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The third week of the fantasy football season can be a pivotal one. As players’ roles begin to emerge and injury issues become clearer, fantasy managers are getting a better picture of how their teams stack up against the rest of the league.

For some off to a 1-2 or 0-3 start, the need to right the ship becomes especially important with the possibility of another loss looming. In that case, a trade may be just what your team needs to get back on course.

So let’s take a look at some players whose values are trending upward (or downward) as a result of their performances in Week 3.

Fantasy football: 5 players to buy in Week 4

WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers: The Niners have had a rash of injuries at the skill position spots, so someone has to step up. With Christian McCaffrey on IR, Deebo Samuel nursing a multi-week injury and George Kittle sidelined in Week 3, Jennings was the next man up, and he showed out. He blew up for 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets. As long as Deebo is out, Jennings is worth starting.

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WR Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers: Johnson was brought in to help Bryce Young, but they were never able to get on the same page. With Andy Dalton running the offense in Week 3, Johnson had his first 100-yard game in a Panthers uniform, while scoring his first touchdown, too. This offense looks functional again.

RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Fantasy managers drafted Rachaad White with the idea of him being a low-end RB1 or top RB2. That hasn’t materialized, and the rookie from Oregon has gotten more and more runs. He posted 70 yards on nine attempts, and his 12 touches in Week 3 were the most this season. With White averaging just 2.1 yards per rush, Irving’s role is likely to continue expanding.

RB Tyler Badie, Denver Broncos: Badie burst onto the scene in Week 3 in Tampa with a surprising 70 rushing yards on nine attempts. While one of the runs went for 43 yards, skewing his numbers a tad, he was far more effective than Javonte Williams or Jaleel McLaughlin. Don’t be surprised to see Sean Payton lean on Badie in Week 4, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

TE Tyler Conklin, New York Jets: After two rather ineffective performances, Conklin shined under the lights in Week 3 with five catches, 93 yards and six targets. In the past, Aaron Rodgers has leaned on his tight ends quite a bit, and as he and Conklin build rapport, Conklin’s fantasy star could continue to rise even further.

Fantasy football: 5 players to sell in Week 4

RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys: It was great seeing Zeke return to the Cowboys, as he just didn’t look right in New England. However, he was limited to just three totes in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. While Dallas got away from the run after falling in a deep, early hole, Rico Dowdle stepped up in the second half and was used when the team needed to run. There is concern Dowdle could see more work at Zeke’s expense.

QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: The good news is Goff had two touchdown passes for the first time this season, but the bad news is he has more interceptions (4) than TDs (3). The Lions appear hellbent on running the ball more, and that’s never good for a fantasy quarterback’s outlook.

RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders: White didn’t do well in the first two games, but he had a couple of tough matchups. Patience was preached with the lowly Panthers on the schedule for Week 3, but White stubbed his toe in that matchup, too. He had just 10 rushes for 34 yards, and he wasn’t targeted in the passing game. That’s simply not going to fly.

RB D’Onta Foreman, Cleveland Browns: Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski wanted to use a big body in Jacksonville in Week 2, so Foreman had 14 carries to just seven for Jerome Ford. The team won, and Foreman looked like he could have a larger role at home in Week 3. He had just two touches on offense. With Nick Chubb eligible to return in Week 5, both Ford and Foreman are likely to see diminished roles.

QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: Richardson opened with 212 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score in Week 1. His passing yardage and rushing yardage have decreased in each game since, and he went without any kind of TD in Week 3. He is completing just 49.3% of his passes and can’t be trusted as a fantasy regular right now.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is pushing back against the Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling, suggesting Democrats are eyeing ways to limit former President Trump’s abilities that were expanded by the high court’s decision.

‘It is up to Congress, the representative branch of the people, to defend the constitutional order against presidents who would trample the freedoms of the people,’ Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said at a press conference alongside former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh.

‘This declaration is about protecting the freedoms of the people by closing statutory loopholes that could allow a president to exploit the executive power to trample constitutional freedom and liberty.’

He’s helping to spearhead an effort urging members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to sign a ‘No Dictators Declaration.’

Raskin, who held the press conference backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday, did not mention Trump by name. 

The website for the effort similarly stresses that ‘this isn’t a partisan issue.’ 

When explaining the ‘five pillars’ of the pledge, however, Raskin alluded to a host of accusations that have been lodged against the former president.

