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What happened to Tyreek Hill was bad. It could have been much worse.

We don’t yet know what happened with the police and Tyreek Hill. We may never know the full story. We may never know why Hill ended up in handcuffs outside of Hard Rock Stadium just hours before a game. But this is what we do know: it all looks disgracefully, horribly, disgustingly familiar.

It looks like, based on video footage, excessive force was used. It looks like, as Hill’s teammate Calais Campbell told ESPN on Monday, that Hill was kicked while he was handcuffed. ‘They were trying to yank down him to the ground,’ said Campbell, ‘I saw (an officer) kick him. Pull him down…put on the cuffs.’

It looks like, as Campbell also alleged, that at least one officer was out of control. It looks like something we’ve seen before. The video footage of a Black man complying. Surrounded by officers. Those cops going too far despite the person not being a threat. It looks like something we’ve seen again and again and again. It looks like police abusing a Black man. Not solely infringing on his rights but also infringing on his right to exist.

It looks like something that’s happened so many times, in so many places in this country, it feels like some sort of evil Groundhog Day.

Most of all, perhaps, it looks like Tyreek Hill is lucky to be alive. That is not hyperbole. This isn’t overstating. Based on recent history, this is a fact.

Interactions between Black Americans and police can, and often do, easily end up this way. We can go down the list starting with the obvious case of the murder of George Floyd. Blackness can be devalued by large swaths of law enforcement. It’s seen as something to be held in check and overly controlled, even violently so.

Calais Campbell says he was handcuffed, trying to defuse Tyreek Hill detainment

Six law enforcement officers in Mississippi pled guilty to beating and sexually assaulting two Black men. Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by a group of officers after a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2023. There are numerous other examples and the commonality is the lack of care for Black life.

Two years after Floyd’s murder, the Washington Post reported that the killing of Black people by police was still happening at a higher rate than other groups.

“It’s bad and it’s sad, but it’s not shocking that we’re still being killed at a higher rate,” said Karundi Williams, the CEO of re:power, a national organization that trains Black people to become political leaders, to NBC. “When we have moments of racial injustice that is thrust in the national spotlight, there is an uptick of outrage, and people take to the streets. But then the media tends to move on to other things, and that consciousness decreases. But we never really got underneath the problem.”

Floyd’s interaction with police started as routine and ended up as a national tragedy. But what happened to Floyd was far from unusual. That’s why it’s not wrong to say that what happened to Hill could have been far worse. In fact, Hill likely knew this instinctively. Campbell said Hill called out to him: ‘Don’t leave me, don’t leave me.’

Hill is also right when he told reporters after the game, what if he wasn’t a famous NFL player? Think about how bad things are when the police are this aggressive with a well known athlete, on an NFL Sunday, in front of an NFL stadium? What if this was Tyreek Jones, in a different part of Miami, with no video cameras or teammates closely watching?

‘Excessive force on a Black man, that’s not uncommon,’ said Hill’s teammate, safety Jevón Holland, in the locker room after the game, according to a video posted by NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe. ‘That’s a very common thing in America, so that needs to be addressed on a countrywide level. It’s not uncommon…for cops to do that type of sh–. Especially to Black men.’

Campbell said he was also detained and handcuffed because he refused to leave the scene since he was understandably concerned for the safety of Hill. It should be noted that Campbell, who said he raised his hands to signal he wasn’t a threat to the police, is one of the most respected leaders in the NFL universe. Those of us who know Campbell and have covered him understand this: if he says something, it’s true. Campbell in fact won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2019. The award is considered one of the highest honors a player can get since it recognizes a player’s commitment to philanthropy and community service.

Campbell says what he saw was police abuse. If he says it happened, it happened.

No, we may never fully know what happened between the police and Hill. Even when the police release the results of their investigation, it may not be the total story.

What we do know is bad enough. What we do know is that Hill is lucky to be alive.

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McCaul says he will hold Blinken in contempt after State Department shrugs off his demands for testimony

Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul said he still intends to haul in Antony Blinken on the Afghanistan withdrawal even after his sprawling report was completed, and will hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not comply. 

