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Hakeem Jeffries unleashes personal attack against Karoline Leavitt, calls her ‘sick’ and ‘demented’

The top Democrat in the House of Representatives attacked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt with a slew of insults on Friday.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republican officials of unjustly going after Democrats amid a controversy over a swastika flag found in a House GOP lawmaker’s office this week, though the lawmaker denied he or his staff played any role. Jeffries made the comments during a press conference with reporters on day 17 of the ongoing government shutdown.

‘You’ve got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick. She’s out of control. And I’m not sure whether she’s just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar, or all of the above,’ Jeffries said.

‘But the notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals, and undocumented immigrants makes no sense, that this is what the American people are getting from the Trump administration in the middle of a shutdown.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

Jeffries had been asked about the swastika, which was reportedly embedded into a small American flag that was hanging on a cork board in the office of Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio. It was first reported by a local Ohio social media reporter who goes by the X handle ‘The Rooster.’

Taylor said in a statement to Fox News that several offices were targeted with the flag, which he said was the work of an ‘unidentified group’ in a coordinated opposition campaign.

‘New details have emerged from a coordinated investigation into the vile symbol that appeared in my office. Numerous Republican offices have confirmed that they were targeted by an unidentified group or individual who distributed American flags bearing a similar symbol, which were initially indistinguishable from an ordinary American flag to the naked eye,’ Taylor said. 

‘After a full-scale internal investigation, I am confident that no employee of this office would knowingly display such a despicable image, and the flag in question was taken down immediately upon the discovery of the obscured symbol it bore.’

It’s not immediately clear why the events made Jeffries invoke Leavitt specifically, however.

Tensions have run high on both sides as the shutdown drags on, and the standoff shows no signs of slowing down.

In fact, it’s expected to roll into its fourth week after Senate Democrats blocked the GOP’s federal funding measure for a fourth time on Thursday before leaving Washington for the weekend.

Republicans put forward last month a seven-week extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a long-term deal for FY2026.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were infuriated by being sidelined in those talks. The majority of Democrats are refusing to accept any deal that does not include serious healthcare concessions, at least extending COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

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John Bolton pleads not guilty to charges of sharing classified information

Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to all 18 counts related to the improper handling of classified materials after surrendering to federal authorities in Maryland.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan explained the charges to Bolton and asked if he understood them and the potential penalties of up to ten years per count and a maximum fine of $250,000 per count. 

‘I do your honor,’ Bolton said during his arraignment at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md. 

He was indicted on eight counts of transmission of national defense information and ten counts of retention of national defense information.

‘From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor — including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level — with two unauthorized individuals, namely Individuals 1 and 2,’ the indictment reads. ‘BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland.’

The documents Bolton allegedly transmitted were sent to two individuals unauthorized to view classified documents, the indictment said.

Those documents, according to the indictment, revealed intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country, a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future and a covert action in a foreign country that was related to sensitive intergovernmental actions, among other information.

‘The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,’ said FBI Director Kash Patel. ‘The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.’

Photographers snapped images of Bolton leaving his home in Bethesda, Md., earlier Friday. He was later captured on news cameras walking into the federal courthouse. 

When asked by Fox News at the scene if he had a comment, Bolton just walked into the building.

Bolton’s Maryland home had been raided by FBI agents in August. That search was focused on classified documents that investigators believed Bolton possessed. 

‘Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,’ Bolton said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press, referencing President Donald Trump.

Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, added in a statement to the AP that the ‘underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago.’

‘Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime,’ he said, noting that Bolton ‘did not unlawfully share or store any information.’

Lowell told the AP that the charges Bolton faces are linked to portions of Bolton’s personal diaries and included unclassified information that was shared with only immediate family members. Lowell also said this was known to the FBI dating back to at least 2021.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Trump’s US attorneys in blue states face legal challenges that could upend key prosecutions

Trump-appointed lawyers leading key federal court districts in blue states have become wrapped up in legal disputes that are testing their authority and threatening to undermine criminal cases they are overseeing.

U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who brought a high-profile indictment against former FBI Director James Comey in Virginia, is in the hot seat, as are President Donald Trump’s appointees in New Jersey, California and Nevada.

