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Dem senator says ‘no doubt’ Biden declined cognitively during presidency

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Politico that there is no question that President Joe Biden declined cognitively during his White House tenure.

‘There’s no doubt about it,’ Murphy said when the outlet asked whether Biden had undergone cognitive decline while serving as president. ‘The debate is whether it was enough that it compromised his ability to act as chief executive,’ the senator said, according to Politico.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office to request additional comment from the senator but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

During an appearance on ‘The View’ last week, Biden pushed back against the idea that he suffered significant cognitive decline during the last year of his presidency.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Joe and Jill Biden but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

During an interview on CNN last year before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential contest, Murphy said that Biden’s debate performance had ‘raised questions for voters’ regarding whether he was ‘still the old Joe Biden.’

Murphy suggested during that interview that Biden should ‘show the country that he is still the old Joe Biden,’ saying that he took Biden ‘at his word’ that he was still able to do his job. 

‘I have seen him do this job at an absolutely exceptional level. No president has had this level of legislative accomplishment in their first four years as Joe Biden,’ Murphy said.

Politico also reported that Murphy said it would have helped the Democratic Party if Biden had not run in 2024.

‘I mean, isn’t that self-evident? We lost,’ he said, according to the outlet. ‘Obviously, in retrospect, we should have done something different. The likelihood is the odds were pretty stacked against us no matter what, but clearly people were looking for change and neither Biden nor Harris were going to be able to offer a real message of change.’

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Trump makes historic UAE visit as first US president in nearly 30 years

President Donald Trump on Thursday arrived in the United Arab Emirates for his final stop in the Middle East this week in a visit that marked the first time a U.S. president has traveled to the nation in nearly 30 years, following President George W. Bush’s trip in 2008.

Trump, who has secured major business deals first in Saudi Arabia and then Qatar, is expected to announce more agreements with what has long been one of the U.S.’ chief trading partners in the region — though given recently announced trillion-dollar deals, it is unclear what more the Emiratis will agree to. 

In March, the UAE pledged a $1.4 trillion investment in the U.S. economy over the next decade through AI infrastructure, semiconductor, energy and American manufacturing initiatives, including a plan to nearly double U.S. aluminum production by investing in a new smelter for the first time in 35 years. 

On the eve of the president’s visit to the Middle Eastern nation, the State Department also announced a $1.4 billion sale of CH-47 F Chinook helicopters and F-16 fighter jet parts to Abu Dhabi.

However, lawmakers on Wednesday suggested they may block this sale amid concerns over direct personal business ties, as Trump’s crypto venture has also received a $2 billion investment by a UAE-backed investment firm.

‘If I was a betting person, I’d bet that the Emiratis almost certainly kept some things in reserve for President Trump’s actual visit that can be announced when he’s on the ground in Abu Dhabi,’ John Hannah, former national security advisor to Dick Cheney and current Randi & Charles Wax senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told Fox News Digital. ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see some new items unveiled or some additional details put out on some of the earlier announcements.’ 

‘The UAE has clearly staked its future on being the Middle East leader in a wide range of 21st-century technologies, from AI to chips to space,’ he added. ‘And of course, the shopping list for high-end weapons is almost limitless and always a possible deliverable for a trip like this.’  

Increased scrutiny arose around Trump’s Middle East tour as engagement with all three nations holds personal value to him, given the Trump Organization’s luxury resorts, hotels, golf courses, real estate projects and crypto investment schemes in the region.

But all three nations also hold significant value to Washington, as they have become key players in some of the toughest geopolitical issues facing the U.S. and its allies. 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been integral in facilitating U.S. negotiations when it comes to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and hostage negotiations in the Gaza Strip.

While neither of these issues appeared to be top points of discussion in Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, he may hit on geopolitical ties more heavily when it comes to the UAE, particularly given that Abu Dhabi is one of the few Middle Eastern nations that holds normalized diplomatic ties with Israel.

The UAE has ardently opposed Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, has called for a two-state solution, and has rejected Trump’s ‘riviera plans,’ instead favoring an Egypt-reconstruction alternative.