‘This was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions,’ the Texas Republican told reporters on Monday. ‘This is a disgrace. I will hold him in contempt if that’s what it takes to bring him before the American people.’

‘Secretary Blinken refuses to take one day out of this month to come before the [Gold Star] families.’ 

McCaul’s comments came on the heels of a 350-page report he released Monday on the withdrawal that the committee worked on for much of the past nearly two years of the Republican majority. 

It laid much blame on the State Department and detailed how State officials had no plan for getting Americans and allies out while there were still troops there to protect them.  

McCaul subpoenaed Blinken last week, saying he must appear before the committee by Sept. 19. 

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel shrugged off the committee’s threats. 

‘The majority isn’t truly interested in legislating on Afghanistan policy. If they were, they would have sought to speak to the secretary long ago,’ he told reporters Monday. 

‘They would have sought to speak to him to get his input as they make this report,’ he said. ‘Instead they waited until the report was completely finished to come back to us.’ 

In May, McCaul asked Blinken to appear at a hearing in September on the committee‘s report on its investigation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The State Department failed on several occasions to provide a date for Blinken to appear before lawmakers, McCaul said.

But the State Department said Monday Blinken had testified before House and Senate committees 14 times on the withdrawal, including four times before the Foreign Affairs Committee. 

McCaul also hinted that he believes there should still be a small contingency of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

 

‘We cannot see now into Afghanistan except through over the horizon, which doesn’t work. We can’t see Russia, China and Iran, either, because of this tragic failure of foreign policy,’ he told reporters.

‘We can’t see all of ISIS gathering in the Korazhan region of Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, making their way to the United States of America. That is what they did to us,’ the chairman went on. 

‘They embolden the unholy alliance of Putin, Xi, the Ayatollah and Kim Jong Un,’ he said, referring to the leaders of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. 

The Biden administration has long claimed the president’s hands were tied by the Doha agreement negotiated under President Trump that laid out a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. But the new report detailed how the Taliban had failed to hold up their end of the deal, absolving the U.S. of any obligation to adhere to it. 

‘​Biden, for his part, faced a stark choice when he came to office, abide by the flawed agreement and end America’s longest war, or blow up the deal, extend the war, and see a much smaller contingent of American troops back in combat with the Taliban,’ White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. 

‘He chose the former and was able to buy additional time to prepare for that withdrawal all the way into the summer. And we, as a nation are safer for it. Any and every discussion about what happened in Afghanistan has to start right there. Sadly, the report does not dwell on it.’

The damning report claims that while US military personnel were drawing down their footprint in the nation, the State Department was growing theirs. 

And according to the report, U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson was on vacation the last week of July and the first week of August 2021. He promptly hightailed it out of the country on a flight ahead of his staff in mid-August. He allegedly had COVID-19 at the time and forced a foreign service officer to take his COVID test so he could get on the plane.

Patel defended Wilson, but did not deny the allegations. 

‘I’m just not going to get into a tit-for-tat with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but what I can say is that it is not my understanding that he was on vacation at the beginning of August. Beyond that, I will just echo what I said previously about Ambassador Wilson, that this is an esteemed individual, a decorated Foreign Service officer.’ 

He claimed the GOP-led report chose ‘scandal over substance’ and called it a ‘collection of cherry-picked comments… designed to paint an inaccurate picture of this administration’s efforts. 

He claimed the withdrawal was carried out in a way that was consistent with department policy. ‘The drawdown in Kabul was conducted in a manner which is consistent with our departments and our country’s standards and protocols when faced in those circumstances.’ 

He said he did not have a headcount on how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, but touted the more than 18,000 Afghan special immigrant visas (SIVs) for the U.S.’s Afghan allies, such as interpreters, that were processed in 2023.

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Mike Johnson faces conservative mutiny over Trump-backed plan to avert government shutdown

House GOP leaders’ plan to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of this month could be derailed by mounting opposition from fiscal hawks within their own party.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rolled out legislation late last week to extend the current year’s government funding levels through March via a continuing resolution (CR) to give congressional negotiators more time to work out the next fiscal year’s spending priorities.

It’s attached to a Republican-led bill for a proof of citizenship requirement in the voter registration process.

