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Biden’s supercharged federal contracting pipeline targeted for freeze after bribery bust, undercover sting

Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, is urging 24 federal agencies to halt funding for a Biden-expanded program for ‘socially and economically disadvantaged’ business owners now under fire for alleged fraud and corruption, Fox News Digital has learned.

‘Despite concerns with the 8(a) program, Joe Biden opened the floodgates to fraud,’Ernst told Fox News Digital about the program. ‘I have found evidence of alarming, potentially fraudulent 8(a) awards made across government that need to be investigated. The program must be halted at every agency while a thorough review is conducted to ensure taxpayers are not being ripped off by con artists. Tax dollars designed to help small businesses must actually benefit all small businesses.’

The federal government’s 8(a) program is an initiative under the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist ‘socially and economically disadvantaged’ small businesses, according to the agency’s website, including training and counseling, and exclusive access to federal contracting opportunities.

Ernst sent letters to the chiefs of 24 federal agencies that have established 8(a) programs — stretching from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — calling on them to halt funding amid fraud concerns. 

‘The SBA’s 8(a) program is the largest set-aside program at the agency, which dished out $40+ billion in contract awards during fiscal year 2024 (FY 24) alone,’ Ernst wrote in the letters. ‘Yet decades of Government Accountability Office (GAO), SBA’s Office of Inspector General, and DOJ probes expose the same rot. Sloppy oversight and weak enforcement measures allow 8(a) participants to act as pass-through entities, snagging unlimited no-bid deals with little transparency.4 Every loophole guts public trust and rigs the system against honest competitors.’

Ernst said the Biden administration tripled the initiative’s contracting goals from an original aim of awarding 5% of federal contracts to 8(a) companies, up to 15% during his tenure. Ernst pointed to a recent Department of Justice bust in her push to halt funding, as well as an October guerrilla-style sting interview conducted by James O’Keefe that allegedly uncovered an 8(a) firm admitting ‘to Violating Federal Law, Using Minority-Owned Status as a Front to Obtain $100M+ No-Bid Government Contracts While Outsourcing 80% of the Work.’

The Department of Justice in June arrested four individuals in Maryland and Florida for running an alleged decade-long bribery scheme involving at least 14 8(a) contracts worth over $550 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars. One of the four men arrested was a government contractor for the United States Agency for International Development, according to the Department of Justice. The men pleaded guilty in the scheme. 

The scheme involved bribes such as cash, NBA tickets and a country club wedding, Fox News chief Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel reported in June. 

SBA Chief Kelly Loeffler ordered a full audit of all government contracting officers who have exercised grant-awarding authority under the agency’s business development program over the past 15 years back in June. She said the agency’s audit would begin with high-dollar and limited competition contracts within SBA’s 8(a) business development program. 

Loeffler, following O’Keefe’s investigation, opened an investigation related to that contract, she reported on X in October. 

The 8(a) program is facing intensifying heat after Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced ‘a comprehensive audit of all contracts and task orders awarded under preference-based contracting, totaling approximately $9 billion in contract value across Treasury and its bureaus’ in November. 

The audit is focused on the ‘Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program, and other initiatives that provide federal contracting preferences to certain eligible businesses,’ the department reported at the time. 

That same month, Ernst introduced legislation, ‘Stop 8(a) Contracting Fraud Act,’ to halt funding to all new no-bid awards until a thorough audit and report of the program is conducted. 

Loeffler additionally sent letters to all 4,300 8(a) contractors across the federal government, which ordered ‘them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to root out fraud, waste, and abuse,’ she posted to X Friday. 

‘Evidence indicates that the 8(a) Program, initially designed for ‘socially and economically disadvantaged’ businesses, has become a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse — especially during the Biden Administration, which aggressively prioritized DEI over merit in federal contracting,’ Loeffler added. 

‘While there’s no doubt that the Biden Administration’s indifference toward 8(a) program integrity enabled swindlers and fraudsters to treat federal contracting programs like personal piggy banks, 8(a) program flaws have raised alarm bells for decades,’ Ernst continued in her letters. 

Ernst is calling on the chiefs of the 24 agencies to pause contracting, audit current contracts, review set-aside contracts awarded by the respective agencies since fiscal year 2020 and to report to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship with any findings by Dec. 22. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office regarding his administration’s expansion of the program and recent investigations into alleged fraud schemes, but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report. 