But Abu Dhabi has also maintained relations with the U.S.’ biggest adversaries, including China, Russia and Iran, which could be a topic of conversation during Trump’s one-day visit.

‘As everywhere on this trip, the headlines will likely be dominated by the dollar signs and deal-making,’ Hannah said. ‘But I’m personally most interested in the geopolitical angle of trying to reset the U.S.-Emirati strategic partnership, especially in the context of America’s great power competition with China and to a lesser extent Russia, and regionally with Iran.’

Hannah explained that Trump’s visit to the UAE exemplifies a recommitment by the U.S. economically and militarily to support Abu Dhabi’s ‘stability, security, and success in a dangerous neighborhood’ and could ‘pay real dividends going forward.’

 ‘The UAE’s top leadership has come to believe that putting most of its eggs into the American basket was an increasingly risky bet as one president after another decided that the Middle East was a lost cause — nothing but ‘blood and sand’ as President Trump famously said in his first term — and the country needed to pivot its focus toward Asia,’ he continued. ‘With a country as influential and resource-rich as the UAE, correcting that unhelpful perception and putting the strategic relationship back on a much more positive dynamic is an important goal.’   

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GOP reps, advocacy group to target competitive House districts in Trump tax-cut push

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is hosting a day of action on Saturday in competitive congressional districts as House Republicans iron out the details of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

AFP is teaming up with GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania for door-knocking, phone banks and grassroots organizing in a show of support for extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). 

Canvassers will encourage constituents in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania to urge their senators and representatives to extend Trump’s tax cuts as a key component of his ‘big, beautiful bill.’

‘Working families and small businesses throughout the country are counting on Congress to act as soon as possible to renew President Trump’s tax cuts,’ AFP Managing Director Kent Strang said in a statement to Fox News Digital ahead of the day of action. 

‘With support from AFP’s activists bringing their unmatched energy and drive this weekend, we can ensure we extend pro-growth tax policy and help Republicans prevent the largest tax hike in history from crushing the middle class.’

AFP is launching their day of action in conjunction with their $20 million ‘Protect Prosperity’ campaign, which the conservative advocacy group has called the single largest investment of any outside group dedicated to preserving the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

As House Republicans searched for alternative ways to offset an extension of the 2017 tax cuts and Trump’s ambitious goals to cut taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, AFP urged Republicans to offset budget cuts by eliminating former President Joe Biden’s ‘Green New Deal giveaways.’ 

The House Energy and Commerce Committee debated green energy cuts during their lengthy markup on Capitol Hill this week as part of the House budget reconciliation process. 

Meanwhile, House Republicans debated potentially raising taxes as Trump indicated his support for a small tax hike to fund his ‘big, beautiful bill.’ While rumors swirled among House Republicans for weeks that the White House was floating a tax hike on millionaires, Trump confirmed on Friday he would be ‘OK if they do.’

However, House Republicans seemed to drop their plans for a new millionaire’s tax hike as the reconciliation began. The House Ways and Means Committee released nearly 400 pages of legislation on Monday that did not include a tax hike. 

It’s no coincidence that AFP is focusing its attention on competitive districts in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania, as contentious races are expected in 2026. 

In Arizona’s sixth congressional district, Ciscomani won his House seat in 2022 with just over 50% of the vote. Schweikert narrowly won Arizona’s first congressional district by less than 2% of the vote in 2022 and 2024, as one of the most expensive House races in the country last year. 

And while Hinson won by a much larger margin in Iowa’s second congressional district, Democrat Kevin Techau has already announced his campaign to unseat Hinson. 

Both Barrett in Michigan and Mackenzie in Pennsylvania managed to pick up Republican House seats in 2024, flipping their congressional districts from blue to red. Democrats will likely seek to win those seats back in 2026. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Biden’s pandemic playbook failed. Trump just offered a smarter path forward

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

On May 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order outlawing future federal funds going to gain-of-function research. This move comes as the nation begins to reckon with the broader failures of its pandemic response – failures that extended far beyond the lab and into every aspect of public health policy.