At least five House Republicans have come out against the plan as of Monday evening, meaning Johnson almost certainly needs Democratic votes to get it passed.

Despite former President Donald Trump blessing the plan, Johnson can afford little room for error with a razor-thin House majority of just four votes.

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., told reporters on Monday that he and Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are all opposed.

‘I’ve made it clear…that I’ll be a no on the CR,’ Mills said. ‘As far as I’m concerned, this is nothing more than messaging.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Burchett to confirm his stance.

Massie told Fox News Digital last week that he believed it was a mistake for Johnson not to push for a longer CR. Under a bipartisan deal passed last year, a CR extending past April 30 would automatically trigger a 1% government funding cut.

‘Speaker Johnson has this teed up in front of him. The 1% cut is in law. All we need is a one-year CR to queue it up. When the April 30 deadline arrives, he could even trade the cut for something. But he’s afraid to even create a spending cut deadline,’ Massie said.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who is retiring at the end of this year, also told Fox News Digital last week that he is against the bill.

Meanwhile, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told Punchbowl News he was against the CR over concerns within the defense community about the impact of an extension into the new year. 

It has spurred concern and confusion among House Republicans just hours after they returned from a six-week recess.

‘I think we ought to have some conversation with those five,’ Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., a conservative Republican, told Fox News Digital of the plan’s opponents. ‘And I think those five ought to bear responsibility for blowing some opportunities that are right at hand.’

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., a national security hawk in a swing district, said he wanted to hear whether Johnson had a backup plan.

‘I think it’s a good first position. I think, you know, the question is, [what is] position two? Position three look like?’ Garcia told reporters. ‘We don’t need to share that with you guys in the media right now. But we should internally [have an] understanding of the strategy. And I think… hopefully we get more clarity on that.’

Lawmakers anticipate a Wednesday vote on the plan, but enough opposition could force House GOP leaders to scuttle the vote.

It’s possible that some Democrats will vote for the bill. Five House Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act earlier this year.

But Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have both come out in opposition to the plan. The White House also announced Monday that President Biden would veto the bill if it got to his desk.

Johnson told reporters earlier in the day that he did not have a fallback plan in case of failure.

‘There is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight. This is what the American people demand and deserve,’ Johnson said.

It’s a position that is likely to worry moderates who worry the political fallout from a government shutdown weeks before Election Day could cost them their seats.

‘If we shut down, we lose,’ one Republican told Fox News Digital last week.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for comment on the ‘no’ votes.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

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Tom Brady is far from the GOAT as NFL broadcaster, but he can improve

CLEVELAND – Because Tom Brady had the most decorated NFL career of all time doesn’t automatically mean that he’ll immediately be the best broadcaster in his new career. The transitive property does not exist in football and sports television. But the good news for Brady is he can mirror his playing career by improving in the role and rise to the top of the craft, even if his first time on the call Sunday during the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-17 defeat of the Cleveland Browns was a forgetful, up-and-down showing.

The overall broadcast will have to be better by the time the cameras roll on Brady and broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt at Super Bowl 59 in February. But this was by no means a disaster for Brady or FOX. 

There have been worse debuts and performances in the field-to-booth pipeline, even recently. Brady does not belong in the bottom-tier category of Drew Brees, who couldn’t stick at NBC as a studio analyst or color commentator, and Jason Witten, whose stint as the ‘Monday Night Football’ analyst in 2018 was bad enough that he returned to the Cowboys. 

It was pretty clear the emphasis during Brady’s offseason training with the FOX team and the advice he received from other top broadcasters was to quickly go in and out of his points. Brady was almost too terse. His first big time to shine was a Dak Prescott touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks while the quarterback was facing an all-out blitz. FOX had to go back to Brady after the commercial break so he could go deeper into the play because his first go-round left a little too much dead air. 

I hadn’t considered Brady’s voice to be “high-pitched” until Boomer Esiason mentioned it to me last week. Hearing the GOAT talk at length about football somewhat stunned the senses. But the way he speaks shouldn’t present much of an issue in Brady’s broadcasting endeavors. 