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Elite US colleges linked to Chinese surveillance labs driving Uyghur ‘genocide,’ study warns

A sweeping new report warns that America’s top universities, including MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Princeton, have been quietly partnering with Chinese artificial intelligence labs deeply embedded in Beijing’s surveillance and security state and in some cases co-authoring thousands of papers with entities tied to oppressive efforts against Uyghur Muslims.

The report, released by Strategy Risks and the Human Rights Foundation on Monday morning, shows that two major Chinese state-backed labs, Zhejiang Lab and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (SAIRI), have co-authored roughly 3,000 papers with Western researchers since 2020. 

The labs have direct ties to CETC, the CCP’s defense conglomerate that has sanctioned building the Xinjiang surveillance platform used to target Uyghur Muslims as part of an overall campaign against the group that the Biden and Trump administrations have labeled a ‘genocide.’

‘With Western support and U.S.government funding, the labs have developed technologies in multi-object tracking, gait recognition, and infrared detection,’ Strategy Risks said in a press release. ‘These collaborations facilitated human rights abuses, mass surveillance, and the transfer of sensitive U.S. technology to Chinese companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party.’

The authors stress that the core problem is not covert espionage, but the ‘shocking normalization’ of Western institutions treating Chinese security-linked labs as ordinary research partners, even though Chinese law requires all such entities to support state surveillance and intelligence efforts.

Inside China, no research entities are independent of the CCP, the study emphasizes, while explaining that China’s national security, intelligence, cybersecurity and data security laws compel all organizations, including supposedly civilian research labs, to share information with state security services, meaning Western research can be absorbed directly into systems of repression.

‘The findings show a staggering lack of interest among top Western AI ethics organizations and academic departments with respect to how the CCP weaponizes AI against its own citizens,’ Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

‘Often, these organizations simply refuse to address AI and Chinese human rights issues. As the report reveals, there are often financial incentives and ties that prevent anyone from speaking up. HRF’s AI program exists to call out this hypocrisy and drive new investigative research into dictators and how they abuse AI to repress their citizens, while at the same time investing in open-source privacy protecting AI tools to expand individual freedom.’

The report also criticizes leading Western AI ethics institutes, including those at Oxford, Cambridge, MIT and Berkeley, for largely remaining silent on China’s use of AI for repression from 2020 to 2025, even as their universities continued collaborations. Only two organizations publicly condemned Beijing’s practices during that period.

Over the past decade, China has built the world’s most expansive digital police state in Xinjiang, where more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been subjected to mass detention, forced labor, coercive ‘re-education’ and blanket surveillance that tracks faces, voices, movements and even biometric data. 

‘The Chinese government systematically deploys surveillance technologies to target rights advocates, ethnic minorities — particularly Uyghurs and other Muslim populations in Xinjiang — and political dissidents,’ the study says.

The report concludes that without new guardrails, Western universities and public research agencies will continue supplying technical breakthroughs that ‘flow seamlessly into China’s apparatus of repression.’

 The authors call for mandatory human-rights due diligence for international research partnerships, greater transparency on foreign co-authorships, and limits on collaboration with Chinese state-linked labs tied to surveillance and defense.

Fox News Digital reached out to MIT, Harvard and Princeton for comment.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Deal with it, Notre Dame. CFP, bowl season doesn’t need Irish anymore

Notre Dame has declined to participate in a bowl game after being left out of the College Football Playoff.
The team was passed over for the CFP in favor of Miami, a team that defeated the Irish during the season.

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. The team that gets more help, more deference from the College Football Playoff and the bowl system than any other, is taking its ball and going home. 

Well, boo-freaking-hoo. 

They’ll walk right out of the bowl system, and into the loving, waiting arms of self-pity. Which, of course, tracks.  

You’ve got to be kidding me. 

Notre Dame lost to Miami, and lost the CFP argument. Not only that, the Irish have beaten no team with a pulse, and had no argument that could stick. 

No amount of whining and complaining is going to change it. Certainly not a statement released four hours after the CFP did the right thing by choosing the Canes over the Irish, one that humbly thanked friends, family and fans and declared the team was “hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

How about finishing 2025 first?    

How about toughen up, hop on a plane to beautiful Orlando and play a grinder of a bowl game against a tough, physical BYU team that — I know this is going to shock you — is also upset about not reaching the CFP.

To say nothing of the life-sized Pop-Tart that awaits the winner of the best non-CFP game of the postseason. 