As the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic fades into the rearview mirror, the United States finds itself engaged in postmortems: on lockdowns, vaccines, school closures and public trust. But there’s one glaring lesson the U.S. has yet to fully absorb – its health strategy during crises can’t rely on just one type of tool. A narrow, binary response to COVID-19 cost lives. The country must do better next time.

During the pandemic, the public was often presented with a simple directive: get vaccinated or take your chances. While most Americans indeed should have gotten vaccinated, policymakers should have provided more room for nuance and variation. They ignored a core truth of medicine – no single solution fits every individual. The virus evolved. Patient responses varied. But the official toolkit did not adapt.

What the U.S. needed (and still needs) is a robust, flexible public health approach that supports a range of modalities: vaccines, yes, but also antivirals, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and emerging biologics. 

A resilient system is one that can pivot quickly, match patients with the right intervention and adapt as science advances.

Monoclonal antibodies offer a clear example of what went wrong. These therapies, proven to reduce hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk patients, were widely distributed early in the pandemic and used successfully by top federal officials, including the president. But in late 2021 and early 2022, federal authorities stopped distributing them, citing reduced efficacy against new variants.

This was a mistake. mAbs are a platform technology. They can be tailored to variants and deployed quickly. They are especially important for those who don’t respond well to vaccines. But nearly five years after the start of the pandemic, no mAb has received full FDA approval for respiratory virus prevention despite meeting the same safety and efficacy benchmarks used to fast-track other medical countermeasures. 

Meanwhile, the public was encouraged to rely on booster shots which, while still additive, lost efficacy as the pandemic continued. CDC data show that the bivalent booster provided only 37% protection against hospitalization for adults over 65 after several months. For the immunocompromised, protection was even lower. Yet, therapies that could have closed that gap were taken off the table.

The U.S. should have maintained an all-of-the-above approach to treatment so its health professionals could make patient recommendations on a case-by-case basis, ensuring the most vulnerable Americans receive adequate protection. 

More broadly, five years later, the U.S. still lacks a proactive framework for deploying flexible, evidence-driven therapeutics in a public health emergency. The U.S. needs a system that doesn’t just rely on whatever is first to market; it needs one that actively supports a diversified portfolio of tools.

That means empowering agencies like the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the National Institutes of Health to invest in adaptable countermeasures – antibody platforms, broad-spectrum antivirals, rapid diagnostics and therapeutic RNA technologies. It also means modernizing the FDA’s approval pathways to reflect the pace of innovation. When real-world evidence shows that a therapy is saving lives, regulators should have the flexibility to act.

Congress can help by authorizing funding streams that reward versatility, creating incentives for companies to maintain and adapt an all-of-the-above treatment approach, and ensuring public-private partnerships are built for speed and scale. Legislation could also establish a standing procurement mechanism for variant-specific updates, not just vaccines.

All of this will help to mitigate the damage of one of the greatest casualties of the pandemic – the decline of public trust in America’s health institutions. This erosion stemmed from the sense that key decisions lacked transparency or failed to account for patients’ diverse needs.

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, only 29% of U.S. adults said they had a great deal of confidence in medical scientists, down from 40% at the beginning of the pandemic. Trust in public health officials followed a similar decline.

A more transparent, inclusive approach, where policymakers communicate the rationale behind treatment shifts and openly assess real-world outcomes, can help rebuild that trust. A better system would emphasize data-sharing, clear communication, and respect for physician judgment in tailoring care to patient needs.

COVID-19 exposed the limits of the U.S.’ current playbook. A more effective future demands flexibility, pluralism and the humility to admit health policymakers don’t always know right away what will work best, or for whom. 

But if regulators build the right system – one that encourages innovation, evaluates outcomes in real time, and keeps every safe and effective tool on the table – they won’t have to learn this lesson again the hard way.

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5 new Uber features you should know — including a way to avoid surge pricing

Uber is giving commuters new ways to travel and cut costs on frequent rides.