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It doesn’t help Brady’s case that he is replacing a popular broadcaster in Greg Olsen, who meshed well with Burkhardt thanks to their shared northern New Jersey roots. Olsen became worthy of a No. 1 analyst chair in a short amount of time in the profession and should be his replacement’s shining example of what to work toward. Burkhardt and Brady sounded fine together, highlighted by Burkhardt joking he wore more gel in his air because he figured there would be more on-air shots of the booth; Brady replied that he does what he’s told and is the rookie. 

Predictably, Brady rarely went negative, despite the putrid performance from Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. He said Prescott was “lucky” to not have been picked off late in the first quarter. There was a decent breakdown of Micah Parsons dealing with chip blocks and politely corrected Burkhardt by explaining “he got a chip and beat it!” He tried to take us inside Prescott’s mind as he dropped back and Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, bore down on him. 

Brady is essentially operating within a mandate to keep his comments positive or neutral. Outside of the broadcast booth, Brady is nearing a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. Becoming a limited partner of the league has its restrictions. He’s not allowed to attend FOX production meetings because his standing with the Raiders prohibits him from entering another team’s facility. The league said Brady can call games involving Las Vegas. Brady must abide by the league constitution and bylaws, which could “prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs.” It’s a conundrum that leaves Brady unable to provide ‘real talk,’ which fans crave, and forces him to dance around topics – a difficult enough task for a seasoned broadcaster, let alone a newbie.

On Sunday, his early analysis was armchair quarterback-adjacent, not GOAT-esque. By the end of the game, he was comfortable enough to expand on why he believes the quality of offensive line play has decreased over the past few seasons.

The product on the field did not do him any favors, to say the least. Some examples: 

“Quickest way to get upfield is to go vertical.” 
“Get the ball out to his playmakers.” 
“Negative plays hurt you so much.” 

Burkhardt did his best to lead Brady into that second level of analysis; he asked the seven-time Super Bowl champion whether he preferred facing man or zone coverage, for example.

Most of the timing between the pair was totally fine, beginning early in the game. Brady was pretty good on the nice catch by CeeDee Lamb, not stepping on Burkhardt’s call but letting out a “wow!” He did a little Tony Romo imitation on the Cooks touchdown with the “oh!” But that could be a positive for Brady. He was wise not to invade Romo’s play prognosticator lane. Some of Brady’s most insightful material came during the blowout portion of the broadcast as he explained what made going against Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer so difficult. 

“I played for a coach who wasn’t afraid to cuss out his players, either,” Brady said, referencing his fellow media rookie and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. 

Dialing into emotion could turn into a strength if it’s ultimately presented in the right way. Brady took this job because he loves football – his multiverse promo commercial that aired on FOX the week of the game reinforced that as much. The relatability factor is something that a part-owner of an NFL team might struggle with; instead, Brady should infuse that passion into his analysis and win over viewers. 

“NFL RedZone” host Scott Hanson joked that Brady needed to show more emotion as the Cowboys flirted with the idea of letting kicker Brandon Aubrey attempt a 71-yard field goal after he nailed one from 66 yards out that was negated by a penalty. 

“Oh come on,” Hanson said. “Brady’s gotta get more excited than that in the booth.”

(Hanson made a formal, albeit unnecessary, apology on social media Monday.)

The biggest currency in sports broadcasting is authenticity. For so long, the Patriot Way boxed Brady into a talking-points reciter who gave the public (via the media) little to work with. Those who assumed Brady would be a natural in the booth because of the amount of time he’s spent on camera were ignorant to the reality that answering questions – with the goal of saying nothing – is much different than providing substantive analysis. Pausing to consider one’s words is not only wise, it’s viewed favorably by those watching news conferences. In the broadcast booth, that cautiousness comes across differently. 

Brady’s shell started to chip away during his years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, his play did most of the talking. Now, Tom Brady the public figure and businessman has to deal with letting everyone know the real him in his 40s rather than his 20s – with a microphone in his hand and an audience of, say, 20 million people every Sunday afternoon. 

Brady will have 20 more games – maybe fewer if he opts for a bye week – before the lights go red at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59. He’s not ready for that assignment yet. But consider how many teams wind up in the Super Bowl after looking lost Week 1. FOX is banking on a similar trajectory, and Brady learning enough on the job over the coming months to make sure the big game sounds like one.   

