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Tom Cotton slams ‘partisans and obstructionists’ in DOD reportedly plotting to block Trump plans

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., blasted anyone within the Defense Department working to safeguard certain norms or policies that they expect the incoming Trump administration to target. 

‘It appears that partisans and obstructionists inside the Department of Defense are laying groundwork to defy or circumvent President Trump’s plans for both military and civil-service reform,’ Cotton wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in reference to reports of such strategizing among DOD employees. 

‘These actions undermine civilian control of the military and our constitutional structure of government.’

Earlier this month, it was reported that there were ‘informal discussions’ occurring among Pentagon officials on what the department would do if Trump ordered the military for a domestic purpose or if he fired a significant number of employees, per CNN. 

One anonymous defense official was quoted in the report saying, ‘Troops are compelled by law to disobey unlawful orders.’ 

‘But the question is what happens then – do we see resignations from senior military leaders? Or would they view that as abandoning their people?’ they reportedly asked. 

President-elect Trump promised during his campaign to shake up the federal government, whether it be through staffing changes or reorganization. Some reports have indicated specific people are being looked at for termination once he enters office again. An ally of Trump, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, has been vocal about his belief that the federal government must be shrunk in size. 

Ramaswamy has been tapped by Trump, along with billionaire business magnate Elon Musk, to lead his planned Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in his new administration. The proposed department has the goal of reducing the size of government, cutting spending and increasing efficiency. 

Cotton criticized Lloyd in his letter for ‘promulgating false claims that the incoming administration plans to arbitrarily fire uniformed leaders.’ 

Further, he slammed the secretary for a message after the election that the military would specifically follow ‘lawful orders’ from Trump. Cotton said this was ‘a thinly veiled and baseless insinuation that President Trump will issue unlawful orders.’

‘I have to observe that these actions and reports only prove the need for reform and fundamental change at the Department of Defense. And, of course, while inappropriate and annoying, these tactics are also useless because no action by the outgoing administration can limit the incoming president’s constitutional authority as commander-in-chief,’ the Arkansas Republican wrote. 

Cotton was recently elected to serve as chairman of the Senate Republican conference in the new Congress. He is also expected to take Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s place as the head of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. 

The DOD did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital for purposes of this story. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal Trump cases cost taxpayers more than $50 million, financials show

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Donald Trump over the last two years – which he opted to dismiss this week – have likely cost U.S. taxpayers more than $50 million, according to Department of Justice expenditure reports.

Financial disclosures from the Special Counsel’s Office show that from mid-November 2022, when Smith was appointed special counsel, until March 31, 2023, his office incurred costs of about $9.25 million. A second disclosure laying out the office’s expenditures for the following six months showed the office’s spending increased to roughly $14.66 million. Meanwhile, a third expenditure report, the latest available, showed that from Oct. 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, Smith’s office spent roughly $11.84 million.

These costs include both direct and indirect expenses, the latter of which is provided through various Department of Justice agencies.

Expenditure figures for the months between April 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2024, have yet to be released, but the average of the three reported periods is roughly $12 million. 

When that estimate is added to the numbers from the three reporting periods that have been publicly reported, the amount spent by Smith’s office since he was appointed rounds to about $47.5 million.

However, this estimate does not include any expenditures from Sept. 30 to date, so the total money spent is likely more than $50 million, Newsweek reported earlier this month. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November 2022 to oversee the federal investigation into Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election, and his improper handling of sensitive classified documents.

After an exhaustive, nearly two-year investigation, and other cases that saw Trump surrendering to authorities for a mugshot, Smith filed motions on Monday to dismiss the cases against the former president, citing procedural standards that preclude the prosecution of a sitting president.

The judge overseeing the election interference case agreed to drop the charges, while a decision on the classified documents case was still pending as of Monday evening, according to the Associated Press.

Trump responded to the judge’s decision Monday, calling the investigations he has been subjected to ’empty and lawless,’ adding that they ‘should never have been brought.’ 

‘Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, before laying into state prosecutors and district attorneys, such as Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who Trump said ‘inappropriately, unethically and probably illegally campaigned on ‘GETTING TRUMP.’’ 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice and White House for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publication.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Walmart pulls back on DEI efforts, removes some LGBTQ merchandise from website

Walmart on Monday confirmed that it’s ending some of its diversity initiatives, removing some LGBTQ-related merchandise from its website and winding down a nonprofit that funded programs for minorities.