The ride-hailing company on Wednesday announced a route share feature on its platform, prepaid ride passes and special deals week for Uber One members at its annual Go-Get showcase.

Uber’s new features come as the company accelerates its leadership position in the ride-sharing market and seeks to offer more affordable alternatives for users. It also follows last week’s first-quarter earnings as Uber swung to a profit but fell short of revenue estimates.

“The goal for us as we build our products is to put people at the center of everything, and right now for us, it means making things a little easier, a little more predictable, and above all, just a little more — or a lot more — affordable,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the event.

Here are some of the big announcements from the annual product event.

Users looking to save money on regular routes and willing to walk a short distance can select a shared ride with up to two other passengers through the new route-share feature.

The prepopulated routes run every 20 minutes along busy areas between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. The initial program is slated to kick off in seven cities, including New York, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago.

Uber said its new route-share fares will cost up to 50% less than an UberX option, and that it is working to partner with employers on qualifying the feature for commuter benefits. Users can book a seat from 7 days to 10 minutes before a pickup departure.

Riders on Uber can now prepurchase two different types of ride passes to hold fares on frequented routes during a one-hour period every day. For $2.99 a month, riders can buy a price lock pass that holds a price between two locations for one hour every day. The pass expires after 30 days or a savings total of $50.

The feature gives riders a way to avoid surge pricing.

Ride Passes roll out in 10 cities on Wednesday, including Dallas, Orlando and San Francisco, and can be purchased for up to 10 routes a month. Uber will charge users a lower price if the fare is cheaper than the pass at departure time.

The company also debuted a prepaid pass option, allowing users to pay in advance and stock up on regular monthly trips. Uber’s pass option comes in bundles of 5, 10, 15 and 20-ride increments, with corresponding discounts between 5% and 20%.

Both pass options will be available on teen accounts in the fall, Uber said. The route share and ride passes will be available in a new commuter hub feature on the app coming later this year.

Uber is also expanding its autonomous vehicle partnership with Volkswagen.

The company will start testing shared AV rides later this year and is aiming for a launch in Los Angeles in 2026.

Uber rolled out autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, in March through its agreement with Alphabet-owned Waymo and is preparing for an Atlanta launch this summer. The company announced the partnership in May 2023. Autonomous Waymo rides are also currently offered through the Uber app in Phoenix, but the company does not directly manage that fleet.

Khosrowshahi called AVs “the single greatest opportunity ahead for Uber” during the company’s earnings call last week and said the Austin debut “exceeded” expectations. The company previously had an AV unit that it sold in 2020 as it faced high costs and a series of safety challenges, including a fatal accident.

Along with Volkswagen and Waymo, Uber has joined forces with Avride, May Mobility and self-driving trucking company Aurora for autonomous ride-sharing and freight services in the U.S. The company has partnerships with WeRide, Pony.AI and Momenta internationally.

Uber is taking a page out of Amazon’s book by offering its own variation of the e-commerce giant’s beloved Prime Day, with special offers between May 16 and 23 for Uber One members.

Some of those deals include 50% off shared rides and 20% off Uber Black. The platform is also adding a new benefit of 10% back in Uber credits for users that use Uber Rent or book Lime rides.

UberEats also announced a partnership with OpenTable to allow users to book reservations and rides.

The new feature, powered by OpenTable, launches in six countries including the U.S. and Australia.

Through the partnership, users can book restaurant reservations and get a discount on rides. OpenTable members will also be able to transfer points to Uber and UberEats. The company is also offering OpenTable VIPs a six-month free trial of Uber One.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Breaking down the NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament quarterfinals

The collegiate spring sports championship calendar rolls on this week, with women’s lacrosse taking center stage on quarterfinal Thursday. It’s an all-day showcase for the nation’s last eight teams standing, with a trip to championship weekend in Foxborough, Massachusetts, going to the four winners.