‘It’s got five main pillars to it – one, limiting the president’s power to declare bogus domestic and foreign emergencies to seize power and bypass congressional authority. Two, restricting the president’s ability to use the Insurrection Act to deploy the military domestically against the people,’ Raskin said.

‘Three – preventing the adoption of partisan, personal and ideological loyalty tests, loyalty oaths and similar authoritarian measures designed to purge the professional civil service, and replace qualified workers with unqualified party loyalists and sycophants.’

‘Four, ensuring that presidents who abuse their powers to commit crimes can be prosecuted like all other citizens. Because no one is above the law in America, and those of us who aspire and attain to public office are nothing but the servants of the people,’ he continued. ‘And fifth, constraining the president’s ability to use investigative and prosecutorial decisions and resources to pursue personal political vendettas against disfavored groups and perceived enemies of the president.’

Trump’s Supreme Court case stems from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the ex-president and his allies’ alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Smith filed an amended, superceding indictment against Trump in the case after the court’s conservative majority granted the office of the president broad immunity for ‘official’ acts, the specifics of which were to be determined by lower courts.

Asked by Fox News Digital whether the effort could turn into legislative action if Democrats win the House majority in November, Raskin suggested it was possible.

‘I hope that when we get back in, that we will be able to have at least a couple of serious hearings about the problem of overreach in the executive branch and weakness to potential tyrants and despots and dictators,’ Raskin said.

‘I hope that those hearings would lead us to create a legislative package to address these structural deficiencies in our statutory system.’

He added, ‘I would hope that Republicans would come along.’

Walsh, a Tea Party Republican who left office in January 2013 and who has been a vocal Trump critic, also heavily suggested Trump inspired the ‘No Dictators’ effort but noted it brought together himself and Raskin, despite their larger political disagreements.

‘We’re locked in arms right now because we have somebody running for president who has promised to be a dictator,’ Walsh said. ‘This is a bipartisan effort every member of the House and every member of the Senate should easily sign and pledge that they don’t want – we will not have a dictator as president.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The campaign for former President Donald Trump said it is giving ‘maximum attention and resources’ to its ground game in battleground states, and it’s working.

In key battleground states where voters register by party, and where the margins in 2020 were razor-thin, Republicans have cut into Democrats’ voter registration advantage — in some cases by hundreds of thousands of registered voters. 

During the 2020 election cycle in Pennsylvania, there were approximately 685,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. But going into Election Day 2024, that gap has been cut down significantly, with approximately 343,000 more Democratic voters than Republicans, according to the Trump campaign, which said it compiled the data from secretaries of state offices in Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina and Arizona.

Similarly, in Nevada, there were 87,000 more Democratic voters in 2020 than Republicans. But going into Election Day 2024, there are just 19,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. 

North Carolina shows a similar shrinking gap for 2024, with just 126,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, down from the 391,000 Democratic voters last cycle. 

And in Arizona, by the end of July, there were 259,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, doubling the GOP advantage since 2020.

‘Everyone who will vote in this election has lived through both administrations, and President Trump wins the comparison easily over Kamala Harris,’ Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. ‘The election will be won by those who show up, and that’s where the ground game comes in, which has been a combined effort of the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and many Republican allies.’ 

Murtaugh told Fox News Digital that the ‘Democrats’ massive lead in voter registration in key states is gone.’ 

‘And in states where the winner will be decided by mere percentage points, it could make all the difference,’ Murtaugh said. 

Neither the Harris campaign nor the Democratic National Committee (DNC) immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The Trump campaign’s joint-ground game efforts are continuing to expand, but it is focusing its ‘Get Out the Vote’ efforts on low propensity voters and encouraging voters to vote early. 

Across battleground states, the Trump campaign and RNC have hundreds of paid staff, with more than 300 Trump/GOP offices. 

In July, the Trump campaign launched its ‘Trump Force 47‘ grassroots effort to recruit new voters. 

The program, which the campaign says is focused on mobilizing ‘highly-targeted voters in critical precincts across the battleground states and districts,’ has already engaged tens of thousands of volunteers. 

Trump campaign officials told Fox News Digital they already have more than 27,000 trained Trump Force 47 captains and continue to train daily, adding thousands per week. 

The efforts stretch beyond the Trump Force 47 leaders, with hundreds of thousands more volunteers for phone banking, canvassing, postcard writing, community organizing and poll watching. 