The nation’s largest employer, which has about 1.6 million U.S. workers, joined a growing list of companies that have stepped back from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts after feeling the heat from conservative activists.

Some have also attributed changes to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year that struck down affirmative action programs at colleges.

Those companies include Tractor Supply, which said in June it was eliminating DEI roles and stopping sponsorship of Pride festivals. Lowe’s, Ford and Molson Coors have also walked back some of their equity and inclusion policies in recent months.

Others, such as Anheuser-Busch-owned Bud Light and Target, have faced sharp backlash and falling sales after marketing campaigns or merchandise focused on the LGBTQ community.

In a statement, Walmart said it is “willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”

“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the statement said.

Walmart’s DEI changes were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Among the changes, Walmart will no longer allow third-party sellers to sell some LGBTQ-themed items on Walmart’s website, including items marketed to transgender youth like chest binders, company spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said.

She said it also recently decided to stop sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit that tracks companies’ LGBTQ policies, or with other similar organizations.

Additionally, the big-box retailer is winding down the Center for Racial Equity, a nonprofit that Walmart started in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder sparked protests across the country. At the time, Walmart and the company’s foundation pledged $100 million over five years to fight systemic racism and create the center.

Over the past year, the company has phased out supplier diversity programs, which gave preferential financing to some groups, such as women and minorities, after the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action.

It’s also moved away from using the term “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI in company documents, employee titles and employee resource groups. For example, its former chief diversity officer role is now called the chief belonging officer.

Yet, Walmart will continue to award grants, disaster relief, and funding to events like Pride parades, but with more guidelines of how funding can be used, Blakeman said.

Some recent changes came on the heels of pressure from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who threatened a consumer boycott of Walmart. Starbuck, a vocal DEI-opponent who had also put heat on Tractor Supply, touted Walmart’s changes in a post on X, describing them as “the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America.”

Walmart had conversations with Starbuck over the last week and already had some DEI-related changes underway, Blakeman said.

Walmart’s DEI changes were first reported by Bloomberg News.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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U.S. charges former Wamco executive Kenneth Leech with fraud

Kenneth Leech, the former co-chief investment officer of Western Asset Management Co, was charged by U.S. authorities on Monday with running a fraudulent “cherry-picking” scheme where he improperly favored some clients’ accounts over others when allocating trades.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said that between January 2021 and October 2023, Leech disproportionately allocated better performing trades to favored portfolios, and worse performing trades to other portfolios.

Leech also faces related criminal charges from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, the SEC said.

Lawyers for Leech did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a similar request.

Western Asset Management, known as Wamco, is part of Franklin Resources, which acquired the business through its purchase of Legg Mason in 2020.

Clients have pulled tens of billions of dollars from Wamco in the last few months, after Franklin announced that authorities were investigating Leech.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Kohl’s CEO Tom Kingsbury to step down and be replaced by Michaels CEO Ashley Buchanan

Kohl’s is getting a new CEO, its third since 2018.

The off-mall department store’s current CEO Tom Kingsbury is stepping down effective Jan. 15. He will leave the position he held first on an interim basis starting in late 2022, and then permanently since early 2023.

Michaels CEO Ashley Buchanan will take over the top job at Kohl’s as Kingsbury departs, after leading the crafting retailer since 2020. Prior to his time at Michaels, Buchanan was at Walmart and its Sam’s Club division for 13 years.

Kohl’s shares fell about 3% in extended trading following the announcement.

At the world’s largest retailer, he held the roles of chief merchandising and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. e-commerce and chief merchant at Sam’s Club before that. Buchanan is currently on the board of Macy’s, but will be stepping down from that role.

Kingsbury will remain with Kohl’s in an advisory role to Buchanan and stay on the board until he retires in May. Kohl’s doesn’t intend to replace Kingsbury and will reduce the board size by one seat.

Buchanan will step in just after the critical holidays end and as the retailer closes its fiscal year. There’s a lot of work to be done at a time when department stores are struggling to resonate with shoppers who have more options than ever before. While Kohl’s off-mall physical format has insulated it a bit more than other department stores, it has had a difficult several years.