Most of the participants have been here before, including defending champion Boston College and long-time powers North Carolina and Northwestern. The top four seeds survived the tournament’s early rounds and will host these quarterfinal contests, but there is always surprise potential, especially considering several of the visiting teams have already proven they can win on the road. Here’s what you need to know.

The NCAA women’s lacrosse championship contenders

The top three seeds happen to be the three most recent champs. All three have won multiple titles, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see any of them add to their trophy case. Florida is the most likely candidate to join the first-time champs club. The Gators seek a second consecutive semifinal berth and third in program history, all under founding coach Amanda O’Leary. The Ivy League matches the ACC with three teams in the quarterfinals, but all will be road underdogs.

NCAA women’s lacrosse players to watch

The top-seeded Tar Heels are led by the Humphrey sisters. Ashley, a senior, is usually the feeder with 77 assists to go with her 29 goals. Her younger sister Chloe is the primary finisher with 77 goals and 25 helpers. The Boston College attack this year is paced by Rachel Clark (95 G, 22 A). But one mustn’t overlook Northwestern’s Madison Taylor, who has already made her mark on this postseason. In the Wildcats’ win against Michigan in the round of 16, she notched a tournament record 10 goals to bring her season-to-date total to 99. She also has 37 assists to average a lofty 7.2 points a game.

How to NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament

All four quarterfinal games on Thursday will be shown on ESPNU. They can also be streamed via ESPN+.

Here’s the schedule (times eastern):

No. 3 Northwestern vs. Penn, noon.

No. 4 Florida vs. Duke, 2:30 p.m.

No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 7 Yale, 5 p.m.

No. 1 North Carolina vs. Princeton, 7:30 p.m.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Washington Commanders are darlings of 2025 NFL season schedule release

Welcome to prime time, Washington Commanders and fans.

A year removed from entering the regular season with two prime-time matchups on the schedule, Washington is now the belle of the NFL schedule-release ball, even if the Kansas City Chiefs lead the way with eight prime-time games entering the 2025 season.

The Commanders are slated to play in 10 standalone or exclusive windows during the 2025 NFL season, the latest effect of the franchise’s revival. The Commanders of 2024, the NFL’s most surprising team that came one win away from the Super Bowl thanks to a historic rookie season from quarterback Jayden Daniels, ended up playing three prime-time games last season when their late-season tilt with the Atlanta Falcons was flexed to ‘Sunday Night Football.’

The Commanders are ‘valued really highly,’ because of the hype surrounding Daniels and last year, FOX president, insights and analytics, Michael Mulvihill told USA TODAY Sports, but also because the Washington market ‘has great football history, a franchise with a lot of history.’

“The two sleeping giants in the NFC are Chicago (Bears) and Washington,” Mulvihill said. “I think when you take a look at the schedule, the league has really leaned on those teams and those second-year quarterbacks.”

Washington is opening the ‘Thursday Night Football’ slate by traveling to Lambeau Field for a Week 2 date with the Green Bay Packers. They’re hosting two ‘SNF’ games and are on ‘Monday Night Football’ twice (one of those games is Caleb Williams and Chicago returning to the site of last season’s ‘Hail Mary’ disaster) in October. There’s a FOX Saturday standalone game on Dec. 20 (against the Philadelphia Eagles) and then appear five days later in a Netflix Christmas Day game (vs. the Dallas Cowboys).

Don’t forget the early November trip across the Atlantic Ocean to play the Miami Dolphins in the NFL’s first-ever contest in Spain (Madrid, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network).

“It’s the world stage,” NFL executive vice president for media distribution Hans Schroeder told USA TODAY Sports.

Close to home, though, the Commanders have the advantage of playing in the populated markets of the NFC East. They also play the NFC North and AFC West this season as part of the cross-divisional rotation.

“There’s just some really exciting matchups,” Schroeder told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s the excitement of the team. Those things came together in the right way.” 

Schroeder said that with four new teams on average making the playoffs each season, that by this time next year, the team (if any) that arrives in style will play the role of the 2024 Commanders during the annual schedule release.  

“We’re going to be very consistent, but…we love it when teams play their way onto bigger stages,’ said Schroeder, noting the successes of the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals leading to grander stages for those franchises.