The joint effort and the Trump Force 47 model are focused on spending ‘maximum attention and resources’ on turning out infrequent or ‘sometimes voters,’ the campaign said.

‘We put a high premium on personal contacts with voters that are less likely to participate in the election and are more disconnected from politics than high propensity or persistent voters,’ a campaign official told Fox News Digital. 

Campaign officials also said they are focused on ‘meeting voters where they are’ more than ever before. 

‘From traditional voter canvassing like calls, doors, post cards, mail, to TikTok, to outside groups, our efforts to reach voters have never been more modern or efficient,’ the official said. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the Trump campaign’s allied efforts will knock on approximately 15 million doors in the voting window across battleground states. 

The Trump campaign’s field efforts have been focused on volume, where its in-house program is focused on reaching voters that were previously missed or less politically engaged. 

‘We have to get our voters to do what they always do — show up at the polls and vote,’ the official said. 

Meanwhile, specifically in Pennsylvania, Team Trump is registering voters at doors, campaign rallies, grocery stores, sporting stores, places of worship, college tailgates and more. 

Officials told Fox News Digital that the team is reaching out to voters of all backgrounds through a wide variety of communities, including Hispanic voters, Jewish voters, Black voters, young voters and senior voters. 

‘President Trump is well positioned to win in November thanks to our robust ground efforts and vast coalition of supporters and endorsers,’ an official said. 

New polls published by The New York Times and Siena College on Monday showed Trump has gained a lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona, putting the former president at 50 and Harris at 45. Trump is also ahead in Georgia, 49 to 45, and North Carolina, 49-45. 

A RealClearPolitics Average shows Harris leading Trump by less than a point in Pennsylvania, and it shows Trump and Harris are tied in Nevada. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

In today’s free DP Trading Room Carl reviews the charts of two new members to the SP500, Dell (DELL) and Palantir (PLTR). Are they poised to break out on this news?

Carl also discussed the inflation on housing prices to open the show. Before going over the signal tables that reveal a clear bull market bias to the market right now.

Carl also gives us his take on the current trend and condition of the market and reviewed key areas of the market like Bonds and Yields, Crude Oil, the Dollar and the recent breakout move in Gold.

The Magnificent Seven are moving in different directions. See which stocks are configured bullishly and which are configured bearishly.

Erin jumps in with a review of sector rotation. How are defensive groups faring and what about big growth areas like Technology and Communication Services?

The pair finish with looking at viewer symbol requests.

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00:57 Housing Inflation

01:45 DP Signal Tables

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13:56 Magnificent Seven

21:35 Two New Stocks in SP500

29:33 Sector Rotation

33:40 Symbol Requests

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The Federal Trade Commission said Friday that it is suing three drug middlemen, accusing them of inflating insulin prices.

The FTC accused the ‘Big Three’ pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx, CVS Health’s Caremark and Cigna’s Express Scripts — of ‘engaging in anticompetitive and unfair rebating practices that have artificially inflated the list price of insulin drugs, impaired patients’ access to lower list price products, and shifted the cost of high insulin list prices to vulnerable patients.’ Around 8 million Americans rely on insulin in the U.S., per the FTC.

PBMs work with insurance companies to negotiate discounted prices from drug companies in exchange for including the drugs in their coverage. In theory, they are supposed to save patients money.

Also included in the lawsuit are the PBMs’ group purchasing organizations, which include Zinc Health Services, Ascent Health Services and Emisar Pharma Services.

The ‘Big Three’ oversee around 80% of all prescription drug plans in the U.S., according to the complaint, which alleges that they created a rebate system prioritizing high rebates from drug manufacturers, which led to the inflated insulin prices.

‘This perverse system results in billions of dollars in rebates and fees for the PBMs and their health plan sponsor clients — but does so at the expense of certain vulnerable diabetic patients who must pay significantly more out-of-pocket for their critical medications,’ the FTC said in a news release.

In a statement, CVS Caremark said the FTC’s allegations are ‘simply wrong’ and blamed drug manufacturers for hiking up the price of the drugs.

‘CVS Caremark has led the way in driving down the cost of insulin for all patients: insured, uninsured, and underinsured,’ the company said. ‘Our members on average pay less than $25, far below list prices and far below the Biden Administration’s $35 cap. Further, we also provide access to $25 insulin to every American, whether insured or uninsured, through our ReducedRx program at every one of our 67,000 network pharmacies and more than 9,000 CVS pharmacies.’