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Shaq praises Caitlin Clark, wants equal pay in WNBA

Shaquille O’Neal is the first to praise Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese and all her accomplishments. The Hall of Famer and former LSU great built a bond so close with Reese she’s said he’s a father figure in her life. 

But O’Neal, one of the greatest to play in the NBA, admitted something about the player many have deemed Reese’s No. 1 rival: Caitlin Clark, O’Neal said, is “the real deal.” 

O’Neal was in Chicago on Aug. 30 to watch Reese’s Sky take on Clark’s Fever in the teams’ final meeting of the 2024 season. Reese debuted Reebok’s newest basketball shoe, and O’Neal came to cheer her on. The Fever ran Chicago out of the building, winning 100-81 behind a career-high 31 points from Clark, who also dished 12 assists. Reese, meanwhile, had 10 points and 11 rebounds. O’Neal walked away impressed with Clark. 

“When I see stuff on TV I’m like, OK, I’d like to see it in person. Well, I saw it in person,” O’Neal said of Clark. “She can play … from a basketball standpoint, she makes all the right plays, gets everybody involved and she has that Steph Curry (shooting) range.” 

O’Neal said the 2024 Rookie of the Year race will likely come down to Reese and Clark. After beating the Sky in three of four matchups and securing a playoff spot a couple weeks ago, most believe Clark will win in a landslide. 

Another factor: Reese announced over the weekend that she would miss the rest of the season after sustaining a wrist injury that needs surgery. The No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, Reese was leading the league in rebounds — 13.1 per game — at the time of her announcement. 

O’Neal anticipates that the Clark vs. Reese talk won’t die down anytime soon, either. 

“What makes it good for the game is it’ll be those two forever,” he said. “You can make little games of it. In college, Angel’s up one (cause of winning a national championship). Now you can say, OK Caitlin’s in the playoffs, is Angel going to make the playoffs? Little games that you can play that keep their names going. I’m happy for both of them, I’m happy for women’s sports.”

And given their popularity, O’Neal said, which has brought record attendance, ratings and overall lifted the league into the public eye, it’s time for another change. 

“Now it’s time for equal pay,” he said. “They’ve always been great, but the space they’re in now, it’s time for everybody to be getting equal pay. I would love to see one of them make $10, 15, 20 million a year, they deserve it. But the fans have to continue to support … you gotta keep (going) to the games, buying merch, you gotta keep doing all that stuff and the more they do that, the more they’ll get paid.”

Asked about recent comments from Charles Barkley, who called out other WNBA players in May, saying they were being “petty” and “jealous” when it comes to Clark, O’Neal offered a different perspective. 

“There’s envious jealousy, there’s professional jealousy,” O’Neal said. “Sure there’s a lot of people who are professionally jealous. I am. I’m professionally jealous of a lot of people. I’m professionally jealous of Steph (Curry), he makes $60 million. But hey, that’s life.

“You gotta also understand that we’re not just going to give it to you because everybody else is giving it to you,” O’Neal continued. “You still gotta earn it. Chuck had to go through that, I had to go through that, so I understand what everybody’s doing. Yeah you’re great, but you ain’t that great yet. Calm down. We still got Diana Taurasi, we still got A’ja Wilson, if you’re gonna give (Caitlin) props make sure our girls that are dominating in this league get the same props.”

O’Neal highlighted specifically the play of Wilson, the runaway favorite to win her third MVP. Through 34 games Wilson is averaging a league-best 27.3 points per game, to go with 11.9 rebounds per game (second-best in league) and 2.7 blocks per game (first). Wilson is expected to contend for defensive player of the year honors, too.

“Loudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating — it’s not hating,” O’Neal said. “It’s like, you’re good but let’s slow it down a notch.  As good as Caitlin Clark is, we’ve had a lot of young ladies who have been doing good (before) and not getting props. People like props and they want to feel good when you’re talking about (their league) … it’s not hating. Everybody has to wait their turn.”

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Deion Sanders provides injury update on son Shilo

Colorado safety Shilo Sanders underwent surgery to repair a forearm injury suffered Saturday against Nebraska, his father and Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders confirmed Monday.