Amazon Prime Video head of US Sports programming Jeff Kaiser said his company wanted to showcase the Commanders early in the ‘TNF’ schedule.

“It’s only his second season, but after what he did in his rookie campaign it feels like he’s been around much longer than that,’ Kaiser told USA TODAY Sports.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Ranking every NFL team’s 2025 schedule release video

Who rules the NFL (social media)?

The NFL content Super Bowl has arrived in the NFL with the 2025 schedule release. What was once just the release of the season calendar has turned into a chaotic, beautiful moment for all 32 squads. Teams go above and beyond to release videos that reveal the schedule in hilarious, dramatic format. 

Is having a top tier schedule release video indicative of a successful season? Sort of. Last season, USA TODAY Sports ranked the Arizona Cardinals as the worst video release, and they missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year. But the second-worst Denver Broncos, made the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles had the third-best, and they ended up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. The No. 1 ranked Los Angeles Chargers also made the playoffs.

The Chargers have had the top video the past two seasons. Will anyone unseat them and claim the crown?

32. Indianapolis Colts

Minecraft was a popular way to release videos. The Colts did not hold back with some of these jokes, and while some were exceptional, it resulted in the video getting deleted. The new video didn’t do any favors.

31. Cincinnati Bengals

Maybe the film should’ve actually been short.

30. Cleveland Browns

You’re not the only one confused as to what we just witnessed.

29. New England Patriots

Dave Portnoy delivers an unfunny announcement that could put you to sleep.

28. Dallas Cowboys

Just dudes being dudes, but unsure if this is a live stream worth watching.

27. Carolina Panthers

Panthers players get some weight lifted off their shoulders, just in an unfunny way.

26. Detroit Lions

While a cool look through the city, there’s nothing special happening.

25. Las Vegas Raiders

A nice look through the Raiders headquarters with subtle jokes at opponents. Some people aren’t great at acting.

24. Denver Broncos

Kids falling always get some chuckles.

23. Miami Dolphins

This goes for the motivational route, and while the animations are incredible, it wasn’t anything special.

22. New York Jets

The drawings within drawings made for some wicked art-ception.

21. Green Bay Packers

As horrifying as it is, everyone’s had these types of fever dreams before.

20. New Orleans Saints

Everyone wishes coaches would actually show an angry version of themselves, and the anger translator had some solid clap backs.

19. Kansas City Chiefs

“Cash Cab” was an iconic show, and while there was some cool trivia sprinkled in, most were too easy.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jon Gruden unboxing videos unveil cool stuff and tidbits, and the former Buccaneer coach knows how to get people hyped.

17. Philadelphia Eagles

It was simple, but you’re allowed to flex the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions.

16. Minnesota Vikings

If these tattoos are real, then there’s no denying the loyalty in Minneapolis.

15. Seattle Seahawks

With the 50th anniversary of the team, Seattle goes with the old school action figure commercial. The villain figures were a creative way to make fun of opponents.

14. Houston Texans

One of the most iconic moments in the “Scary Movie” franchise with some notable Texans fans.

13. Chicago Bears

Always expect some shenanigans with Lamorne Morris.

12. Arizona Cardinals

Mack Wilson definitely has some bars. This could be an anthem played during games.

11. Buffalo Bills

Now this is the A.I. we want to see. Simple and a great twist.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

Getting the social media star of 2025 in Ashton Hall to do his routine? The Jaguars definitely put at least 10,000 on it.

9. Washington Commanders

Some good spots with an amazing game in Roller Coaster Tycoon, but felt like it held back on some teams.

8. Los Angeles Rams

Brenda Song knows ball, and “The Daily Show”-style had some clever jokes.

7. Tennessee Titans

Tennessee captures how every NFL fan feels without football being played with a hilarious medicinal commercial.