This Notre Dame move just smacks of elitism, of we’re better than you and your playoff and we’re going to prove it. Only there’s one teeny-weeny problem: The CFP does’t need Notre Dame. 

The games will go on, a national champion will be crowned and another year will be added to the last time Notre Dame won it all. Which is 1988, in case you’re wondering. 

Just how long ago was that? It was also the same year Indiana last beat Ohio State before Saturday night’s monumental moment in the Big Ten Championship game. 

That game, that specific night in Indianapolis — merely 130 miles from South Bend — should be a defining statement for Notre Dame and any other blue-blood college football program of the past. The game has changed, drastically. 

What was once elite, can easily no longer be. What was once the worst program in college football — with the right hire and whole lot of NIL cash — can be its best. 

College football doesn’t need Notre Dame like it used to, doesn’t need the charm and glory and pageantry of the Four Horsemen and Touchdown Jesus and those magnificent gold helmets. Get over yourself, Irish — it’s a new world. 

The quicker Notre Dame figures it out, the quicker it realizes every game, every moment on the field, is another chance to convince high school and transfer portal players to come play in the freezing Midwest and try to win a national title for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Young men aren’t interested in taking a stand against anything. They’re invested in making money by playing football, and if you’re really fortunate, maybe somewhat interested in graduating from the same school.

Decades ago, there was an unwritten rule at Notre Dame that prevented the school from playing any bowl game outside the major bowls. But there was a dirty secret behind it. 

It wasn’t that Notre Dame was standing on principle, and only wanted to extend a season for players if it meant a major bowl game. It’s because by playing in a bowl game, television-friendly Notre Dame was elevating the status of other schools.

Especially if the Irish lost. 

But now there’s another not-so-secret reality for Notre Dame: BYU doesn’t need the Irish. Nor does any other program in college football.

Nor does the CFP or the bowl system or any blue-chip player. The ACC still does, but that’s why Notre Dame is in this mess in the first place.

The best part of the temper tantrum is Notre Dame has been revealed to be just another team, just another program trying to find its way in the ever-changing college football world. 

One that isn’t waiting around for the Irish anymore. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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A Giants slugger finally gets into Hall of Fame, but it’s not Bonds

Jeff Kent received 14 of the 16 votes by the Hall of Fame’s Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
Former MVPs and 1980s-era icons Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy came up short in the Hall of Fame voting.
It seems highly unlikely that seven-time MVP Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens never get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Every San Francisco Giants fan knew the day would eventually arrive that their legendary slugger would be elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Who would have ever imagined second baseman Jeff Kent would be the one to enter Cooperstown while Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time home run king, was shut out again.

Maybe this time, for good.

Kent, whose 377 home runs are the most by a primary second baseman in baseball history, received 14 of the 16 votes by the contemporary era committee and was the only player elected on Sunday, Dec. 7. Kent, who received 46.5% of the votes in his final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot in 2023, needed 12 votes (75%) to be elected.

Outfielder Carlos Delgado was second with nine votes, with former MVPs Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy finishing with six votes apiece.

Most telling was that Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela each received fewer than five votes, which means they will be bypassed when the committee meets again in three years. They won’t be eligible again until 2031. If they don’t receive five votes the next time on the ballot, they’ll be permanently ineligible for the Hall of Fame.

Considering that the BBWAA declined to elect Bonds and Clemens for 10 years, and this is the second time that the seven-time MVP and seven-time Cy Young winner were bypassed by the contemporary era committee, the reality is that they will never be inducted into the Hall of Fame with their links to using performance-enhancing drugs during their career.

“I don’t think I ever saw a better player play the game overall,’’ Kent said of Bonds, his teammate of six years. “Everything he did, every phase of the game, he was one of the best players I ever saw. …

“If you’re talking about moral code and all of that, I’m not a voter, and I’m trying to stay away from all of that the best I can because I really don’t have an opinion. I left it. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.

“And I know he’s been argued amongst a lot of baseball elites about if he ought to be in or not. Keep having that argument. You argue through it, and if he’s not, he’s not. And if he is, he is.

“It’s not going to matter to me, one way or the other.’’

While Kent certainly had the offensive numbers to be enshrined into Cooperstown, his election still was a surprise. There was so much campaigning for Mattingly and Murphy, who were media darlings and fan favorites playing in New York and Atlanta, respectively. They were considered the favorites to be elected by the contemporary era committee.