Deion Sanders posted a message to his social media account Monday with images of Shilo at a hospital. In one picture, Deion is by Shilo, who is in a hospital bed, with his eyes closed. In the other, Deion and another one of his sons, Deion Sanders Jr., stand behind Shilo, who is in a wheelchair and wearing a sling to protect his right arm.

‘God is Good!’ Deion Sanders wrote in the caption. ‘Can’t wait to see u back ready to go. Love ya son!’

Shilo suffered the injury in the first quarter of Saturday’s 28-10 loss against the Cornhuskers, forcing him to miss the rest of the game. After the loss, Deion Sanders said he didn’t know ‘the extent of the injury,’ though he said on the NBC broadcast at halftime that his son had ‘a broken forearm or something like that.’

Shilo Sanders returned to the sideline for the fourth quarter, wearing a sling. It is unclear how long he’ll be sidelined because of the forearm injury. He suffered the injury trying to tackle Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell.

Shilo Sanders had recorded 11 total tackles so far this season.

Shilo was Colorado’s leading tackler last year and is in his final season of college football after graduating from Jackson State last year and then transferring to Colorado to play for his father.

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White House pushes back against scathing report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan

The White House pushed back on a report released Sunday by Republican lawmakers criticizing President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, calling the report partisan and offering ‘little or nothing new.’

Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the committee, released a GOP-led report disputing Biden’s claims that his hands were tied to the agreement former President Trump had made with the Taliban establishing a deadline for U.S. withdrawal for the summer of 2021. It also said State Department officials had no plan for helping Americans and allies out while there were still troops in the region to protect them.

McCaul’s report also noted the failure to adequately respond to terror threats ahead of the ISIS-K bombing at Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghan civilians, and that the Taliban likely had access after the withdrawal to $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons, and up to $57 million in U.S. funds that were initially given to the Afghan government.

On Monday, White House National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby defended Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan during a White House briefing.

Kirby told reporters the GOP report comes two years after their first report, adding, ‘This one says little or nothing new.’

He then provided a rundown of what he called ‘actual facts’ that he considered important.

‘First, on the very day this administration took office, the Taliban was in the strongest position it had been in years. The Afghan government, the weakest,’ Kirby said. ‘The Trump administration cut a deal called the Doha Agreement that mandated a complete U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and yes, that included Bagram Air Base, by the end of May 2021.’

Part of the deal was that 5,000 Taliban fighters would be released from prison, and in return, the Taliban agreed not to attack U.S. troops, he explained.

Kirby referred to testimony from former commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, who said the Doha deal had a really pernicious effect on the Afghan government, and it demoralized them.

‘They knew right then and there that America was on its way out,’ Kirby said. ‘Indeed, in October of 2020, then-President Trump ordered his military to rush the exit from Afghanistan and have everybody leave by Christmas of that year.

‘President Biden, for his part, faced a stark choice when he came to office: Abide by the flawed agreement and end America’s longest war, or blow up the deal, extend the war, and see a much smaller contingent of American troops back in combat with the Taliban,’ Kirby added. ‘He chose the former and was able to buy additional time to prepare for that withdrawal all the way into summer, and we, as a nation, are safer for it.’

Kirby then brought up what he called ‘falsehoods’ from the report. The first issue he found was that there was in fact planning for evacuations beginning in the spring of 2021.

Kirby said the Department of Defense proposed additional military units in the region so when a decision was reached to evacuate, they would be poised to respond.

He also said there was no point in securing Bagram Air Base during the evacuation because it would have required thousands of additional U.S. troops. It would also have required a ‘dangerous trek by evacuees’ across Taliban territory, making the evacuation even more difficult.

Kirby also mentioned that there was no handover of U.S. equipment to the Taliban.

‘That equipment had been provided to Afghan security forces appropriately and with congressional approval over the course of two decades of war,’ he said. ‘That equipment was left by those Afghan forces when they surrendered or stopped fighting.’

Finally, Kirby told reporters the Biden administration did not deceive, lie or fail to be transparent during, or after the withdrawal.

‘We did the best we could every day to keep the American people informed of what was happening,’ he said. ‘We conducted our own after-action reports and shared those, too, with the public.’