Cigna’s Chief Legal Officer, Andrea Nelson, said the FTC’s lawsuit continues its ‘troubling pattern’ of ‘unsubstantiated and ideologically driven attacks on pharmacy benefit managers,’ including a report the commission released in July accusing the PBMs of hiking up the drug prices. Cigna filed a lawsuit against the FTC on Tuesday requesting that they withdraw the report.

‘Once again, the FTC — a government agency funded by taxpayer dollars — is proving that the FTC does not understand drug pricing and instead is choosing to ignore the facts and score political points, rather than focus on its duty to protect consumers,’ Nelson said in a statement. ‘The fact is that in the unlikely event the FTC succeeds in its suit and forces PBMs to include drugs on formulary even if they have higher net costs for plan sponsors — and regardless of whether they are clinically necessary — the FTC will drive drug prices higher in this country. This will hurt consumers and those who provide their prescription drug benefits — including employers, labor unions, and the federal government itself.’

UnitedHealth Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The FTC said that insulin medication was previously more affordable, using the example of Humalog, a medication manufactured by Eli Lilly, that cost about $21 in 1999. The drug was priced at $274 in 2017, as a result of the PBMs rebate system strategy, the FTC said.

‘Millions of Americans with diabetes need insulin to survive, yet for many of these vulnerable patients, their insulin drug costs have skyrocketed over the past decade thanks in part to powerful PBMs and their greed,’ said Rahul Rao, the deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition.

It’s not only the PBMs that are responsible for the skyrocketing prices, the FTC said, but also drug manufacturers like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which the commission says “should be on notice” because they may be sued in the future.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they do not have any comment on the lawsuit, but ‘have made clear that no one should pay higher prices because of corporate greed.’

‘The President and Vice President have been taking on profiteering by Big Pharma and pharmaceutical middle-men to lower the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs—from giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices, to lowering prices for insulin, inhalers, EpiPens and hearing aids by increasing competition,’ Jean-Pierre said. 

National Community Pharmacists Association supported the FTC’s lawsuit against the PBMs in a statement released Friday.

‘One of the many ways that PBMs manipulate the system against patients, taxpayers, and small pharmacies is the rebate game,’ said B. Douglas Hoey, the association’s chief executive officer. ‘The PBMs determine which drugs are covered by health insurance plans. They get bigger rebates for the most expensive drugs. Naturally, the most expensive drugs end up on the formularies even when there are cheaper alternatives. Patients end up paying more. Employers end up paying more. Taxpayers end up paying more. And more small business pharmacies are driven out of business. The rebates create a powerful incentive for higher drug prices, which is completely upside-down.’

In July, Democratic and Republican lawmakers blamed executives from Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx for sky-high prescription drug prices in the U.S. during an oversight committee hearing.

“On one hand we have PBMs claiming to reduce prescription drug prices, and on the other hand we have the Federal Trade Commission, we have major media outlets like The New York Times and we have at least eight different attorneys generals, Democrats and Republicans, who all say PBMs are inflating drug costs,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said. 

The committee launched an investigation in March 2023 into PBMs’ role in the rise in health care costs. The lawsuit also comes as states — most recently Vermont — have sued PBMs, alleging they drive up drug costs.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

A group of Republican lawmakers is introducing a new bill that would cease all aid dollars to Afghanistan over concerns of interception by the Taliban.

‘The Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous withdrawal has plunged the country back under Taliban rule, and now it turns out that our taxpayer dollars are being used to the benefit of the Taliban,’ Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., sponsor of the legislation, told Fox News Digital. 

‘This legislation is needed so we can ensure that no more of our tax dollars are being irresponsibly used in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.’

The House bill is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Nick Langworthy of New York, Barry Moore of Alabama, Erlic Burlison of Missouri, Matt Rosendale of Montana and Randy Feenstra of Iowa. 

The U.S. is the largest donor to Afghanistan. It spent a total of $21 billion on the nation and Afghan refugees who have been evacuated since the withdrawal. However, critics say much of that aid ends up in lining the pockets of the Taliban, who they say have taken control of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the country.