Kohl’s shares fell 17% during Kingsbury’s interim period from Dec. 2, 2022 to Feb. 2, 2023 and then dropped a further 45% since. Kingsbury hasn’t been able to return sales to growth at Kohl’s. Its comparable store sales, a key metric for retailers, have fallen for the past 10 quarters.

Kingsbury took over as CEO after Michelle Gass left Kohl’s to become president and then eventual CEO of Levi Strauss. Kingsbury had been a member of the Kohl’s board since 2021. He previously served as CEO of Burlington Stores from 2008 to 2019.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Conor McGregor speaks out after being found liable for sexual assault

MMA fighter Conor McGregor responded on social media days after he was found liable for a 2018 sexual assault, saying he ‘made mistakes’ but maintained his innocence.

Nikita Hand said that McGregor ‘brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel on Dec. 9, 2018. A civil jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault, and McGregor was also ordered to pay more than $250,000 in damages.

In a social media post, McGregor said he ‘should have never responded to her outreaches’ on the night in question and admitted infidelity.

‘I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me. As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath,’ he wrote.

McGregor says he will appeal the decision, instructing his legal counsel to do so.

‘I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision,’ he wrote. ‘I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym – the fight game awaits!’

McGregor, 36, has a 22-6 MMA record and last fought in July 2021 at UFC 264, losing in a first-round TKO to Dustin Poirier.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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The five biggest questions in this College Football Playoff release

A static top four in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings will be followed by a series of key decisions involving one-, two- and three-loss teams.

Maybe the biggest debate will be between Boise State and Indiana following the Hoosiers’ 38-15 loss at Ohio State. That the loss was uncompetitive in the second half could be very damaging to Indiana’s playoff hopes given a weak résumé consisting of just three wins against bowl teams.

The playoff selection committee will also deliberate over how to rank a handful of three-loss SEC teams, led by Alabama and South Carolina. Where the Crimson Tide land will determine whether they are still a playoff candidate despite Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma.

Another key topic of conversation will be in the Big 12, where losses by Brigham Young and Colorado have tossed the conference race into total anarchy.

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Tennessee, ACC get major playoff boost

CALM DOWN: The five biggest overreactions from Week 13

Those questions and more set the tone for Tuesday night’s rankings:

Will Indiana be ahead of Boise State?

Indiana’s highest ranking would be No. 10. With the top four unchanged, the Hoosiers would drop at least behind Notre Dame, Miami, Georgia, Tennessee and SMU. There’s also a good chance they come in behind Boise State despite the Broncos’ less-than-impressive 17-13 win against Wyoming last week. Based on this year’s playoff rankings, Boise’s two best wins (UNLV and Washington State) would be seen much more favorably than Indiana’s wins against Washington and Michigan.

Where the Hoosiers land on Tuesday night is extremely important for their at-large hopes, since the eventual Big 12 champion is likely assured a playoff bid and will eject the lowest-ranked at-large team from the final top 12. Coming in at No. 11 would raise the possibility that Indiana ends the regular season with just that one loss to Ohio State but ends up as the first team out of the field.

Will it be Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi or Texas A&M?

Look for Alabama to come in first among this foursome of three-loss SEC teams. Look for this group to be bunched together after Indiana and Boise State and before a similar run of teams from the Big 12. Mississippi is in dire straits after losing to Florida and has a very flimsy chance at an-large bid. The Aggies’ only hope is to beat Texas this weekend and then upset Georgia to win the SEC. South Carolina is a very interesting off-the-radar contender. While the Gamecocks will be behind Alabama this week, they close the regular season with the rivalry against Clemson and would leapfrog the Tide with a win.

Is the ACC in position for two playoff bids?

Things are really looking up for the ACC if Miami and SMU close out November with wins against Syracuse and California, respectively. If so, the ACC title game would be a matchup of top-10 teams with just one loss. In the case of a narrow Miami win, for example, SMU could point to an unbeaten regular season in league play and two close losses to ranked teams. In fact, the ACC could even have three teams in the playoff debate if the Hurricanes and Mustangs meet with just one loss apiece: the winner of that game, the loser and two-loss Clemson, if the Tigers can beat South Carolina.