In a sign of his growing frustration over the matter, Trump wrote in a pair of statements Thursday night that he had ‘eight GREAT Republican U.S. Attorney Candidates’ who did not have a path to Senate confirmation in blue states, blaming the upper chamber’s ‘blue slip’ tradition. He called the precedent, which requires home-state senators to approve of U.S. attorney nominees, ‘stupid and outdated.’

Vulnerability in Virginia 

Trump nominated Erik Siebert to be U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, but he ousted Siebert in September and blamed it on Siebert securing blue slips from the state’s two Democratic senators. In reality, Siebert opposed bringing criminal charges against two of Trump’s top political nemeses, Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

At Trump’s direction, Halligan, a former insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, entered the scene within days.

Halligan brought indictments against both Comey and James, which could now come back to haunt the Department of Justice.

Josh Blackman, professor at South Texas College of Law, noted that when she charged Comey, Halligan was the lone prosecutor to sign his indictment alleging he made a false statement to Congress. Comey has since told the court that he plans to contest Halligan’s authority because of the unconventional way Trump installed her to lead the U.S. attorney’s office.

‘The Halligan issue is central to the James Comey prosecution, and if, for whatever reason, it’s found that she was not properly appointed — she was the only person who signed the Comey indictment — that indictment’s thrown out, so the stakes are actually pretty high,’ Blackman told Fox News Digital.

The judge could also toss out Comey’s case on other grounds before addressing Halligan’s appointment, which could allow the court to avoid addressing the matter.

Halligan was also the lone prosecutor to sign James’ bank fraud indictment. By contrast, several prosecutors appeared in court on Thursday for former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s indictment in Maryland and signed onto the 26-page charging document.

‘Utterly implausible’ that president can’t choose his appointees

Halligan is not the only temporary U.S. attorney facing scrutiny. Another Trump ally, Alina Habba, has seen her authority called into question in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, where Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim refuse to support her, creating at least one insurmountable obstacle to her permanent confirmation.

When Habba’s interim term expired, Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi used a series of loopholes in federal vacancy laws to bypass the Senate, fire Habba’s court-appointed successor and re-install Habba as ‘acting’ U.S. attorney, which carries a 210-day term.

Judge Matthew Brann found Habba’s appointment was unlawful, and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit will hear arguments over Habba’s appointment on Monday in a case that could be headed for the Supreme Court.

In court papers, the DOJ argued federal vacancy laws established by Congress and the Constitution favored the president.

‘It is utterly implausible that Congress intended the default to be that the President must rely on career officials who may disagree with his policies to serve as acting political officers during the critical period at the start of an administration,’ DOJ lawyers wrote.

But the trend of challenging Trump’s workarounds did not stop with Habba.

More blue state blues

A federal judge disqualified Sigal Chattah from serving as the temporary U.S. attorney in Nevada, while Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli is facing a court challenge after Trump and Bondi extended his tenure in the Central District of California, where pivotal immigration-related cases are playing out.

Three sets of defendants facing charges in California are seeking to have their cases tossed on the grounds that Essayli is an invalid appointee. They alleged in court filings that using loopholes to skip over Essayli’s Senate confirmation is following ‘a handbook for circumventing the protections that the Constitution and Congress built against the limitless, unaccountable handpicking of temporary officials.’

Carl Tobias, professor at University of Richmond law school, told Fox News Digital in August that Trump’s maneuvers to keep his most loyal prosecutors in positions of power defy the spirit of the Constitution.

‘It’s good to have that scrutiny from the Judiciary Committee and then on the [Senate] floor, and so hopefully they could return to something like that, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen, and so I think it is troubling,’ Tobias said.

Although the contentious fight for presidents to push their nominees through the Senate is not new, Blackman said Trump’s escalation of the disputes is uncharted territory and that the issue is ‘two-fold.’

‘The first problem is the senators are perhaps not giving deference to Trump’s picks if they don’t have to,’ Blackman said. ‘The second issue is, does the law actually permit these sort of workarounds? And I think Trump is sort of pushing novel grounds. This hasn’t really been tested before like this.’

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Iran’s execution rate tops 1,000 this year as death row inmates launch hunger strike

The regime in Iran was described as being on an ‘unprecedented execution spree’ by the United Nations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out more than 1,000 executions since the start of the year.