The United Nations (U.N.), meanwhile, has flown in some $2.9 billion in U.S. currency cash to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control, the bulk of that being from funds allocated by the U.S., and at least some of which ends up in the Taliban-controlled central bank, according to the SIGAR report from July. 

The Taliban ‘taxes’ this cash at multiple points of distribution. 

The bill would prohibit federal agencies from giving any direct cash assistance to Afghanistan and prohibit any taxpayer dollars from going to the U.N. for the purpose of assisting Afghanistan. It also prohibits Federal Reserve Banks from selling U.S. currency to the U.N. for the purpose of direct cash assistance to Afghanistan. 

In a briefing to the U.N. Security Council on March 6, Roza Otunbayeva, the U.N.’s special representative for Afghanistan, did not mention the money going to Da Afghanistan central bank but said it was necessary to get medical care and food for Afghans. 

The shipments have ‘injected liquidity to the local economy that has in large part allowed the private sector to continue to function and averted a fiscal crisis,’ Otunbayeva told the council. 

In a letter provided in response to the SIGAR report, the State Department said the U.N. was in charge of managing the cash transfer program. 

‘We remain committed to providing critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. We will continue to monitor assistance programs and seek to mitigate the risk that U.S. assistance could indirectly benefit the Taliban or could be diverted to unintended recipients,’ the letter said.

For 20 years prior to the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan received some $8 billion in foreign assistance per year, representing 40% of its gross domestic product and financing three quarters of the government’s public expenditures. When the U.S. and other foreign entities stopped supplying aid, the country fell into an economic crisis – and aid dollars began flowing once again. 

In June, the House passed a bill that would force the State Department to investigate which countries give aid to the Taliban – and also get U.S. assistance themselves. 

It would also force the secretary of state to weigh if those countries should keep getting U.S. dollars and develop a strategy to discourage them from continuing aid to the Taliban. However, that bill did not cease all aid to Afghanistan. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Flight Path. Equities saw the “Go” trend remain strong with an uninterrupted week of strong blue “Go” bars. Treasury bond prices remained in the “Go” trend as well but we saw weaker aqua bars as the week ended. U.S. commodities returned to a “Go” trend but the indicator painted weaker aqua bars this week. The dollar held on to its strong “NoGo” trend with purple bars.

$SPY Hits New Highs in “Go” Trend

The GoNoGo chart below shows that this week the “Go” trend remained strong as we saw blue bars all week. Price rallied from the last low to set a new higher high which is a good sign for the bulls. GoNoGo Oscillator remained in positive territory and volume increased as we saw it climb further from the zero line. Now, with a “Go” trend in place and momentum in positive territory but not yet overbought, we will look to see if price continues higher.

The longer time frame chart tells us that the “Go” trend is still very much in place. With another strong blue bar and a higher weekly close we can now see the drop in August as a higher low. GoNoGo Oscillator is in positive territory at a value of 3 so not yet overbought. We will look for price to consolidate at these highs and provide a base of support going forward.

“NoGo” Trend Continues on Weaker Pink Bars

Treasury bond yields rose from a new low at the beginning of the week and painted a string of weaker pink “NoGo” bars as price rallied. After setting a new lower low, we will watch to see if price rolls over this week and we see a new lower high. GoNoGo Oscillator is testing the zero level from below and this will be helpful in informing us as to whether the discussed scenario will play out. If the oscillator gets rejected and falls back into negative territory, we will know that momentum is resurgent in the direction of the “NoGo” trend and we will look for trend continuation to the downside.

The Dollar Remains in Strong “NoGo”

Although price has moved mostly sideways this past week staying in a longer trading range, GoNoGo Trend continues to paint strong purple “NoGo” bars. If we look at the GoNoGo Oscillator in the lower panel, we can see that it has struggled to move away from the zero level into positive territory, returning quickly to that level. Now, we see a new GoNoGo Squeeze beginning to build and we will watch to see in which direction it breaks. If it breaks back into negative territory then we will expect trend continuation to the downside.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is putting the U.S. intelligence community on the spot after Iranian hackers tried to disseminate private information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

‘Congress is outraged by the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction and unwillingness to hold Iran accountable for its cyberattacks on the Trump campaign,’ Johnson wrote in letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

‘As you have shared, Iran hacked into the Trump campaign and distributed private information directly to the Biden campaign and to American media, which, like Iran, favors Kamala Harris.’