Kent, who hardly was considered the warm and fuzzy type like Mattingly and Murphy, and considered surly at times by the media, but was admired as a fierce and fiery competitor by Giants manager Dusty Baker and his teammates. Maybe this is why the announcement Sunday on the MLB Network in the lobby of the Hilton Bonnet Creek resort was greeted by a smattering of boos by the scattered fans who gathered around the studio set.

Yet, Kent showed a different side of his personality this night, breaking down at times, using a towel to wipe tears streaming down his face, saying he was caught completely off guard by the announcement. He was disappointed, frustrated, and angry at times that he didn’t come close to being elected on the writers’ ballot. He has never even been inside the Hall of Fame, or been to an induction ceremony.

“I didn’t think about it much, you know, during the 10 years of opportunity to get voted in,’’ Kent said. “It would come up every year and the moments seem to, you know, pass by. And not utter disappointment, but just disappointment, you know, frustration, a little bit that I wasn’t better recognized.’’

Kent, 57, never completely gave up on the idea of one day being elected into the Hall of Fame, but took particular disdain at the narrative that he was a poor defensive second baseman, and admired only for his offensive numbers. Yet, he said he took pride in his defense, was much more bothered by making an error than striking out three times in a game.

“I can tell you this, it truly mattered to me more about playing defense than offense …’’ Kent said. “I think I turned the double play better than anybody in the game during my era. So, you know, it irked me when I made an error, it didn’t bother me so much when I struck out three times, but when I made one error, boy, it bothered the heck out of me. So maybe that gives you a little bit of an understanding of how much defense mattered to me.’’

It also didn’t help, of course, that when Kent started his career in Toronto, he was blocked by Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar, and struggled defensively when he played for the New York Mets.

“I probably started out in the wrong direction in New York a little bit,’’ Kent said, “so I think that there was this perception when I left New York and came to the West Coast that he wasn’t a good middle infielder. That was so false. It never mattered to me to try to change that. I was a big guy playing up the middle. …

“You know, I wasn’t a flashy guy,’’ Kent said. “I wasn’t a guy that sought out headlines. I played on the West Coast, so some of the best parts of my career on the West Coast. So, everybody was in bed on the East Coast, they never got to watch me.’’

He also was never considered the best player on any of the six teams he played for in his 17-year career, but as Baker can attest, few players wanted to win more than Kent.

“Jeff was just a ballplayer that was out to beat you,’’ said Baker, who was praised effusively by Kent for helping him develop into perhaps the best power-hitting second baseman in history. “Barry and Jeff made each other better, especially Barry making Jeff better, whether he wants or Barry wants to admit it.’’

And now, one is in the Hall of Fame.

The other likely never will be.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Michigan schools duke it out atop men’s college hockey rankings

Two of the best teams in the country met over the weekend and it certainly won’t be the last time we see Michigan and Michigan State clash.

Right now, it feels like the road to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas runs through the Great Lakes state and it would be no surprise to see these two bitter rivals battle for the Big Ten crown, as well (though Wisconsin might have something to say about that).

Speaking of the Badgers, they are one of a number of major teams – Penn State being another example – who have already started long holiday breaks. This provides a bit of a conundrum for the purposes of power rankings, but I’m going to consider Wisconsin in neutral for now: Hot teams can pass them, but I also don’t want to negate what the Badgers have accomplished. So let’s take a look at who some of those squads may be.

College hockey power rankings

1. Michigan Wolverines (16-4-0)

We saw two of the best go at each other over the weekend and, poetically, it ended up with a split. That’s not going to hurt the Wolverines’ standing, as we once again saw an excellent outing from Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh draft pick), who is making a serious case for the Hobey Baker right now.

2. Michigan State Spartans (12-4-0)

The Spartans took out Michigan in the second game of their series, with Ontario Hockey League transfer Anthony Romani doing the key goal scoring. Porter Martone (Philadelphia) had the empty-netter to salt things away, while Trey Augustine (Detroit) shut the door in net, allowing just one goal in the 3-1 victory.

3. Dartmouth Big Green (10-0-0)

Still the only undefeated team in the nation. I lauded the Big Green for their team defense last week, so now it’s time to give some love to the Dartmouth offense, which put up a total of 13 goals in wins over Brown and Yale on the weekend. Netminder Emmett Croteau (Montreal) has a beguiling .965 save percentage right now.

4. Denver Pioneers (11-5-1)

The NCHC is always a dogfight and the Pioneers have proved to be a championship outfit for a number of years now. In sweeping a surprisingly good Miami, Denver now has won eight of its past 10 games after some early wonkiness this year. Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose) is up to 19 points through 17 games.

5. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (12-4-0)

Flip-flop North Dakota and Denver if you wish; the two teams are both hot right now. The Fighting Hawks have won nine of 10, but had an easier draw over the weekend in St. Cloud State. Nonetheless, this is a team in its prime with a balanced attack. Will Zellers (Boston) has points in four in a row.

6. Wisconsin Badgers (12-2-2)

As mentioned, the Badgers were idle and will be until the end of the month when they play Lake Superior State at the Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee. They get either Boston College or Western Michigan in the second game – a great test in both scenarios.

7. Boston College Eagles (10-5-1)

After a spotty start to the season, the Eagles are, ahem, soaring. Boston College has won eight of 10 and most important, star center James Hagens (Boston) is hot. The NHL first-rounder is up to 18 points through 16 games and will be a crucial part of Team USA’s world junior squad.

8. Western Michigan Broncos (10-6-0)

The defending national champs have pushed through some key injuries and a tough schedule so far and splitting with Minnesota-Duluth is no easy feat. The fact that they kept the Plante brothers off the scoresheet in Saturday’s overtime win is impressive. William Whitelaw (Columbus) has been hot of late.

9. Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (13-5-0)

Splitting with Western Michigan gets the same positive nod for the Bulldogs as the other way around. UMD draws Arizona State next and those games against the Sun Devils will be very intriguing. Goaltender Adam Gajan (Chicago) is rocking a beautiful 1.80 goals-against average.

10. Northeastern Huskies (10-5-0)

In a wild Hockey East, the Huskies continue to punch above their weight and it will be interesting to see how long they can stay there, especially with a very winnable January schedule. Dylan Hryckowian continues to pace the offense with more than a point per game.

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House GOP seeks off-ramp to sky-high health insurance costs for millions of Americans

House Republicans are expected to reveal a roadmap sometime this month that they say will lower sky-high healthcare costs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., have both said they are speaking to various GOP factions to build consensus on what that plan should look like.

In the meantime, Fox News Digital spoke with several GOP lawmakers about what they believe should be in such a package and found several commonalities on what they expect.

‘Health savings accounts (HSAs) need to be expanded to as many individual healthcare recipients or premium payers in our country. Like right now, it’s the people that can access a health savings account, usually high-deductible, catastrophic coverage, those types of plans,’ said House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah. ‘They’re really well-used, but they need to be extended so basically all Americans on some type of health insurance policy can use health savings accounts.’

HSAs are accounts that allow people to set aside money pre-tax to pay for certain health expenses, but they are currently only available to people with high-deductible health insurance plans.

Expanding HSA use proved a common theme among House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital about what they want to see in their party’s health plan.

Another topic that came up frequently was reforming the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) system, an issue that’s gotten bipartisan support in the past.

PBMs are third parties that act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and those responsible for insurance coverage, often responsible for administrative tasks and negotiating drug prices.

PBMs have also been the subject of bipartisan ire in Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats accusing them of being part of a broken system to inflate health costs.

‘I had my own pharmacies for over 32 years, and I can tell you, bringing prescription drug prices down is as simple as is addressing the middleman, the PBMs that are causing increases and causing prices to stay high for drugs,’ Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., said. ‘That is one of the quickest and the easiest ways to bring prescription drug prices down, by reeling them in.’

Republican lawmakers also more broadly called for a competitive marketplace of health insurance plans.

While few said they had any appetite for actually repealing and replacing the Obamacare system, most said they wanted Americans to have more options than just the federal program when choosing their own healthcare.

‘We see that Obamacare has now been around for almost 14 years, and it’s more expensive, and we have less choices than ever before. So Obamacare is not working, and I think that’s what we need to focus on,’ said Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind. ‘There’s plans already being put in place by the administration, by groups in the Republican Party, that want to focus on making sure healthcare is affordable, and it’s available and that people can make choices rather than being told who which doctor they have to go to.’

Democrats have warned that healthcare costs are set to spike for millions of Americans if the subsidies are not extended. But House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said costs are poised to rise either way if Congress does not act soon.

‘All Americans are getting a health insurance premium increase this coming year of 20 to 30%. Even if we did what they wanted us to do — and I’m not saying that we won’t, because the White House might have a plan to continue it, the Senate might have a plan. Mike Johnson might do something, but even if we do that, you realize that it’s only gonna cover about 4% of that 20 to 30% increase. It’s not solving the problem,’ Emmer said.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital he wanted to see a healthcare package that focuses on doctors in rural areas, as well as reforms for hospital care.