With as many as nine executions each day at the time of their report, OHCHR said that victims were primarily accused of murder and drug-related crimes.

In an effort to raise worldwide awareness of their situation, some 1,500 Iranian prisoners on death row in Ward 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison staged a hunger strike on Oct. 13. Among them were 17 members of the Iranian dissident organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK). 

A spokesperson from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital that Iran previously executed two MEK members on July 27 and has yet to return their bodies to their families.

The hunger strike has spread to Wards 1 and 4 in Ghezel Hesar Prison, as well as to the notorious Evin Prison. The NCRI claims that prison officials have attempted to break the strike and has shared footage of prisoners in Ward 3 eating food to ‘falsely claim that there is no hunger strike in Ward 2.’

In an exclusive statement provided to Fox News Digital, the striking prisoners said, ‘Our patience has run out over this endless oppression and the taking of the lives of prisoners and young people. Every day and every week, some of our cellmates are sent to the gallows, and many of us spend our nights in the nightmare of death. These are the most agonizing moments of our lives and of our families. We demand the abolition of the death penalty in Iran.’

The NCRI told Fox News Digital that executions have increased in recent days, with 38 executions taking place between Oct. 13 and Oct. 15. This drove the total ‘number of executions during the 14½ months of [Masoud] Pezeshkian’s presidency’ to ‘an unprecedented record of 2,008 prisoners.’

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, called ‘for immediate action by the United Nations, U.N. Security Council members, the European Union, and international human rights organizations to end this horrific nightmare in Iran under the rule of the criminal mullahs.’

Iranian prisoners have called on U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to speak out and intervene on their behalf.

Fox News Digital asked if the U.S. State Department is considering additional sanctions against Iranian leaders in response to the rash of executions. A State Department spokesperson said, ‘We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s use of executions to kill people for exercising basic human rights, including peacefully protesting for a better life.’

‘For decades, Iranians have been subjected to torture and sham trials resulting in executions and other severe punishments, often with those coerced confessions as the only evidence presented against them. We will continue to hold the Iranian regime accountable, ensuring it faces severe consequences for its heinous acts,’ the spokesperson continued.

Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for Guterres, told Fox News Digital, ‘We stand firmly against and continue to condemn the use of the death penalty in Iran, and anywhere else in the world.’

Earlier this month, the U.N. Human Rights Council drew widespread condemnation after it elected Iran to its advisory committee. 

 

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Rashee Rice, Mike Vrabel highlight what to watch in NFL Week 7

Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is set to return from a six-game suspension.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will face the Titans, the team he coached for six seasons.
The NFL’s top two scrimmage yards leaders, Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey, will face off on Sunday night.

There are 17 NFL teams above .500 entering Week 7. The 5-1 Indianapolis Colts have the AFC’s best record. While the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the NFC’s top record. Both teams have tough road games this week.

The New York Jets remain the NFL’s lone winless team.

There have been 27 contests with a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most through Week 6 in NFL history, via NFL Research. We’ll certainly have more this week with plenty of good matchups.

USA TODAY Sports examines five things to watch in Week 7:

Chiefs get Rashee Rice back from suspension

It was premature to write off the Chiefs.

Fresh off their biggest win of the young season, the Chiefs will now welcome in their top wide receiver. Rice is set to make his season debut after his six-game suspension.

Rice is the possession receiver, yards after catch creator and go-to wideout Kansas City’s been missing.

Rice’s return means the Chiefs will finally have their full complement of wide receivers. It will mark the first time Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown will all be on the field together for a regular-season game.  

“I think they’re looking forward to it maybe even more than I’m looking forward to it. They’re excited to play together, those three are very close,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. “It will be great to get him (Rashee Rice) back going and in the swing.”

The Chiefs host a Raiders club with the AFC West’s worst pass defense.

“He’s gonna want to be out there every single play,” Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said of Rice this week. “That’s just the mentality that he has. I think it’s gonna be our job as teammates and coaches to kind of build him back the right way, but it’s gonna be hard to keep him off the field for sure.”

