s our job, we need to spend our money on that and not on paying anybody’s legal bills,’ Barbour told Fox News.

He emphasized that ‘while we came up short… it was an important conversation and the Trump campaign has confirmed indeed that they have no plans to spend any RNC dollars on it and will not do it.’

‘We appreciate that very much,’ he noted.

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Who is new Trump-backed RNC Chairman Michael Whatley?

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has a new leader now that former chair Ronna McDaniel has stepped aside, and committee members’ have cast their votes at the group’s spring meeting in Houston, Texas on Friday.

North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley won that unanimous voice vote and will take the reins of a party struggling to undo its Democratic counterpart’s financial advantage as the November general election looms.

Whatley has served as the North Carolina GOP chair since 2019, and also serves as the general counsel for the RNC. He was hand-picked by former President Donald Trump for the role, and has been strong supporter of the latter’s repeated claims that his 2020 election loss to President Biden was due to massive voter fraud. 

One source told Fox News Digital last month that Whatley was specifically selected because he was ‘so powerful on election fraud’ that year. That same source also told Fox that Whatley ‘kept the fraud down’ in the state, ‘despite having a strong Democrat governor.’ 

The source added that Trump is focused on ensuring the votes in the 2024 general election are ‘safe.’

Prior to his work with the Republican Party, Whatley served as a federal law clerk, a senior official in the President George W. Bush administration and as the chief of staff for former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C. He also served as a senior adviser to the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign, Florida Recount and Transition Teams, as well as the Trump-Pence campaign and transition teams. 

New Hampshire GOP chair and former RNC committee member Chris Ager, who attended Friday’s meeting in Houston, told Fox News Digital Whatley was ‘a good choice’ to lead the party.

‘The people at the RNC know and like Mike Whatley, so he’s a good choice and Lara Trump is a trusted adviser to the president, so why not give him the tools he needs to get the job done. If he trusts those people, let’s give him what he needs to get that win in November,’ he said.

Whatley will be joined by Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who was also elected by a unanimous voice vote to serve as co-chair. 

Trump is also installing campaign adviser Chris LaCivita as RNC chief of staff. LaCivita, a longtime Republican strategist and RNC veteran, will continue to keep his role as one of the two top advisers steering Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

The moves solidify Trump’s takeover of the RNC and effectively cement the reality of the past eight years — the GOP is the party of Trump.

‘Today, the RNC poured gasoline on a dumpster fire by promoting Trump-backed election denier Michael Whatley as their new leader,’ Democratic National Committee spokesperson Alex Floyd told Fox News Digital following Whatley’s election. 

‘Whatley has embraced Donald Trump’s dangerous and extreme agenda, and is so out-of-touch he even broke with other GOP leaders and failed to denounce a white supremacist with neo-Nazi ties. This latest MAGA rebrand will not change the RNC’s dire fundraising issues or string of electoral losses, and Republicans will regret elevating a fringe election denier as chairman when he leads them to another Trump defeat in November,’ he added.

The RNC gathering, which was scheduled in the last couple of weeks, came in the same week Trump swept 14 of the 15 GOP primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday — which moved him much closer to officially locking up the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 

It also comes just two days after Trump’s last rival for the nomination — former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — dropped out of the race.

Trump’s takeover of the RNC is far from controversial. It is traditional as a presidential election cycle moves from the primaries to the general election for the presumptive nominee of the party out of power to take control and merge operations. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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McCaul calls for dropping charges against Gold Star dad who protested State of the Union

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, called for the charges against the Gold Star father who interrupted President Biden’s State of the Union address to be dropped.

Steve Nikoui, 51, is the father of Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, one of the 13 U.S. service members killed when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport during the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. 

He was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday evening after shouting ‘Abbey Gate’ multiple times from the House gallery during Biden’s speech. Abbey Gate was the location of the 2021 attack.

McCaul revealed to reporters on Friday morning that Nikoui told him earlier about his intention to interrupt the address.

‘I talked to Steve prior to his announcement on the floor. I said, look, this is between you and your god and your conscience and your son, and the other families,’ McCaul said. ‘I think they feel that their children have been completely, you know, blown off by this administration, the president’s never called to say ‘I’m sorry.’ And that is why he spoke up.’

The senior Republican warned the Gold Star dad that he would likely be escorted off the House floor if he protested.

‘I didn’t encourage him to do it… it was his choice to make, and it was a powerful one,’ McCaul said.

Law enforcement said Nikoui was arrested on charges of crowding, obstructing or incommoding. He was a guest of Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla.

McCaul called the charges ‘petty.’

‘I guess he resisted arrest, and I get that, I was a federal prosecutor many years, but in this type of case, I mean, the charges seem a little overbearing given the fact this is a man who lost his son in Abbey Gate to the bombing in a really screwed up situation,’ McCaul said.

The Texas Republican’s committee has been actively investigating the August 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and the decisions that led to it.