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

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Mike Pence, other former top Trump officials featured in Harris campaign ad slamming Trump as ‘dangerous’

A new ad from the Harris campaign slamming Donald Trump as ‘dangerous’ will feature comments from several former top Trump officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence.

The ad, titled, ‘The Best People,’ seeks to bring old criticisms targeted at Trump — from former top officials he once hired — back into the spotlight. It will be aired the same day as ABC’s presidential debate Tuesday, and is scheduled to play on multiple Fox affiliates across the country.

‘Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,’ Pence said in August 2023. It came after an indictment was handed down against former president Trump for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election results. The Harris campaign utilized the remark in its new ad, as well as a second remark made by Pence on Fox News roughly six months ago, saying he would not be endorsing Trump for president. 

‘Take it from the people who knew him best,’ a narrator says in the advertisement.

But despite the former vice president’s cameo appearance slamming Trump in the new ad, his decision not to endorse Trump does not equate to an endorsement for Kamala Harris, a spokesperson for Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit recently founded by Pence, suggested. The spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to a particular comment from Pence made last month in Atlanta, Georgia, during which Pence stated adamantly: ‘I could never vote for Kamala Harris as President of the United States, or Tim Walz her running mate.’

The new Harris campaign advertisement also included year-old remarks from the former defense secretary under Trump, Mark Esper.

Esper’s comments utilized in the ad came from a June 2023 CNN interview, during which he was asked whether Trump ‘can be trusted’ with the nation’s secrets in light of scrutiny over how he handled classified documents after leaving the White House. ‘No,’ Esper says. ‘It’s just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our national security at risk.’

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Esper to see if he was aware of his appearance in the ad, but did not hear back.   

Meanwhile, Trump former national security adviser John Bolton and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under Trump, Gen. Mark Milley, also appeared in the new ad from the Harris campaign. Bolton and Milley both have a track record of being outspoken critics of Trump.

‘Donald Trump will cause a lot of damage,’ remarks from Bolton in the ad. ‘The only thing he cares about is Donald Trump.’ 

Bolton’s remarks highlighted in the advertisement came from an interview on CNN in October 2023 and last week, respectively.

The ad concluded with remarks from Milley made during his final address as the nation’s top military general in September 2023. ‘We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or a tyrant, or a dictator,’ Milley says in the ad. ‘And we don’t take an oath to a wannabee dictator.’

Fox News Digital reached out for comment to representatives for Bolton and Milley, but did not receive a response by publication time.  

Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, slammed the new ad as an attempt to ‘distract’ from how ‘dangerously liberal [Harris] is.’ 

‘The Kamala campaign is using the words of a few disgruntled losers because they are losing in the polls and trying to distract from the fact that Kamala is losing support from moderate Democrats who realize how dangerously liberal she is,’ Leavitt said on Monday.

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Business

Chase Bank is referring check fraud ‘glitch’ incidents to authorities

Chase Bank said it was reviewing incidents of individuals who may have participated in an online check fraud ‘glitch’ trend and referring them to law enforcement authorities.

Last weekend, social media saw millions of users engaging with posts suggesting an error at the bank was causing ATM machines to give users unlimited cash.

In fact, the meme was prompting users to commit check fraud by requesting cash they didn’t have after depositing a phony check for the amount they were seeking.

Within 24 hours, after the suspicious activity was discovered, users reported having their bank accounts blocked.

“As with any fraud-related issue, we review internally and refer to law enforcement as appropriate,’ a Chase spokesperson said in a statement. ‘Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple.”

The latest development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said the bank was reviewing ‘thousands’ of incidents. NBC News could not independently confirm the figure.

The Journal also reported there was actually a technical error that allowed customers to withdraw the full amount of the funds they requested via check — rather than the usual case of only a partial amount — before it had cleared.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed there was an error that was eventually fixed.

It is not clear how the ‘glitch’ trend began, but by last Saturday, the meme had exploded onto TikTok, where some people filmed themselves bragging about their seemingly newfound riches.

Criminal statutes on the severity of punishment for instances of check fraud vary by state. In California, misdemeanor check fraud charges can carry a one-year prison term plus financial penalties. In New York, misdemeanor check fraud can entail up to three months in jail and a fine.