Mike Vrabel returns to Tennessee

The Patriots head coach is returning to Tennessee this week, a franchise he coached for six seasons (2018-23). Vrabel had a 54-45 career regular-season record and went 2-3 in the postseason as the Titans head coach.

Vrabel landed in a suitable situation with the Patriots after being dismissed by the Titans. He’s guided New England to a 4-2 start, and they are currently atop the AFC East.

“I’m grateful for another opportunity and being here. I love being here and everything else,” Vrabel said this week. “You just hope if you get another shot and another opportunity, like we tell our players, be ready for it and take advantage of it.”

On the other side, it could be a bit of karma in Tennessee. The Titans are looking for a long-term solution at head coach since firing Vrabel following the 2023 season. The Titans parted ways with Vrabel’s successor, Brian Callahan, after just 23 games at the helm.

Mike McCoy’s been given the interim head coaching tag with the Titans. The Titans’ primary objective should be to successfully build around quarterback Cam Ward.

Jonathan Taylor vs. vulnerable Chargers run defense

Taylor is a midseason candidate for NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

The Colts running back enters Week 7 with a league-leading 603 rushing yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage. He’s registered an NFL-best 422 rushing yards after contact. He has a favorable matchup against a Chargers defense that’s allowed a 100-yard rusher in the past two contests.

“I don’t even think any of us really know what he’s capable of, but I think he’s going to show us this year,” Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. told reporters earlier this week. “I see him this year, everything he’s doing, and that’s a credit to him, credit to our o-line. I mean, they are blocking their tails off and they’re busting their (expletive) like every single day.”

Taylor is the only player in the AFC with at least 85 yards from scrimmage in each of the first six weeks. Indianapolis ranks fourth in the NFL in run block win rate, per ESPN.

The 5-1 Colts have the AFC’s best record. Indy’s off to its best start since 2009.

Scrimmage yards leaders go head-to-head Sunday night

The Falcons vs. 49ers game on Sunday night features two of the top running backs in the league in Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey. The two represent the NFL’s top scrimmage yards leaders entering Week 7.

Robinson’s compiled an NFL-best 822 yards from scrimmage. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 after he produced 238 yards from scrimmage (170 rushing and 68 receiving) and a touchdown in a victory against Buffalo.

“He’s the best player in football. I’ve said it multiple times. I can’t say it enough,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said of Robinson after the team’s Week 6 victory. “You can always have your pick. You can always go out there and figure out who you want to vote for, but in my opinion he’s the best player in football.” 

The 49ers have been ravaged by injuries this season, star linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) being the latest loss. But running back Christian McCaffrey’s given San Francisco reason to be optimistic. McCaffrey’s tallied 780 yards from scrimmage, which ranks second in the NFL. McCaffrey became the first running back in NFL history with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his team’s first six games of a season, per NFL Research.

NFC championship game preview?

There’s another Monday Night Football doubleheader this week, but the marquee matchup is the Bucs vs. Lions.

The 5-1 Bucs enter Week 7 with the best record in the NFC. The 4-2 Lions are coming off a loss but are 2-0 at home.

Mayfield (10,083 passing yards and 81 touchdown passes) and Goff (10,594 passing yards and 81 touchdown passes) are the top two players in passing yards and touchdown passes in the NFL since 2023, per NFL Research.

“They’re playing hot football, it’s a very good team,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Baker Mayfield. The way he plays, his leadership, his ability to push the ball down the field, make plays with his legs. I just think he’s playing at a high level.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Who are the best centers in the NBA this season? We rank the top 10

The NBA may not be the ‘big man’s game’ that it once was, but there’s still some benefit in having a dominant center in 2025.

Several players across the league continue to demonstrate that, including Denver Nuggets standout Nikola Jokić, who has been a legitimate MVP candidate every season since 2018-19. He won the award three times (2021, 2022, 2024).

There have been other notable big men who have also won the MVP in recent years, such as Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, while others like Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs have MVP-like potential.

NOTE: Players expected to miss most of, or the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season were not included.