How will things look in the Big 12?

Chaotic and messy, for starters. The projected pecking order will be Arizona State, Brigham Young, Colorado and then Iowa State, but all four will be outside the top 15 and behind those three-loss SEC teams. The Big 12 continues to be the only Power Four league set to send just one team into the playoff, with that representative hinging on which pair comes out on top this weekend and meets for the conference title. It’ll be Arizona State against Iowa State should all four contenders win on Saturday.

Will Army fall out of the rankings?

The American Athletic champion will be the Group of Five representative if Boise fails to win the Mountain West. Whether Army remains in the rankings following a 49-14 loss to Notre Dame matters for Tulane, however, because of the possibility the AAC winner finishes higher than the eventual Big 12 champion and earns an opening-round bye. The combination of a three-loss team atop the Big 12 and a ranked win against the Black Knights might be enough to make the Green Wave the fourth-best conference champion.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Kent State on verge of worst college football season this century

Running back Jaylen Thomas’ 23-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left in the third quarter put the finishing touches on Kent State’s 38-10 win last September against Central Connecticut, the program’s first victory under new coach Kenni Burns.

Kent State hasn’t won since, creating a 20-game losing streak that stands as the second-longest in program history behind 21 losses in a row from 1981-83.

But losing streaks come and go: There have been 19 losing streaks of 21 or more games in the Bowl Subdivision’s modern era, none longer than Northwestern’s 34-game slide from 1978-82.

What is currently happening at Kent State goes beyond merely a losing streak, however, placing the Golden Flashes in the mix for being counted among the worst teams in FBS history.

The Flashes have played 11 games this season while leading for roughly the equivalent of one quarter of game time, with a series of lopsided blowouts save for two single-possession defeats: 23-17 to Saint Francis (Pa.) of the Championship Subdivision and 37-35 to MAC opponent Ball State.

“We know the season hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, obviously,” Burns said last week. “But all we can control is the next game, the next opportunity. We’ve got to get back to work and do what we have to do to do that.”

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Tennessee, ACC get major playoff boost

CALM DOWN: The five biggest overreactions from Week 13

Louisiana-Monroe went the entire 2020 season without ever leading, playing a 10-game schedule with stops and starts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If we remove that abbreviated season from the equation, the Flashes’ résumé paints them as potentially the worst team of this century.

Overall, the Golden Flashes head into Tuesday’s season finale at Buffalo having played in 660 minutes of game time. They has been tied for just over 64 minutes of this stretch, with the longest non-losing period coming, surprisingly enough, in an eventual 56-0 loss to No. 4 Penn State. The Nittany Lions were held off the board until a 16-yard touchdown pass with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter.

Kent State been ahead at times in the past two games. It scored first against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 13 and held a 7-0 lead for about five and a half minutes of game time, from the 13:40 mark until 8:09 remaining in the first quarter. The RedHawks would pull away for a 34-7 win. Last Wednesday against Akron, the Golden Flashes scored on an 80-yard touchdown with 13:31 to go in the opening frame and would hold that lead until the Zips scored to go ahead 10-7 with 4:15 remaining in the quarter. Akron would eventually win 38-17.

Combined, Kent State has been tied or ahead for just under 79 minutes of game time. That’s just one metric that explains why the Flashes could be headed for a place in college football ignominy:

Saint Francis has just three other wins. One came against Delaware State, which finished last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Another was to Stonehill, a former Division II program in its first year transitioning to the FBS. The Red Flash ended the season losing 21-20 to Mercyhurst, another program transitioning up from Division II.
The Flashes have been shut out three times — by Tennessee, Penn State and Ohio — and failed to score a touchdown in a 27-6 loss to Bowling Green.
Bowling Green is the only FBS opponent to score fewer than 34 points against Kent State. The Flashes have been defeated by an average final score of roughly 46-14 in 10 games against FBS competition.
KSU ranks last in the country in total offense, total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, first downs gained, first downs allowed and third-down offense. The Flashes are second to last in rushing offense, ahead of Colorado, and in scoring offense, ahead of Houston.
KSU also ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in passing offense, passing efficiency offense, passing efficiency defense, turnover margin, third-down defense and red-zone defense.
The Flashes are gaining 235.5 yards per game. That’s almost 10% percent fewer than Kennesaw State, which comes in ahead of KSU at 260.5 yards per game. At 522.4 yards per game, the Flashes’ defense is giving up nearly 20 more yards than Oklahoma State, at 503.3 yards per game.