‘I’ve got to make sure that what we do is right for that independent practicing physician, that small-town pharmacist. And so we have to make sure we’re taking care of rural America with what we do, as well as the hospitals that we would all go to if we had, you know, cancer treatment or something like that,’ he said.

None of the conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed support for extending Obamacare tax credits that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but which are set to expire at the end of this year.

It’s a push led by Democrats and some Republicans, however, who have introduced a range of options, from a one-year extension with certain reforms to House Democratic leaders’ push for a clean, three-year extension.

But whatever lawmakers come up with will likely have to get 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning some support from the left will be needed.

‘There’s a lot of good bipartisan healthcare policy legislation that can pass imminently and very soon, unless Democrats play the game of, ‘Oh, I don’t want it to look like the Republicans are being productive on healthcare, so we’re gonna stymie this, even though I agree with the policy,’’ Moore said.

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Simone Biles returns to Lambeau Field, shows off game day fit

She was back at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Dec. 7, but on the other side of the rivalry.

And Biles had another fit to show off on the field ahead of Owens’ game for the Bears against the Packers.

Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history with 41 medals between world championships and Olympics, sported an all-gray look with a shirt that featured Jonathan Owens’ name and then a beanie that had his No. 36 number.

She then declared in a video on her TikTok: ‘Go Bears. Bear Down, baby.’

Biles and Owens shared a kiss with each other before the game as well, something they did throughout his time with the Packers.

Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles

Biles and Owens, then with the Houston Texans, connected during the early days of COVID and were engaged in 2022.

They married at a courthouse in Texas in 2023 and had a destination wedding in April of that year in Mexico. Owens signed with the Packers days later and flew in from his honeymoon to make it official.

Owens and Biles are often at each others’ sporting events – Owens was in attendance for Biles’ triumhant return to the Olympics in 2024 – and support each other on social media as well.

Simone Biles’ husband Jonathan Owens

Owens, a safety, played one season with the Packers in 2023. As a free agent, he then signed with the Bears in 2024 and has spent the last two seasons with the Packers’ biggest rival.

He played in all 17 games last year and has played in all of the Bears’ 12 games this season. Owens has 17 tackles in 2025.

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NCAA volleyball Sweet 16: Who’s in, bracket, schedule, how to watch

The NCAA volleyball tournament field has been narrowed to 16 teams.

Fifteen of the top 16 seeds advanced over the first and second rounds and will begin Sweet 16 play on Thursday, Dec. 11 or Friday, Dec. 12.

Cal Poly produced the lone upset, taking down No. 4 seed USC in the Lexington regional. The Mustangs will face Kentucky, the No. 1 seed in the region, on Thursday.

No. 1 overall seed Nebraska advanced by sweeping Kansas State and Long Island University in the first and second round, respectively. The Huskers face Kansas in the round of 16 on Friday. No. 1 seed Pittsburgh will be in action Thursday, and No. 1 seed Texas opens Sweet 16 play on Friday.

The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball Final Four will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue has hosted the volleyball national championship.

When is NCAA women’s volleyball Sweet 16?

Date: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Time: Four matches each day, beginning at 1 p.m. ET Thursday and noon ET Friday. Match-by-match times below.

How to watch NCAA volleyball tournament

Streaming: ESPN+ ∣ Fubo (free trial)

The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament will air across the ESPN and ABC family of networks. Games can be streamed ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch NCAA volleyball tournament on Fubo

NCAA volleyball Sweet 16 schedule: Times, TV

All times Eastern

Thursday, Dec. 11

No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Friday, Dec. 12

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, 12 p.m. | ESPN
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Stanford, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Louisville, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

NCAA volleyball second-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, No. 8 UCLA 1 (30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17)
No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 Northern Iowa 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Austin bracket

No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-21, 27-25)
No. 1 Texas 1, No. 8 Penn State 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Arizona 1 (25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 3 Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
No. 2 SMU 3, Florida 0 (25-11, 25-21, 26-24)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, No. 5 Iowa State 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-14)

Lincoln bracket

No. 4 Kansas 3, No. 5 Miami 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12)
No. 1 Nebraska 3, Kansas State 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, No. 6 TCU 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 29-27)