Top 10 centers for the 2025-26 NBA season

1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

Our experts said: Three players – Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo – received at least one first-place vote, but it was Jokić who ran away with the top spot on this list, drawing 10 first-place selections from the panel. Jokić, 30, has finished first or second in MVP voting in each of the last five seasons, with three awards. He became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a single season, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62) and Jokić ‘s teammate from last year, Russell Westbrook (four times). He is the best passing big in the world and draws so much defensive attention, which creates scoring chances for his teammates. He shines in the clutch, has unparalleled footwork in the post and has an unconventional shot that has become wildly efficient. Jokić set career highs last season in 3-point attempts (4.7) and conversions (2.0) per game and 3-point shooting percentage (41.7%).

2.  Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Our experts said: When healthy, Wembanyama is the league’s top defender and is starting to become a unique threat on offense as well. His shooting ability and range, at his size, is unlike anything the NBA has ever seen. If the Spurs can achieve anything this year – in this case, even sniff a playoff berth – this could mark the beginning of Wembanyama being in the MVP conversation for years to come.

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Our experts said: Embiid played just 19 games due to a knee injury, in what was a disastrous season for the 76ers. When healthy, Embiid shot 44.4% from the field. He could help lead Philly back to the postseason, but he needs to be on the floor. Embiid was the most polarizing player on the list; he was ranked as high as 5th and as low as 38th.

4. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

Our experts said: Adebayo will continue to serve as a focal point for the Heat this upcoming season. He has flown under the radar after the Heat finished the season 37-45 and 10th in the Eastern Conference. It was a down season for Adebayo, falling short of making one of the All-Defensive Teams for the first time since the 2019-20 season. He had also been a consistent top-five player among Defensive Player of the Year voting, but finished 10th last season.

5. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

Our experts said: Şengün is looking to build off a breakout season with Houston. The first-time All-Star averaged a double-double for the season.  He also contributed to the overall team success, leading the Rockets back to the playoffs as the second seed in the West.

6. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Our experts said: Chet is coming off a championship season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played in just 32 of his 114 career games last season but was valuable when he was on the court, averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

7. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings

Our experts said: Sabonis produced a double-double for his sixth consecutive season. The two-time All-NBA third team player will serve as the centerpiece for the Kings in his fifth season in Sacramento. Without another star player to accompany him on the roster, he will likely be the focal point of opposing game plans.

8. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves

Our experts said: The 33-year-old Frenchman has continued to be a problem on the defensive end for the Timberwolves. He is one of five players to average 11+ rebounds and 2+ blocks throughout their entire career, according to basketball reference. It will be his 13th season in the league and fourth with Minnesota.

9. Ivica Zubac, L.A. Clippers

Our experts said: He continues to prove he’s a valuable asset for the Clippers. He played a career-high 32.8 minutes per game last season. He will continue to play a big role for the Clippers’ defense, which produced the third-best defensive rating. Zubac won’t have to try to shoulder the load alone this year after L.A. made the extra efforts to bring in some other backup bigs.

10. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

Our experts said: Jarrett Allen played in all 82 games for Cleveland last season, the most he’s played in a single season. He contributed to the Cavaliers’ 64-18 overall record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

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Who runs the AFC North? Just maybe Joe Flacco … and the Browns

Joe Flacco won his first home start for the Bengals. Will it be the first of many this season?
Cincinnati has embarked on a three-game homestand but will see the Steelers again very soon.
As for the Browns? Expect their decisions to continue impacting their division’s outcome in 2025.

Week 18. Jan. 4, 2026. “Sunday Night Football.” Joe Flacco vs. Shedeur Sanders, flexed into prime time at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium with the AFC North title hanging in the balance.

OK, maybe this crystal ball is about as accurate as Flacco was with his previous team. But after watching the Bengals’ new/temporary/galvanizing/graybeard QB1 knock off the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31 on Thursday night while ending his latest club’s four-game slide, it’s already worth wondering: Are the lowly Cleveland Browns ultimately going to determine their division’s champion?

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin already gave the notion credence, seeing it coming from a mile away when he uncharacteristically lashed out Monday.

“Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area,” Tomlin said of Cleveland’s general manager, who traded Flacco to the Joe Burrow-less Bengals last week.

“But that’s just my personal feeling.”

And it probably was a little bit … personal?

Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured coach – hired by Pittsburgh in 2007 – has been combatting Flacco, 40, with mixed results, for most of the past 18 seasons. The still strong-armed Super Bowl 47 MVP has now faced the Steelers 26 times in his career, playoffs included and – yep – he’s been on the winning side against Tomlin 13 times. The Steelers coach was more circumspect amid the fresh Flacco fallout Thursday night.

“They did what was required to win – they made a few more plays than we did,” Tomlin said of the Bengals.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t compliment them, they fought their tails off.”

But you think he and the Steelers wouldn’t have preferred the opportunity to work over Jake Browning, who was mostly abysmal in his three starts following the Week 2 toe injury Burrow sustained and is now trying to come back from, potentially at some point in December?

Flacco clearly enjoyed this latest chapter with Pittsburgh, saying Thursday night that many of his football war stories involve losses to the Steelers.

“I have so much respect for Mike and the battle that we’ve had,’ said Flacco as a smile broke across his face at the postgame podium. ‘I always find a way to play them. I love playing them.

“Those games against those guys – like in my career – those games have been different than others, just the physicality and the energy.

‘Nothing but respect for (Tomlin).”

The question now becomes: Have the Browns irreversibly − maybe even disrespectfully! − changed the AFC North’s stripes in 2025? Consider:

The Bengals seem to have a new lease on life, starting a three-game homestand with Thursday’s win. Now, they can enjoy a 10-day interlude before hosting the winless New York Jets, with the Chicago Bears up after that. After a Week 10 bye, the Flacco-ful, Browning-less Bengals go to Pittsburgh, where they generally give the Steelers more problems than they typically do in Cincinnati.

The Bengals’ schedule serves up Flacco’s original team, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 13 (Thanksgiving) and 15, by which point Burrow could be close to a return … unless Flacco is the better option. Regardless, there’s now renewed hope − for both teams − that those could now be relevant matchups.

And to extrapolate this just a bit more, Cleveland will face all of its divisional adversaries once more this season, including the Steelers in Week 17 and the Bengals in the regular-season finale. And the Browns obviously won’t be helmed by Flacco, who rolled off the couch to spark them to the playoffs in 2023 but struggled mightily last month while trying to operate a limited offense. Moving forward Cleveland will instead presumably still be evaluating rookie QB Dillon Gabriel and/or Sanders, arguably the highest-profile of their players – if one who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap. Yet. However, owner Jimmy Haslam has expressed a desire to see Sanders play at some point.

Got all that?

Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to hope 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains upright and can continue to dink and dunk Pittsburgh to the division crown. The Ravens hope their prodigiously talented roster, namely two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, can be sufficiently healthy down the stretch to salvage the season following a stunning, injury-marred 1-5 start. The Bengals, who finally left the gate 2-0 for the first time in the Burrow era, will have to hope he can get back – right? – to trigger the high-powered offense he advocated for before Cincy’s historically miserly front office essentially bet most of its cap space that Burrow and wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins could finally lead this 57-year-old franchise out of The Jungle and to Lombardi Land.

Chase and Flacco seem to be enjoying an already near-instant rapport, hooking up 26 times for 255 yards and two TDs – most of that after Flacco’s first-half mulligan during his Bengals debut at Green Bay on Sunday. He’s even still trying to discern some of the play calls as they’re sifted through head coach Zac Taylor’s Oklahoma accent. But generally speaking? So far, so good.

“You hope you can come in here and play well,” Flacco said after beating the Steelers. “Now to go out there and have done it for like the last six quarters, I think it’s gonna give us a lot of confidence. And hopefully we can carry that over and use it to our advantage.”

He targeted Chase 23 times against Pittsburgh, more than the rest of Cincinnati’s players combined, hitting him 16 times for 161 yards and a score. Flacco finished with 342 yards and three TDs through the air, though Cincinnati’s offense was also unusally balanced for a change − churning out a season-high (by far) 142 rushing yards.

“Honestly, it’s been amazing,” Chase said on Prime Video’s postgame set.

As for the Browns? They don’t have their quarterback of the past – as in their Week 1 starter. Their quarterback(s) of the present have yet to win a game. Their quarterback of the future may arrive via one of their two first-round picks in 2026. And Cleveland is clearly more incentivized to offload veterans like Flacco – at the mere cost of upgrading a sixth-round draft pick to a fifth next year – than trying to win as many games as possible in the moment.