Injuries have played a role. The Flashes have lost players “more than normal, more than most schools,” Burns said, notably with injuries to two quarterbacks — starter Devin Kargman and primary backup JD Sherrod — during the loss to Penn State. Third-string quarterback Tommy Ulatowski has started six of the past seven games.

“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t think that played a factor into our success this year,” he said.

Kent State has plenty of competition for the title of worst team in the modern FBS era, including two from fairly recent program history: The 1989 team went 0-11 and completed just 44.3% of its pass attempts and the 1998 team also went 0-11 while being outscored by more than 300 points and giving up more than 310 rushing yards per game.

Other contenders include 1950 Virginia Tech, which was outscored 430-72 and lost every game by a double-digit margin, and 1981 Northwestern, which finished last nationally in points scored and allowed per game with two losses by 64 points and another by 52 points. One surprising entrant in this embarrassing debate is 1955 Alabama, the proud program’s only winless team since 1896.

A loss to Buffalo would make KSU the 23rd winless FBS team of the 21st century, not counting the shortened COVID-19 season, and the first since Akron in 2019. With another double-digit loss, the Flashes would join 2017 Texas-El Paso, 2015 Kansas and 2005 Temple as the only winless teams since 2000 to have only one game against FBS competition decided by single digits. And with the Bulls favored by 22½ points, another blowout loss could make Kent State and Temple the only two to have all but one game against the FBS decided by 21 or more points.

“We’ve got our hands full here but we’re playing for something,” said Burns. “We’re playing for our ability to finish the season off the right way, to take our seniors on to the offseason the right way and get this team rolling in the right direction.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Jerry Jones on Mike McCarthy contract extension: ‘That’s not crazy’

Don’t stick a fork in Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys tenure just yet.

The Dallas head coach has seemingly been on the hot seat all season long, with the heat being turned up to dangerous levels at times. However, owner and general manager Jerry Jones has not shared that belief and even took the opposite approach during a radio spot on Tuesday.

Jones entertained the idea that McCarthy could earn himself an extension, which will likely sound the alarms for fans of America’s team. Here’s what Jones said and whether it should be considered a likely outcome.

Will the Cowboys extend Mike McCarthy?

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones was addressing the team’s upset win over the Commanders when he was asked if it would be crazy to talk about an extension for McCarthy at the end of the season.

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

‘I don’t think that’s crazy at all,’ Jones said. ‘That’s not crazy. Mike McCarthy is one outstanding coach.’

He added that they still have a long way to go in this season, pointing out McCarthy’s past success.

‘This is a Super Bowl winning coach,’ Jones said. ‘Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He’s got great ideas. So bottom line is, in no place in my body language or anything else have you seen indications about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of the year. And we shouldn’t. We’ve got a lot of football left.’

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jones addressed the coaching staff in this way, considering the nature of the question. Ruling out the possibility of a contract extension could’ve created a bigger fire for the Cowboys to put out.

Leaving the door open is no guarantee that the coach will be back. While this won’t be the last time Jones is asked about the coaching situation, it might buy him a little bit of a break if Dallas strings some wins together.

Granted, spirits are high after a thrilling win over the Commanders. Jones expressed that he prefers wins over tanking, so beating a division rival has likely changed some of the feeling in the building. While the focus now shifts to a Thanksgiving showdown against the Giants, the home struggles will be top of mind.

Jones said earlier in the interview those difficulties at home can be contributed to running into teams at the wrong time, noting how the Saints were much better early in the year. Still, he calls the year disappointing, which might be the more telling answer regarding McCarthy’s potential job security.

Mike McCarthy contract

McCarthy inked a five-year deal with the Cowboys ahead of the 2020 season, which is set to expire at the conclusion of this season. With no extension in place, Dallas’ head coaching job beyond 2024 remains a mystery.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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