NCAA volleyball first-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-12)
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10)
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2 (25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10)
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0, (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2 (12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2 (15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10)
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)

Austin bracket

No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0 (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1 (25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-19)
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21)
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-13)
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23)
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-13)
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10)
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-19)
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13)

Lincoln bracket

No. 1 Nebraska 3, Long Island 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)
Kansas State 3, San Diego 2 (21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12)
No. 5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20)
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13)
No. 6 TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-20)
Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola (Illinois) 0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-12)

NCAA volleyball tournament rounds

Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. ET
National championship: Sunday, Dec. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET

NCAA volleyball tournament automatic qualifiers

Here’s a look at the 31 teams that earned automatic berths to the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament by virtue of winning their conferences:

ACC: Stanford
American: Tulsa
American East: UMBC
Atlantic Sun: Central Arkansas
Atlantic 10: Loyola (Illinois)
Big East: Creighton
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: Nebraska
Big 12: Arizona State
Big West: Cal Poly
CAA: Campbell
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Princeton
MAAC: Fairfield
MAC: Toledo
MEAC: Coppin State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: Long Island
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois
Patriot: American
SEC: Kentucky
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Florida A&M
Summit: St. Thomas
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
WAC: Utah Valley
WCC: San Diego

When is the NCAA volleyball Final Four in 2025?

Dates: Thursday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 21

The two semifinal matches in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will take place on Thursday, Dec. 18 and will be broadcast on ESPN. The national championship game is Sunday, Dec. 21 on ABC.

NCAA volleyball tournament champions

Penn State is the reigning NCAA volleyball champion, having defeated Louisville in four sets last year in the national title game. It was the Nittany Lions’ eighth volleyball championship since 1999.

Here’s a look at the past 10 NCAA volleyball champions:

2024: Penn State
2023: Texas
2022: Texas
2021: Wisconsin
2020: Kentucky
2019: Stanford
2018: Stanford
2017: Nebraska
2016: Stanford
2015: Nebraska

For the full list of champions, click here.

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NFL playoff picture: Chiefs on brink after loss, can’t win AFC West

Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here’s where things stand with Week 14 nearly complete:

AFC playoff picture

1. Denver Broncos (11-2), AFC West leaders: They beat the Raiders on Sunday, winning their 10th in a row, matching New England’s victory total and overtaking the Patriots for possession of the top seed by virtue of a conference record (7-2) that is a half-game better. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

2. New England Patriots (11-2), AFC East leaders: The first team in the league to reach 11 wins thanks to Monday night’s rollover of the Giants, the Pats remain in a very tight race with Denver, the teams’ airtight tiebreakers now in effect with the Broncos playing their 13th game Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4), AFC South leaders: They claimed first place outright by smashing the depleted Colts on Sunday in Duval County. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), AFC North leaders: They jumped up nine spots, from out of the field back into the division lead by winning at Baltimore on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

5. Buffalo Bills (9-4), wild card No. 1: Massive win over Cincinnati solidifies their playoff standing heading into a notable showdown at Foxborough in Week 15 to face the AFC East-leading Pats. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), wild card No. 2: Facing the NFC’s Eagles on Monday night basically won’t serve them well in tiebreaker department even if Bolts win. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

7. Houston Texans (8-5), wild card No. 3: They’ve won six of seven, including five in a row. Beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead moved Houston into a wild-card slot by virtue of their Week 13 defeat of Indianapolis. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-5), in the hunt: They’ve dropped four of their past five and lost QB Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury Sunday in Jacksonville. Houston’s win Sunday night dropped Indy from the projected field entirely. And the schedule doesn’t let up the rest of the way. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

9. Baltimore Ravens (6-7), in the hunt: Consecutive losses − and to AFC North foes (Bengals, Steelers) − has them on the outside looking in. A 4-5 record in AFC games places them ahead of K.C. and Miami. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Patriots, at Packers, at Steelers

10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), in the hunt: Their chances to win a 10th straight AFC West title are officially null and void. And Sunday night’s loss to Houston means they’ll likely miss the postseason for the first time since 2014 − Andy Reid’s second year in K.C. And don’t forget they’ve lost to the Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Texans and Jags, who are all ahead of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders

11. Miami Dolphins (6-7), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification but notched another one Sunday in New York. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, vs. Bengals, vs. Buccaneers, at Patriots

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9), in the hunt: They basically need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification … though they probably have a better one than Miami by virtue of living in this year’s surprisingly subpar AFC North. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Dolphins, vs. Cardinals, vs. Browns