In his letter, he also claimed Harris was Iran’s ‘preferred candidate’ in the race.

Last week, the three agencies released a rare joint statement, revealing that ‘Iranian malicious cyber actors’ sent stolen Trump campaign materials to people linked to President Biden’s since-defunct re-election campaign, beginning in June. They also sent non-public materials to U.S. media organizations, the agencies said.

However, Johnson told their directors that ‘several unanswered questions remain.’

‘The American people must be informed of how the cyberattacks and distribution of information happened, the timeline indicating when the attacks occurred and were verified, and the concrete steps your agencies have taken to deter future attacks,’ Johnson wrote.

He accused the Biden administration of failing to deter election interference efforts by Iran or other hostile foreign powers and pointed out that Iran has also recently been accused of trying to kill the former president.

‘To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has not offered or executed any meaningful action to show our enemies such interference will not be tolerated, nor shared what steps, if any, it has taken to deter future attacks on Donald Trump or his campaign,’ Johnson wrote.

‘With less than 45 days until the election, much more needs to be done to protect our nation’s sovereignty and stop Iran from tipping the election in favor of its preferred candidate.’

He gave the agencies a deadline of Oct. 4, roughly a month before Election Day.

Multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the Justice Department and FBI are planning to file criminal charges against those involved with the Trump campaign hack.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned in February that foreign adversaries posed a threat to the U.S. having ‘free and fair elections.’

‘The U.S. has confronted foreign malign influence threats in the past, but this election cycle, the U.S. will face more adversaries, moving at a faster pace, and enabled by new technology,’ he said during a national security forum.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign, as well as the FBI, CISA and the DNI, for comment.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

(This story has been updated to fix a typo.)

The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t afford Derrick Henry, Jerry Jones said. That was after the owner of the most valuable franchise in sports watched Henry, wearing a Baltimore Ravens uniform, light up his team, as the Cowboys fell to the Ravens 28-25 on Sunday.

Baltimore ran all over the Dallas defense to the tune of 275 yards on 45 attempts for nearly 75% of their plays from scrimmage. The Cowboys are surrendering an average of 185.7 rushing yards per game through three games.

Henry finished with 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had barely more passes (15) than carries (14), and he scored on the ground while rushing for 84 yards.

The loss of former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, now the head coach of the Washington Commanders, seemed bound to lead to some regression in areas such as turnover margin. The beginning of the Mike Zimmer era went smoothly with a Week 1 beatdown of the Cleveland Browns.

All things Cowboys: Latest Dallas Cowboys news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

In New Orleans last week, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s unit hung 432 yards on the Cowboys defense, with 190 coming on the ground in the 44-19 rout.

‘I think definitely the last two weeks, it’s going to be a clear target on us,’ head coach Mike McCarthy said. ‘We’re going to have to stop it.

‘Our run defense and the attempts on our run offense are clearly not where we need to be right now.’

When it came time for the Ravens to ice the game – finishing games has been a challenge for this team – they needed 9 yards on a second down. Jackson rushed to the left for 10, as the Dallas defense provided limited resistance one final time.

Jones said his confidence in Zimmer to right the ship is ‘very high.’

‘I’m glad we have him,’ he said.

In the first half, Jackson passed for 161 yards while Baltimore rushed for 111. The Ravens offense attacked from kickoff and scored on the unit’s first two possessions for a quick 14-0 lead. From there, Henry took over and was what the Ravens envisioned when they signed the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year to a two-year, $16 million contract this offseason.

‘I like our personnel,’ Jones said.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are averaging 73.7 rushing yards per contest. Rico Dowdle led the Cowboys in carries (eight), and veteran back Ezekiel Elliott, who reunited with the team that took him fourth overall in the 2016 draft, had three attempts for 6 yards. Dalvin Cook sat on the bench.

Henry lives in Dallas during the offseason and was hoping for a call from the team. It never came.

‘If Baltimore wasn’t interested, then I was thinking maybe Dallas because I live there,’ Henry said last week. ‘It’d be a convenient spot. But Baltimore was interested and I’m thankful.’

Both offensive lines for the Cowboys and Ravens experienced changes this offseason. Even with three new starters, the Ravens – thanks in large part to Jackson’s unworldly abilities – entered with more than 150 yards on the ground in each of their first two games.

And the Cowboys defense proved to be no reason to not run with the guy Jones opted against paying.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

ATLANTA – Another week, another close call. 