Fox News Digital reached out to Nikoui, U.S. Capitol Police, Mast’s office and Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, but did not immediately hear back.

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Party takeover: Trump installs top ally and daughter-in-law to steer Republican National Committee

– The Republican Party is once again completely under the thumb of former President Donald Trump.

The former president’s picks to serve as chair and co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) – Trump ally and North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley and daughter-in-law Lara Trump – were unanimously confirmed on Friday by voice votes as the RNC held a recently planned general session.

‘Over the next eight months, the RNC will work hand in glove with President Trump,’ Whatley declared in his acceptance speech.

And Lara Trump, speaking minutes later, emphasized that ‘we have one goal. The goal on November 5th is to win. And as my father-in-law says, bigly.’

Whatley, who was the RNC’s general counsel, succeeded longtime chair Ronna McDaniel, whom Trump picked to steer the national party committee after he won the White House in 2016. Her departure on Friday came after Trump earlier this year repeatedly urged changes at the committee – after lackluster fundraising last year and his opposition to the RNC’s presidential primary debates – which essentially pushed McDaniel out the door.

‘The state of our party is strong,’ McDaniel declared in her departure speech.

And pointing to the RNC’s fundraising rebound in January and February, McDaniel touted ‘the best two months of fundraising the RNC has ever had when we didn’t occupy the White House.’

While fundraising will be a major focus going forward, as the Trump campaign and the RNC aim to compete with the rival Democratic National Committee and President Biden’s campaign, continuing and beefing up already existing RNC programs dedicated to election integrity will also be a top priority.

‘Everyone in this room and every voter across the country knows that we must protect the sanctity of their vote,’ said Whatley, who’s been a strong supporter of Trump’s unproven claims that his 2020 election loss to Biden was due to massive voter fraud.

After highlighting that he ‘worked closely with Chairwoman McDaniel to build our election integrity program from scratch,’ Whatley stressed ‘we will do more.’

Trump also installed campaign adviser Chris LaCivita as RNC chief of staff. LaCivita, a longtime Republican strategist and RNC veteran, will continue to keep his role as one of the two top advisers steering Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

‘The RNC today. It’s not going to look the same next week. There’s obviously going to be changes,’ LaCivita told reporters ahead of the gathering. But he declined to get into details.

The RNC gathering came in the same week Trump swept 14 of the 15 GOP primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday – which moved him much closer to officially locking up the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. It also comes just two days after Trump’s last rival for the nomination – former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – dropped out of the race.

‘He’s the presumptive nominee. He’s going to be our nominee. He’s going to be the guy to beat Joe Biden, and it’s normal for the presumptive nominee of the party to run the RNC,’ longtime RNC committee member from Mississippi, Henry Barbour, told Fox News on the eve of the meeting.

New Hampshire GOP chair and former RNC committee member Chris Ager, who attended the meeting, emphasized that ‘Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee and this is the party of Trump.’

‘The people at the RNC know and like Mike Whatley, so he’s a good choice and Lara Trump is a trusted adviser to the president, so why not give him the tools he needs to get the job done. If he trusts those people, let’s give him what he needs to get that win in November,’ Ager told Fox News ahead of the meeting.

Trump’s takeover of the RNC is far from controversial. It is traditional, as a presidential election cycle moves from the primaries to the general election for the presumptive nominee of the party out of power, to take control and merge operations. 

Barbour emphasized that while ‘there’s always some drama’ at RNC meetings, ‘it’s really important that the party pull together… and we need the former president leading us on that, bringing us together as a party so we can win not just the White House but the Senate, the House, state, local.’

However, there was some controversy in recent weeks over concerns that the cash-strapped RNC would be forced to pay some of Trump’s massive legal bills. 

The former president faces four major criminal trials and a total of 91 indictments, as well as a $355 million civil fraud judgment which Trump’s appealing. A political action committee affiliated with the former president has shelled out nearly $80 million in the past two years to pay Trump’s many lawyers.

The RNC paid some of Trump’s legal bills when he was in the White House and after he left office. However, McDaniel said two years ago that the committee would stop paying those bills once Trump became a candidate again.

LaCivita said in recent days that the RNC would not be paying the bills. The Trump campaign told Fox News on Wednesday that the committee would  ‘absolutely not’ be providing any of its funds to alleviate Trump’s legal costs.

‘Hard no. Absolutely not. Asked and answered,’ a spokesperson reiterated.

Barbour recently proposed a non-binding resolution stating that RNC funds could not be used for Trump’s legal bills. However, the resolution was nixed after Barbour was unable to earn the support of RNC members from at least 10 states.

‘A small group of us offered a resolution to the committee that essentially said that the number one job and the only job of the RNC is to win elections. And if that’s our job, we need to spend our money on that and not on paying anybody’s legal bills,’ Barbour told Fox News.