But the charges can be stiffer depending on the amount of funds implicated in the incident and the individual’s criminal history.

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Sports

Haason Reddick is still holding out on the Jets. How much is it costing?

The New York Jets finally have Aaron Rodgers healthy and are looking to blossom into a legitimate contender in the AFC.

Still, when they open their season Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, they will be missing a key piece they envisioned being part of their program. Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Haason Reddick has been on a holdout since the Jets traded for him in March, skipping all mandatory offseason sessions, including training camp.

New York, which let edge rusher Bryce Huff walk in free agency, was looking to Reddick as a blue-chip player to bolster their pass rush — an area where the Jets excelled last season. New York ranked fifth in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt (9.2%), but Reddick, 29, made both his Pro Bowls in each of the last two seasons with the Eagles. Over the last four years, Reddick has compiled 50.5 sacks, including 16 in 2022, which tied him for second-best in the NFL.

Here’s everything you need to know about Haason Reddick’s holdout with the New York Jets:

Why is Haason Reddick holding out?

It is reportedly over his desire for a long-term contract, something that dates back to his final days in Philadelphia. In 2022, the Eagles signed Reddick to a three-year, $45 million contract that quickly became a bargain based on his on-field performance. The first year of his contract, he was named a second-team All-Pro after generating 16 sacks.

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Reddick was reportedly looking for Philadelphia to re-work his contract, though the Eagles in February reportedly allowed Reddick to seek a trade. The assumption was Reddick would continue to seek a long-term deal from any team that acquired him in a potential trade. Reddick is set to enter the final year of his contract, which would have paid him $14.25 million in base salary, per Spotrac.com.

For comparison’s sake, the average annual value of his current deals ranks him tied for 19th among edge rushers, behind players such as Alex Highsmith (Steelers; 29.5 sacks over prior four seasons), Bryce Huff (Eagles; 17.5), Harold Landry (Titans; 28; missed entire 2022 season) and Jonathan Greenard (Vikings; 23).

Once the Jets traded for him, Reddick was in the team facility April 1 for a press conference and expressed optimism about joining the team. Since then, however, he has not returned to the Florham Park, N.J. facility.

‘All options are open,’ Reddick said then, when asked if he would consider playing out the remainder of his contract on a one-year rental. ‘Right now, I’m currently just worried about being here, meeting everybody that’s in the building today. The contractual stuff, I’m leaving up to my agent and (general manager) Joe (Douglas).

‘But whatever happens, I’m going to be happy. I’m going to give my all, no matter what. That’s just who I am as a person. So no matter how it goes, how many years, I’m going to be here for however long I’m here for, and I’m going to give the team, the fans, everything that I have.’

In August, only four months after New York acquired him, Reddick requested a trade from the Jets — a request the team said it would not grant.

How much is Haason Reddick’s holdout costing him?

According to the Athletic, Reddick will forfeit a check of $791,666 for each game he misses. And, since he is not an active member of New York’s roster Week 1, his contract ceases becoming guaranteed. That will be tacked on to the more than $5 million in fines he already accumulated for missing training camp, according to ESPN. Because Reddick isn’t on his rookie contract, his fines for days missed during training camp cannot be waived and are NFL-mandated.

What have the Jets said about Haason Reddick’s holdout?

For the most part, the Jets continue to insist they will support Reddick if he reports to the team.

‘I’ll stand firm that when he gets here, we’re going to welcome him with open arms,’ Jets coach Robert Saleh said Saturday during a news conference. ‘We’re going to love him up, and he’s going to be a part of this football team and he’s going to help us win a lot of football games. He’s got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business.’

Added defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, in July: ‘I try to stay out of all that, but I know he’s an amazing player, an amazing person. And I know this organization is amazing at getting these things done in a decent time. He’s a phenomenal player, and when he steps on the field, he changes the aura.’

What did the New York Jets give up in the trade for Haason Reddick?

In the March trade that sent Reddick to the Jets, New York gave up a 2026 third-round selection that could become a second-round pick if Reddick plays at least 67.5% of this season and has 10 or more sacks.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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