NFC playoff picture

1. Los Angeles Rams (10-3), NFC West leaders: They regained the inside track for home-field advantage and a first-round bye by demolishing the Cardinals and benefiting from Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. The Rams’ Week 11 defeat of Seattle remains pivotal. Remaining schedule: vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

2. Green Bay Packers (9-3-1), NFC North leaders: They got the best of the archrival Bears, consequential win that put the Pack back on top of the division and just a half-game off the conference pace. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4), NFC East leaders: Two losses in a row not only mean a lot more scrutiny but − beware − a team that could still fall into the Cowboys’ clutches in the division if it’s not careful. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6), NFC South leaders: They remain in first place despite a damaging loss to New Orleans. The Bucs currently have a one-game lead over Carolina in the common-games tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Seattle Seahawks (10-3), wild card No. 1: Sunday’s rout of Falcons moved them atop the conference … for a few hours. But the Rams’ win at Arizona pushed Seattle back to the wild-card echelon. All three of the ‘Hawks’ losses are against NFC opponents, including two in the division − defeats that don’t serve them well in the tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

6. San Francisco 49ers (9-4), wild card No. 2: They’re in a precarious spot given their pursuers, yet are just behind the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West lead. Off this weekend, the Niners were in no danger of vacating the field. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks

7. Chicago Bears (9-4), wild card No. 3: How tightly packed is the NFC? One narrow loss dropped the Bears from first place in the conference to seventh, just a game ahead of the division rival Lions. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

8. Detroit Lions (8-5), in the hunt: Huge win over Dallas on Thursday night. It brought the Lions within a game of the NFC’s final wild card and helped them in the division standings given Chicago’s Sunday reversal. Remaining schedule: at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears

9. Carolina Panthers (7-6), in the hunt: Though Carolina is off this week, the Panthers basically pulled even atop the NFC South. Remaining schedule: at Saints, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Seahawks, at Buccaneers

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1), in the hunt: Crippling loss Thursday in Motown. Dallas’ best bet now is probably to hope the Eagles continue to struggle and leave the NFC East in play. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, vs. Chargers, at Commanders, at Giants

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2025

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Texans deliver devastating blow to Chiefs’ playoff hopes

The football seemingly bounced the Kansas City Chiefs’ way all of last season as they won 11 one-score games. The football is continuously bouncing in the opposite direction this year.

Kansas City’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans was emblematic of their season.

Whether it’s a 43-yard Harrison Butker field goal that doinked off the upright, a football that slipped through Rashee Rice’s hands on fourth down or a Travis Kelce drop that lands in the hands of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

The Chiefs aren’t the recipients of footballs bouncing their way in 2025.  

Chiefs pass catchers had six drops in their loss to Houston. Six drops factored into Patrick Mahomes passing for a season-low 160 yards.

“They are upset. They put it all out there and it didn’t work out for them,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters postgame. “The guys that had some mishaps, they are upset. These guys take responsibility for things.”

Injuries have also hurt Kansas City.

The Chiefs were down three starting offensive linemen (Josh Simmons, Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor) in Week 14. Their banged up offensive line took another hit when tackle Wanya Morris injured his knee on the very first snap of Sunday night’s game and was ruled out for the rest of the contest.

Mahomes was under pressure on 50% of his dropbacks versus Houston, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished with a career-worst 19.8 passer rating.

Standout cornerback Trent McDuffie sustained a knee injury after he gave up a long 46-yard reception to Texans wideout Nico Collins in the first quarter and didn’t return.

Collins tallied a game-high 121 receiving yards on four catches.

When “mishaps” as Reid labeled it and injuries start to mount, one must wonder if it’s just not the Chiefs’ year.

Kansas City’s playoff probability decreased to 15% following its Week 14 defeat, per Next Gen Stats. They are in the 10th position in the AFC.

The Chiefs (6-7) have appeared in five Super Bowls over the past six seasons, including three Super Bowl victories. They’ve won the AFC West title for nine consecutive seasons during their dynasty. But the Chiefs’ latest loss could be a sign that their reign is beginning to falter.

If the Chiefs want to preserve their dynasty, they definitely need to undergo a retooling around Mahomes during an offseason that appears to have a start date earlier than expected.

“We know the (playoff) chances are getting lower and lower,” Mahomes said. “But I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have every opportunity we get.”

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

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