6. New York Giants

The Giants perfectly capped the city stereotypes and fan bases with a “Love Island” parody.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Video game inspired releases have been a hit, and credit for not using an actual game for it. Also some fantastic deep cuts for other fanbases.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Way to commit to the “Severance” style. It really felt like an episode of the hit show with the ominous feel, and the players showed some acting chops.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton should consider a TV show after this performance. The animal noises part was gold.

2. Atlanta Falcons

The old school Mario Kart was incredible with stellar graphics, and the Falcons didn’t hold back with the great diss of Bill Belichick.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers do it again, this time with Minecraft. There are so many sneaky disses in there, and it’s pure art from beginning to end. Los Angeles remains the king of shade and schedule release videos.

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Oilers oust Golden Knights with another shutout win: Highlights

The Edmonton Oilers are heading back to the Western Conference final thanks to a rebound performance from goalie Stuart Skinner.

Skinner, who had a 6.11 goals-against average after he was pulled in Game 2 of the first round, picked up his second consecutive shutout to oust the Vegas Golden Knights Wednesday night 1-0 in overtime of Game 5.

Edmonton’s Kasperi Kapanen won the game and the series with a goal at 7:19 of the first overtime during a net-front scramble. The waiver pickup was making his second appearance of the playoffs. He has six career playoff goals but two of them have been scored in overtime.

Skinner returned to the net in Game 3 of the second round because of an injury to Calvin Pickard, who had won six in a row.

Vegas won its lone game of the series 4-3 on a Reilly Smith goal with 0.4 seconds left, but Skinner has been unbeatable since. He made 24 saves in Game 5.

He had a similar rebound performance in the second round last season as he took the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Here are takeaways from the Edmonton Oilers’ Game 5 win against the Vegas Golden Knights:

Oilers vs. Golden Knights highlights

Connor McDavid’s point streak ends

McDavid’s eight-game point streak came to an end, but the Oilers are showing in this year’s playoffs that they don’t need big performances from him and Leon Draisaitl to win. Kapanen was the 16th Oilers player to get a goal this postseason. Corey Perry, who turns 40 on Friday, has five goals. Evander Kane, who missed the regular season, has four.

Vegas’ top scorers shut down

Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden combined for 141 goals in the regular season. But none had a goal in the second round.

Captain Mark Stone, who had a team-high four playoff goals, missed Game 5 with an injury. He was hurt in Game 3 but returned for Game 4.

What’s next for the Oilers?

They will face the winner of the Dallas Stars-Winnipeg Jets series in the conference final. Dallas leads that series 3-1 and can wrap it up Thursday night in Winnipeg. If that happens, it would be a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference final. The Oilers will lack home-ice advantage for the third series in a row.

What’s next for the Golden Knights?

Unlike recent years, the Golden Knights were relatively quiet at the trade deadline, bringing back original Golden Knights player Smith. They won the Pacific Division but will have to figure out why their offense didn’t produce.

Most of their core is signed long-term. Goalie Adin Hill is signed through 2031. Eichel has one year left on his contract and is eligible to sign an extension on or after July 1.

Smith, Brandon Saad, Victor Olofsson, Tanner Pearson and backup goalie Ilya Samsonov are pending unrestricted free agents.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

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Colts delete controversial schedule release video

The NFL released the full 18-week schedule for the 2025 season on May 14.

Each team had their own way of announcing their schedule via video. Two teams used the popular video game ‘Minecraft’ (the inspiration for a 2025 movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa) to take fans through their 18-week season: the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers.

The Colts’ video included subtly jokes aimed at their opponents for 2025 but the team has since removed their video from X.

Speculation is that it was removed due to the first opponent on the schedule: the Miami Dolphins. The original video featured a Tyreek Hill-styled dolphin seemingly being stopped by a Coast Guard boat.

That may be in reference to his arrest last year for a traffic violation before the Dolphins’ season opener.

The video is no longer posted on the Colts’ X account. Instead, the team has a thread of art made in Microsoft Paint for each matchup as made by the X user @nba_paint.

There’s also speculation that the team took the video down because the Chargers had a similar video.

Colts officials have not provided a reason for the video being taken down.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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