He emphasized that ‘while we came up short… it was an important conversation and the Trump campaign has confirmed indeed that they have no plans to spend any RNC dollars on it and will not do it.’

‘We appreciate that very much,’ he noted.

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Centrist group No Labels moves forward with launching bipartisan 2024 presidential ticket

No Labels took another step toward forming a bipartisan presidential ticket in November’s general election, as the centrist group’s delegates huddled during a virtual gathering on Friday.

No Labels announced that the roughly 800 delegates who took part in the meeting voted to give a thumbs up to fielding what No Labels has described as a ‘unity ticket’ in the presidential election.

‘They voted near unanimously to continue our 2024 project and to move immediately to identify candidates to serve on the Unity presidential ticket,’ No Labels national convention chair Mike Rawlings said in a statement.

But the move comes as some high-profile potential candidates for the No Labels ticket have taken their names out of contention.

For over a year, No Labels has mulled a third party ticket, as it pointed to poll after poll suggesting that many Americans were anything but enthused about a 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

And No Labels had long said that it would decide whether to launch a presidential ticket following Super Tuesday, when 15 states from coast to coast held nominating primaries and caucuses.

Trump is now considered the presumptive Republican nominee after winning 14 of the 15 GOP nominating contests on Tuesday. Trump’s last remaining rival — former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — dropped out of the 2024 race on Wednesday.

Biden also ran the table on Super Tuesday, winning 14 of the 15 Democratic contests. And Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota — one of the two long-shot challengers to the president — suspended his White House bid on Wednesday.

Both Biden and Trump will formally clinch their party nominations in the next week or two, and their campaigns have now moved into general election mode.

No Labels — as expected — didn’t name its presidential and vice presidential picks on Friday but instead voted to kick off a formal selection process that would lead to the naming of candidates in the coming weeks.

But former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a former No Labels leader who was considered a potential contender for the group’s ticket, recently took his name out of contention as he announced a run this year for an open Senate seat in his home state.

And moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is not seeking re-election and who flirted with a White House run, has also said he won’t launch a presidential bid.

There was plenty of speculation that Haley would consider running on a No Labels ticket if she were to drop her Republican White House bid. No Labels had expressed interest in her earlier this year.

But Haley repeatedly nixed joining a No Labels ticket, most recently on Tuesday in an interview on ‘Fox and Friends.’

‘What I will tell you is I’m a conservative Republican. I have said many, many times, I would not run as an independent. I would not run as No Labels, because I am a Republican, and that’s who I’ve always been,’ she reiterated.

No Labels said it is already on the ballot in 16 states and currently working in 17 other states to obtain access. 

There’s been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in November, but the group dismisses that criticism.

‘That’s not our goal here,’ Lieberman told Fox News Digital late last year. ‘We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.’

Following the No Labels meeting on Friday, Matt Bennett, a co-founder of the moderate Democratic group the Third Way, said in a statement following Friday’s No Labels meeting, ‘What part of ‘No’ is so hard to understand? Time and again, voters, candidates and election experts have told No Labels that a third-party presidential ticket can’t win and would help Trump.’

But Rawlings praised his group’s proceedings. He emphasized that ‘earlier today, I led a discussion with the 800 No Labels delegates from all 50 states. These citizen leaders have spent months discussing with one another the kind of leadership they want to see in the White House in 2024. These are some of the most civic-minded, thoughtful, and patriotic Americans I have ever met. They take their responsibility seriously.’

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Politics

Biden says debating Trump ‘depends on his behavior’

President Biden on Friday said his decision on whether to debate President Trump ahead of Election Day is dependent on his opponent’s ‘behavior.’ 

Biden was asked on Friday, the day after his State of the Union address, if he would debate Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 

‘Depends on his behavior,’ Biden said. 

Biden’s comments come after Trump challenged him earlier in the week to a debate ‘anytime, anywhere, anyplace.’ 

Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner and presumptive nominee, posted his offer on his Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon — just hours after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last-standing Republican opponent, suspended her campaign. 

‘It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,’ Trump posted Wednesday. ‘Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).’ 

The Biden campaign fired back shortly after Trump’s invitation on Wednesday. 

‘I know Donald Trump’s thirsty for attention and struggling to expand his appeal beyond the MAGA base — and that’s a conversation we’ll have at the appropriate time in this cycle,’ Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler told Fox News Digital. ‘But if he’s so desperate to see President Biden in prime time, he doesn’t have to wait!’ 

Tyler invited Trump to watch the State of the Union on Thursday night. 

Trump gave a live play-by-play during Biden’s address, reacting throughout. 

Biden invoked Trump nearly a dozen times in his State of the Union address, but never by name. He repeatedly referred to him as ‘my predecessor.’ 

Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview after the address that Biden ‘suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome,’ and said the president was ‘angry’ and ‘mentally disturbed’ throughout his speech. 

‘He did a terrible job,’ Trump said. 

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