It’s an approach that’s already cost the Steelers and could have further repercussions.

And Bengals fans know it, appropriately chanting after Thursday’s potentially season-salvaging triumph: “Thank you, Cleveland.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Trump rips ‘stupid and outdated’ Senate tradition blocking US attorney nominees

President Donald Trump called out Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley while asserting that multiple U.S. attorney picks remain unconfirmed because Grassley is honoring the blue slip tradition.

The arcane custom involves showing deference to home-state senators by allowing them to stymie the confirmation of nominees they do not like. 

‘I have eight GREAT U.S. Attorneys, Highly Respected ALL, who will not be confirmed for their positions in various Highly Consequential States only because they’re Republicans, and the Democrats have convinced Chuck Grassley to honor the stupid and outdated ‘Blue Slip’ tradition, which precludes very talented and dedicated people from attaining High Office,’ the president asserted in part of a Truth Social post on Thursday night.

In a portion of another post, the president claimed, ‘A ‘Blue Slip’ means that if you’re a Republican President, and there happens to be just one Democrat Senator in a state where you are appointing a U.S. Attorney or District Court Judge, you will never be successful in getting a Republican confirmed. In other words, ‘Blue Slips’ are a disaster, and I have eight GREAT Republican U.S. Attorney Candidates who will not be able to fulfill their service to the people of a state that voted overwhelmingly for me.’

The president has repeatedly sounded off about the blue slip issue this year.

‘Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!’ Trump asserted in part of an August Truth Social post.

A Grassley spokesperson responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Friday by pointing to an August post on X in which the senator addressed the blue slip issue.

‘A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not hv the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t hv the votes to get out of cmte As chairman I set Pres Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE,’ the senator asserted in the post.

In another post the same day in August, Grassley wrote, ‘The 100 yr old ‘blue slip’ allows home state senators 2 hv input on US attys & district court judges,’ adding, ‘In Biden admin Republicans kept 30 LIBERALS OFF BENCH THAT PRES TRUMP CAN NOW FILL W CONSERVATIVES.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Politics

John Bolton surrenders to face charges of sharing classified information

Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton surrendered to federal authorities Friday after being indicted on 18 counts related to the improper handling of classified materials.

Photographers snapped images of Bolton leaving his home in Bethesda, Md., earlier Friday. He was later captured on news cameras walking into the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md.

When asked by Fox News at the scene if he had a comment, Bolton just walked into the building.

Bolton was indicted on eight counts of transmission of national defense information and ten counts of retention of national defense information.

‘From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor — including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level — with two unauthorized individuals, namely Individuals 1 and 2,’ the indictment reads. ‘BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland.’

The documents Bolton allegedly transmitted were sent to two individuals unauthorized to view classified documents, the indictment said.

Those documents, according to the indictment, revealed intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country, a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future and a covert action in a foreign country that was related to sensitive intergovernmental actions, among other information.

‘The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,’ said FBI Director Kash Patel. ‘The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.’

Bolton’s Maryland home had been raided by FBI agents in August. That search was focused on classified documents that investigators believed Bolton possessed. 

‘Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,’ Bolton said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press, referencing President Donald Trump.

Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, added in a statement to the AP that the ‘underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago.’

‘Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime,’ he said, noting that Bolton ‘did not unlawfully share or store any information.’

Lowell told the AP that the charges Bolton faces are linked to portions of Bolton’s personal diaries and included unclassified information that was shared with only immediate family members. Lowell also said this was known to the FBI dating back to at least 2021.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Sports

MLB manager jokes 41-year-old ‘was going to kill me’ in playoff game

Yet while some things will be forever, a 41-year-old with a surgically repaired back and a balky thumb that may portend arm trouble and thinning hair beneath his Toronto Blue Jays cap – fifth team in five years – suggests something else.

That it might be wise to take a look around, to cherish the moment, to appreciate the opportunity before the man never again throws another competitive pitch.

Then again, Mad Max could never.

The mound-stalking, snarling, three-time Cy Young Award winner has been largely missing the past four years, disappeared due to injury and a general lack of dominance and changes of addresses that, combined with performance, might gently suggest that his voice ought not be the loudest in the room.

Yet Scherzer’s Toronto era took a massive turn Oct. 17, two outs, fifth inning, Game 4, John Schneider heading out to the mound and, even though they’ve been co-workers since January, about to really meet Scherzer for the first time.

There were death stares and cuss words and raised voices – OK, all of that from Scherzer – and bemused infielders watching a future Hall of Famer take on his purest form.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” says Schneider. “It was great.”

Yeah, it takes a certain kind of masochist to manage a major league team, and a certain touch to realize that, even as most playoff starts nowadays are expired by the fourth inning, and that Scherzer’s Seattle Mariners counterpart, Luis Castillo, was hooked in the third inning, that performance – and pedigree – earns some slack.

“I’ve been waiting for that all year, for Max to yell at me on the mound,” Schneider told reporters in Seattle. “I think at that point there’s numbers, there’s projections, there’s strategy, and there’s people.

“So I was trusting people.”

And Scherzer rewarded him, striking out Randy Arozarena with a nasty curveball to strand a runner, and preserve Toronto’s four-run lead in an eventual 8-2 victory.

This ALCS is now tied, 2-2, just 48 hours after the Blue Jays stared at a 2-0 deficit and the notion that the next time the lads would toss the ball around together might come in Dunedin, not Toronto.

Yet suddenly, the Blue Jays are outflanking the Mariners in the most important ways. Their starters are pitching deeper into games, exposing Seattle’s bullpen further. They amassed 29 hits in two games in Seattle, with Game 5 in front of their Western Canada supporters to come.

It’s what one expects from the No. 1 seed in these AL playoffs. It’s just that Scherzer wasn’t expected to be a key part of it.

He hadn’t pitched since Sept. 24, the Blue Jays excluding him from the ALDS roster because a four- or five-inning starter who doesn’t miss a ton of bats simply had no role in that format.

And to be brutally honest, Scherzer’s last four postseason starts dating to 2022 produced an 0-2 record, 8.79 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.

In his last October run, he pitched three shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2023 World Series, then abruptly exited while warming up in the fourth, back tightness ending his postseason. The Texas Rangers went on to win the World Series; Scherzer headed for offseason back surgery.

This year, myriad aches and pains – including that vexing thumb condition – limited Scherzer to 17 starts. Game 4, though, was different: Scherzer took a minute to find his rhythm in issuing two first-inning walks, got a key double-play ball, gave up a Josh Naylor second-inning home run and then was cruising.

He was snapping his curveball, and catcher Alejandro Kirk kept pressing for it. He picked off a runner. He outlasted Castillo.

It was within all that context that Schneider strolled to the mound and stared up at the toughest dude to lift from the game.

Good luck, Schneids.

“And then all of a sudden I saw Schneids coming out, and I kind of went, ‘Woah, woah, woah,” says Scherzer in a postgame news conference. “Like, I’m not coming out of this ballgame. I feel too good.

“So we had a little conversation that basically I wanted to stay in the game but just with some other words involved. I just knew I was strong, I knew I wanted the ball, I knew I could get outs in this situation.

“I just wanted to stay in. I wanted it.”

He got it. And got Arozarena, and stalked to the dugout, leading to another Schneider-Scherzer confab –away from cameras – that Schneider described as “another fun conversation, in the tunnel.”

So Scherzer got the sixth, too, and took down two more outs before leaving to a roar from the Blue Jays fans on hand.

With two more wins, the Blue Jays will reach the World Series for the first time since 1993. That would likely ensure another Scherzer start, probably against his former Los Angeles Dodgers club.

Yet there are no guarantees, not in this game, certainly not for those north of 40. So when Schneider lifted Scherzer, he tucked the ball in his back pocket.

“I just put it in my pocket and brought it in the dugout,” says Schneider. “Pretty cool for Max to have. He’s got a lot of stuff on his mantle, but I don’t know if he wanted it.”

Perhaps someday, but maybe not now. The sentimental glances around the stadium, the mementoes, the curtain calls are at least for now, still for another day.

On this one, Mad Max was back.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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