That’s become quite the pattern for the Kansas City Chiefs as they roll down the path of attempting to become the NFL’s first three-peat Super Bowl champion. They are still perfect in one sense, as the 22-17 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night improved the record to 3-0. 

But boy did they sweat it out again. This time, the outcome wasn’t decided until Nick Bolton blew up a run on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs’ 13-yard line – dumping Bijan Robinson for a 3-yard loss – in the final minute at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

It’s no wonder that Chiefs safety Justin Reid was in the boisterous visitor’s locker room afterward expressing context for what has become the team’s motto: Survive and Thrive. 

“The NFL is the toughest sport in the world, and the margin between teams that win and lose is closer than it’s ever been,” Reid told USA TODAY Sports. “What great teams do, they find a way to win. Whatever it is. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It’s about letters.” 

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As in W’s. 

Each of the Chiefs’ games this season conceivably could wound up as an L, but it is apparent that, in winning three times by a total of 13 points, they have extra layers of championship grit and poise to help get past the imperfections. The defense came up huge in crunch time on Sunday night, stopping the Falcons on fourth down in the red zone twice in the final five minutes. And the offense keeps pulling out new wrinkles to produce just enough. 

Patrick Mahomes knows. 

“We haven’t played good, really, all three games,” said Mahomes, who still hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game this season. “We’ve been able to win. That speaks to the character of the team, the grit, how we’ve been in these situations before.” 

Mahomes completed 26 of 39 passes for 217 yards, with two touchdowns. But the NFL’s best and most electric player sounded so human, too, pondering the misfires of recent weeks, including a red zone pick that he couldn’t fire over new Falcons safety Justin Simmons, who intercepted Mahomes for the fourth consecutive game between the two. 

“Me, myself, I haven’t played very well,” Mahomes said. “That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities when they’re out there, not throwing the ball to the exact spot I want it to be at. So, it’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position. We’ve got to execute at a higher level. If teams are going to make us drive the field, we have to prove that we’re able to do that. I’m sure we’ll get a lot more of the same this new week with the Chargers.” 

Of course, Mahomes’ challenges are part of a larger picture. His unit is operating without two key pieces lost to injuries – receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (shoulder surgery) and running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle). In Pacheco’s place, rookie fullback Carson Steele made his first start and contributed a steady 72 yards on 17 carries.  

Without Brown, injured in the preseason opener, the Chiefs have had to accelerate the learning curve for first-round rookie Xavier Worthy and have leaned more on second-year pro Rashee Rice. This, while All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce’s production has been short-circuited. 

While Kelce was limited to 30 yards on four receptions – still drawing double- and triple-team coverage from defenses determined to take him away, Mahomes said – Rice had another huge game with a career-high 12 catches for 110 yards with a touchdown. 

The emergence of Rice includes the juxtaposition of his serious off-the-field issues. He’s facing felony charges stemming from a high-speed hit-and-run collision on a Dallas freeway in March, which could result in a jail sentence and an NFL suspension. The league, however, won’t weigh discipline until his legal case is settled – and at this point that process is a huge benefit to the Chiefs. 

With Worthy still developing in his role, the Chiefs desperately need the reliability and playmaking skill that Rice has demonstrated. 

“He’s doing a great job,” Mahomes said. “When they’re putting all that attention on Travis, he’s making stuff happen underneath. I’m sure defenses are going to start adjusting, putting more coverage toward him. That’s when Travis will make plays. Or Worthy will make plays. Or JuJu (Smith-Schuster), or whoever. He’s a legit No. 1 receiver. You’re seeing that every week.” 

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are doing just enough each week to survive with the W’s. 

Maybe that will be the identity of this version of the Chiefs. During this dynasty era, we’ve seen the Chiefs win with record-breaking point production. We’ve seen them win with dominant defenses. Last season, we saw them peak down the stretch and for the first time win playoff games on the road to get back to the Super Bowl. 

This team’s identity? 

“It’s just the third game,” All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t know. Talk to me after seven or eight games and I’ll tell you a lot more. It’s still so early.” 

Still, a certain pattern could be building. 

“We find a way to push through,” Reid said. “We’ve just got to keep finding ways to get better. You don’t want to peak this soon, anyway.” 

Which is quite the warning to the rest of the NFL. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY