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Dems likely to ‘waste millions’ on deluge of lawsuits but could cost Trump precious time: expert

Democrats will likely ‘waste millions’ of dollars battling President Donald Trump’s executive orders and actions in court with little success to show for it, according to University of California, Berkeley law professor John Yoo. 

Trump ‘will have some of the nation’s finest attorneys defending his executive orders and initiatives, and the Democrats will waste millions of dollars losing in court,’ Yoo, the former deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday when asked whether there are efforts of ‘lawfare’ against Trump in his second administration. 

‘I expect that Trump will ultimately prevail on two-thirds or more of his executive orders, but the Democrats may succeed in delaying them for about a year or so,’ Yoo said. 

The Trump administration has been hit by at least 54 lawsuits in response to Trump’s executive orders and actions since his inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump has signed at least 63 executive orders just roughly three weeks into his administration, including 26 on his first day alone. 

The executive orders and actions are part of Trump’s shift of the federal government to fall in line with his ‘America First’ policies, including snuffing out government overspending and mismanagement through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), banning biological men from competing in women’s sports and deporting thousands of illegal immigrants who flooded the nation during the Biden administration. 

The onslaught of lawsuits come as Democratic elected officials fume over the second Trump administration’s policies, most notably the creation of DOGE, which is in the midst of investigating various federal agencies to cut spending fat, corruption and mismanagement of funds.

A handful of Democratic state attorneys general and other local leaders vowed following Trump’s election win to set off a new resistance to his agenda, vowing to battle him in the courts over policies they viewed as harmful to constituents. Upon his inauguration and his policies taking effect, Democrats have amplified their rhetoric to battle Trump in the courts, and also to take the fight to ‘the streets.’

‘We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in January of battling Trump’s policies. 

‘Our biggest weapon historically, over three years alongside the Trump administration, has been the bully pulpit and a whole lot of legal action, so my guess is it will continue,’ New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said the day after Trump’s inauguration. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said at a protest over DOGE and its chair, Elon Musk, earlier in February, ‘We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it.’

The dozens of cases come after Trump faced four criminal indictments, on both the state and federal level, in the interim of his first and second administrations. Trump had railed against the cases — including the Manhattan trial and conviction, the Georgia election racketeering case, and former special counsel Jack Smith’s election case and classified documents case — as examples of the Democratic Party waging ‘lawfare’ against him in an effort to hurt his re-election chances in the 2024 cycle. 

Yoo, when asked about the state of lawfare against Trump now that he’s back in the Oval Office, said the president’s political foes have shifted from lawfare to launching cases to tie up the administration in court. 

‘I think that what is going on now is different than lawfare,’ he said. ‘I think of lawfare as the deliberate use by the party in power to prosecute its political opponents to affect election outcomes. The Democrats at the federal and state level brought charges against Trump to drive him out of the 2024 elections.’ 

‘The lawsuits against Trump now are the usual thrust and parry of the separation of powers,’ Yoo explained. ‘The Democrats are not attacking Trump personally and there is no election. Instead, they are suing Trump as President to stop his official policies. 

Yoo said the Republican Party also relied on the courts in an effort to prevent policies put forth during the Obama era and Biden administration, including when President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010, or his 2012 immigration policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Republicans also challenged the Biden administration in court after President Biden attempted to forgive student debt through executive action in 2022.

‘Turnabout is fair play,’ Yoo said of groups suing over various administrations’ executive actions or policies.  

‘What makes this also different than the law is that now Trump controls the Justice Department,’ he added, explaining that Democrats will spend millions on the cases, which will likely result in delays for many of the Trump policies but will not completely thwart the majority of them. 

A handful of the more than 50 lawsuits have resulted in judges temporarily blocking the orders, such as at least three federal judges issuing preliminary injunctions against Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Wednesday during the press briefing whether the administration believes the courts have the authority to issue such injunctions. Leavitt appeared to echo Yoo that the administration will be ‘vindicated’ in court as the cases make their way through the judicial system. 

‘We believe that the injunction actions that have been issued by these judges, have no basis in the law and have no grounds. And we will again, as the president said very clearly yesterday, comply with these orders. But it is the administration’s position that we will ultimately be vindicated, and the president’s executive actions that he took were completely within the law,’ Leavitt said, before citing the ‘weaponization’ of the court systems against Trump while he was on the campaign trail. 

‘We look forward to the day where he can continue to implement his agenda,’ she said. ‘And I would just add, it’s our view that this is the continuation of the weaponization of justice that we have seen against President Trump. He fought it for two years on the campaign trail — it won’t stop him now.’ 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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As Trump eyes more tariffs, South Korea remains safe haven for GM and Hyundai

DETROIT — As President Donald Trump threatens to further increase tariffs on U.S. trading partners, the greatest impact for the auto industry outside of North America would be additional levies on South Korea and Japan.

The East Asian countries produced a combined 16.8% of vehicles sold last year in the U.S., including a record 8.6% from South Korea and 8.2% from Japan, according to data provided to CNBC by GlobalData.

They were the largest vehicle importers to the U.S. outside of Mexico — and they have little to no duties compared with the 25% tariff Trump has threatened imposing on Canada and Mexico.

Automakers such as General Motors and South Korea-based Hyundai Motor export vehicles tariff-free from South Korea. The country overtook Japan and Canada last year to become the second-largest exporter of new cars to the U.S., based on sales.

It trails only Mexico, which represented 16.2% of U.S. auto sales in 2024, GlobalData reports.

“Obviously Hyundai has a massive amount of exposure. Behind it is GM … with relatively large volume models,” said Jeff Schuster, global vice president of automotive research at GlobalData. “There’s a lot of risk potentially here, but it’s limited, really limited, to those two players.”

Imports from Japan are currently subject to a 2.5% tariff for automakers such as Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor and Honda Motor. Vehicles from Japan represented about 1.31 million autos sold last year in the U.S.

Japan’s percentage of sales has actually decreased in recent years, while South Korea’s exports and sales have continued to rise from less than 845,000 in 2019 to more than 1.37 million in 2024.

South Korea has 0% tariffs on cars despite Trump renegotiating a trade deal with the country during his first term in 2018. That accord was touted for improving vehicle imports to South Korea, but it did little to address vehicle exports to the U.S.

The deal also has done little for increasing automotive exports to South Korea, according to data from the International Trade Commission. U.S. passenger vehicle exports to South Korea have actually decreased by roughly 16%.

Separate from cars, tariffs on trucks exported from South Korea and Japan to the U.S, as well as elsewhere, are 25%.

A tariff is a tax on imports, or foreign goods, brought into the United States. The companies importing the goods pay the tariffs, and some experts fear the companies would simply pass any additional costs on to consumers — raising the cost of vehicles and potentially reducing demand.

South Korea-based Hyundai is the largest exporter of vehicles to the U.S., followed by GM and then Kia Corp., a part of Hyundai that largely operates separately in the U.S.

GM has notably increased its imports from South Korea in recent years. Its U.S. sales of South Korean-produced vehicles — largely entry-level models — have risen from 173,000 in 2019 to more than 407,000 last year, according to GlobalData.

GM is the largest foreign direct investor in Korea’s manufacturing industry, according to the automaker’s website. It has invested 9 trillion South Korean won (roughly $6.2 billion) since establishing the operations in 2002.

GM produces its Buick Encore GX and Buick Envista crossovers, as well as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Chevrolet Trax crossovers, at plants in South Korea. The company has touted the vehicles as being a pinnacle for the automaker’s profitable growth in lower-margin, entry-level vehicles.

“We’re taking out costs of programs, improving profitability and creating vehicles that customers love, like the new Chevy Trax and the Buick Envista,” GM President Mark Reuss said during the company’s investor day in October. “Trax and Envista have helped raise our share of the U.S. small SUV market to its highest level since 2007.”

Hyundai did not immediately respond when asked about potential tariffs on South Korea. GM and Kia declined to comment.

Terence Lau, dean of the College of Law at Syracuse University who previously worked as a trade expert for Ford Motor, said the automotive industry is built on free trade. If tariffs are implemented, the industry can adjust, but it takes time.

“The car industry can adjust to anything. Really, it can. It’s always going to make product that customers want to buy, because personal mobility and transportation is a human need all around the world,” he said. “What the car industry cannot do well is pivot on a dime.”

Lau argued that a single-digit tariff can be a “nuisance,” but once they hit 10% or more, that’s when additional costs can really began eating into the margin or products.

Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley last week argued that if Trump is going to implement tariffs affecting the automotive industry, it should take a “comprehensive” look at all countries to even the playing field in North America.

Farley singled out Toyota and Hyundai for importing hundreds of thousands of vehicles annually from Japan and South Korea, respectively.

“There are millions of vehicles coming into our country that are not being applied to these [incremental tariffs],” Farley said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call with investors. “So if we’re going to have a tariff policy … it better be comprehensive for our industry.

“We can’t just cherry-pick one place or the other because this is a bonanza for our import competitors.”

The White House did not respond for comment on potential tariffs on South Korea.

Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum laying out his plan to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on foreign nations, but did not go into detail regarding what countries could be targeted.

As a presidential candidate, Trump floated the possibility of imposing across-the-board tariffs on all U.S. imports. But he also advocated for Congress to pass what he called the “Trump Reciprocal Trade Act,” which would empower him to slap tariffs on the goods of any country that has higher tariffs on U.S.-made goods.

— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.

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Wallace, Cindric triumph in Daytona 500 Duel races: Highlights, results

The Duel, which divides drivers among two 60-lap, 150-mile races, determined the full starting lineup for the 67th annual Daytona 500.

Bubba Wallace won Duel No. 1 in the No. 23 Toyota of 23XI Racing, topping defending Daytona 500 winner William Byron on the final lap. With the victory, Wallace secures the No. 3 starting spot in Sunday’s race.

‘I was lucky to have (teammate) Tyler (Reddick) behind me – he did a great job pushing me,’ Wallace said after his win. ‘I appreciate that massive 23XI effort to get us this win. But all-in-all, we’ve got McDonald’s back in victory lane at the Duel. It sets us up really good for Sunday.

‘We will enjoy this little moment right now. I told myself I would do more of – enjoy the little stuff.’

The first Duel was altered by caution flags, with the first one coming on Lap 3 and the second on Lap 14, completely changing the fuel strategy for the race. But none of it phased Wallace, who led a race-high 21 laps.

Duel No. 2 was more mundane for most of the race, no doubt because drivers and teams had witnessed the opener. The first caution arrived at Lap 48 after the entire field had made green-flag pit stops. When the race restarted with just seven laps remaining, Cindric was back where he started – at the front of the field.

Cindric started on the pole in Duel No. 2 after finishing second in Wednesday night’s pole qualifying behind Chase Briscoe. Though he relinquished his Duel lead early to Denny Hamlin, he drove his No. 2 Team Penske Ford back to the front when it mattered.

The final lap of Duel No. 2 came down to a drag race to the finish line after Erik Jones, in the Legacy Motor Club No. 43 Toyota, made a strong move on the outside to challenge Cindric. And while it looked like Jones had edged Cindric by a hair, NASCAR officials had thrown a caution flag a second before the duo crossed the line. After video review, officials determined Cindric was leading when the caution flag flew, making him the winner.

“Obviously a great race for us and a fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang,” Cindric said. “I thought it was super close. I thought I got it, but I think the 43 beat me to the line. But the caution light came out a little earlier, so obviously it was a great result and glad my guys let me race this one tonight to see what we had. Now we can tune on this thing for the 500.’

With the Duel races completed, the lineup is now set for Sunday’s “Great American Race.” Briscoe and Cindric will make up the front row of the starting grid, followed by Wallace and Jones.

For highlights, results and a recap of all the action from Thursday night’s Duel races, see below:

Daytona 500 projected starting lineup

Here is the projected starting lineup for the 2025 Daytona 500, via NASCAR (*-denotes Open, non-Charter team). The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

Austin Cindric wins Daytona Duel No. 2

Following a video review by NASCAR, Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was declared the winner of Duel No. 2 over Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones. Cindric, in the No. 2 Ford, and Jones, in the No. 43 Toyota, took the checkered flag at seemingly the same time, but because a caution flag was thrown less than a second before, NASCAR had to review which driver was leading when the yellow flag waved.

Cindric was already locked into the front row of Sunday’s Daytona 500 after finishing second behind pole winner Chase Briscoe in Wednesday’s pole qualifying. But his win in Duel No. 2 will generate extra regular-season points. With his second-place finish, Jones sewed up the No. 4 starting spot in the 67th annual Daytona 500.

RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher finished third in the No. 17 Ford, Denny Hamlin finished fourth in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano took fifth in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Daytona Duel No. 2 results

(Starting position in parentheses)

(1) Austin Cindric, Ford
(18) Erik Jones, Toyota
(9) Chris Buescher, Ford
(3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(2) Joey Logano, Ford
(17) Corey LaJoie, Ford
(7) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(10) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(19) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(4) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(13) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(20) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet
(15) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(22) Cody Ware, Ford
(16) Cole Custer, Ford
(21) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
(11) Noah Gragson, Ford
(14) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota
(8) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(12) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(6) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

Daytona Duel No. 2 ends in a photo finish

Austin Cindric, who started on the pole in Duel No. 2, and Erik Jones took the checkered flag at nearly the exact same time. But a caution flag was waved just before the cars crossed the line as a multicar crash broke out in the back of the field.

Corey LaJoie, driving part-time in the No. 01 Ford, finished sixth as an open-car to lock himself into the Daytona 500 field.

Daytona Duel No. 2 restarts after crash

The green flag drops with seven laps remaining. Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric restart on the front row.

Caution flag flies after crash on Lap 48

Following green-flag pit stops by all drivers, a multi-car crash broke out on the backstretch near the back of the field. The front of the field began slowing up, setting up an accordian effect further back. Daniel Suarez checked up, causing Alex Bowman to get into the back of his No. 99 Chevrolet. Suarez then spun into Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford. Bowman hit the SAFER barrier in his No. 88 Chevrolet and was unable to make it back to pit road, ending his race.

Ford cars make their pit stops

Following fuel stops for the Chevrolets and Toyotas, the remaining cars – all Fords – came down pit road for fuel, shuffling the field.

Entire inside lane pits for fuel on Lap 45

All of the Chevrolets and Toyotas came down pit road for fuel on Lap 45 of 60, led by Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez. But Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek were penalized for speeding and will be forced to come down pit road again.

Jimmie Johnson makes an unscheduled pit stop

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson, who was running in the top four, radioed his team that he thought he was running out of fuel and came down pit road on his own – a major detriment in a pack-racing track like Daytona International Speedway. Johnson could never catch back up with the field and went a lap down on Lap 39. But the semi-retired seven-time NASCAR champion, who is driving a handful of races in 2025, is already locked into the field for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Jimmie Johnson rockets up the leaderboard

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, driving the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns, shot up near the front of the pack along with his teammate, Erik Jones, who is pacing the field in his No. 43 Toyota. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney has also moved into the Top 3.

Denny Hamlin leads Daytona Duel No. 2

Three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin has led 12 of the first 13 laps of Duel No. 2 in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Also in the top six: Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher

Daytona Duel No. 2 begins

The green flag has dropped on the second of two Daytona 500 Duel races as Austin Cindric leads the field. Cindric will also start on the front row for Sunday’s 67th annual Daytona 500, alongside pole winner Chase Briscoe.

Bubba Wallace wins Daytona Duel No. 1

Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota outdueled William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet and Ty Dillon’s No. 10 Chevrolet to take the checkered flag in Duel No. 1 at Daytona. With the win, Wallace clinches the third starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Wallace led six times for 20 laps.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain finished fourth in the No. 1 Chevy, and Wallace’s 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick finished fifth in the No. 45 Toyota.

Justin Allgaier raced his way into the Daytona 500 field as an open car after finishing ninth. Allgaier, the defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is driving the No. 40 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, the team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller that is making its Daytona 500 debut.

Daytona Duel No. 1 results

(Starting position in parentheses)

(15) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(11) William Byron, Chevrolet
(5) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(19) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(14) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(10) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(8) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(17) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet
(7) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(13) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(9) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(2) Ryan Preece, Ford
(3) Josh Berry, Ford
(12) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
(21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(23) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
(18) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(1) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(22) Chandler Smith, Ford
(16)Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(20) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet
(6) Zane Smith, Ford

Daytona Duel No. 1 leaders

23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick are both racing in the top-four with 20 laps remaining in Duel No. 1. Also running up front: reigning Daytona 500 champion William Byron and Ryan Preece.

Preece was later shuffled back after getting stuck on his own in the middle lane.

Pole winner Chase Briscoe retires from Duel No. 1

Not wanting to risk his pole-winning No. 19 Toyota, Chase Briscoe and his Joe Gibbs Racing team opted to retire from Duel No. 1 to keep his car from sustaining any damage ahead of the 67th annual Daytona 500. Briscoe is still guaranteed to start on the pole for Sunday’s race.

Helio Castroneves knocked out of Daytona Duel No. 1

Justin Haley got into the back of Chandler Smith, sending his No. 66 Ford hard into the wall on Lap 14 and collecting a number of other cars, including four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, who was making his NASCAR debut. Smith and Castroneves were forced to retire from the race with damage, though the IndyCar legend is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500 with a provisional.

Haley also hit the outside wall in the process, while Ty Gibbs, JJ Yeley, and Bubba Wallace also sustained damage.

First caution flag flies in Daytona Duel No. 1

Zane Smith brought out the caution flag on the third lap after hitting the wall and cutting his right front tire in Turn 2. Smith, who was running in the fifth position, managed to make it back to pit road under his own power.

Duel at Daytona No. 1 begins

The green flag has dropped on the first of two Daytona 500 Duel races as Chase Briscoe leads the field. Briscoe will also start on the pole for Sunday’s 67th annual Daytona 500.

Helio Castroneves attempts first NASCAR race

Helio Castroneves, who won the Indy 500 four times in his illustrious open-wheel career, is behind the wheel of a Cup Series car for his first NASCAR race. Castroneves will start 20th of 23 cars in Duel at Daytona No. 1. Should his finishing result not lock him into the Daytona 500 field, Castroneves is guaranteed a provisional starting spot for Sunday’s race but would start last on Sunday.

What time do the Daytona Duel races start?

Duel at Daytona No. 1 is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Barring delays, Duel at Daytona No. 2 should begin at 8:45 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is showing the Daytona Duel races?

Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is televising both Daytona Duel races.

Will there be a live stream of the Daytona Duel races?

Both Daytona Duel races can be streamed on FoxSports.com, the Fox Sports app and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Watch the Daytona Duel races on Fubo

What is the weather forecast for the Daytona Duel races?

The National Weather Service is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s Thursday night for the start of Duel No. 1, before dropping into the high 60s for Duel No. 2. There is a slight possibility of showers and thunderstorms before 10 p.m. ET, with the odds of precipitation at 20%.

Daytona duel odds: Top favorites for each race

All odds provided by BetMGM as of Thursday afternoon:

Duel No. 1 odds

Kyle Busch … +650
Chase Elliott … +900
William Byron … +1000
Bubba Wallace … +1200
Chase Briscoe … +1400
Michael McDowell … +1400
Ryan Preece … +1600
Josh Berry … +1600
Ty Gibbs … +1600
Tyler Reddick … +1600
Ross Chastain … +1600

Duel No. 2 odds

Joey Logano … +650
Brad Keselowski … +700
Ryan Blaney … +700
Denny Hamlin … +750
Austin Cindric … +900
Christopher Bell … +1000
Kyle Larson … +1000
Chris Buescher … +1100
Todd Gilliland … +1400
Alex Bowman … +1600

How do the Daytona Duel races work?

The Daytona Duels consist of two 60-lap, 150-mile races that set positions third to 40th on the starting grid for the Daytona 500 – after the top-two finishers in Wednesday’s night pole qualifying locked up the Daytona 500 front row. The winners of the two Duel races will start on the second row of Sunday’s Daytona 500 (if they didn’t already land on the front row in pole qualifying).

The drivers who finished first, third, fifth, etc., in Wednesday’s pole qualifying will race in Duel No. 1, while those who finished second, fourth, sixth, etc., in qualifying will race in Duel No. 2. The finishing order from Duel No. 1 will make up the inside lane for the starting lineup of the Daytona 500, starting with position No. 3. The results of Duel No. 2 will make up the outside lane on the starting grid.

The top finishers in both Daytona Duel races also receive NASCAR Cup Series regular season points.

Who will start first in the Daytona Duel races?

Chase Briscoe posted the top time in Wednesday night’s Daytona 500 pole qualifying, guaranteeing the pole position for both the Daytona 500 and Duel No. 1. Austin Cindric posted the second-fastest time in qualifying and will start on the pole in Duel No. 2 and second in the Daytona 500.

∎ Duel at Daytona No. 1 front row

Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

∎ Duel at Daytona No. 2 front row

Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Joey Logano. No. 22 Team Penske Ford

What are the starting lineups for the Daytona Duel races?

Duel at Daytona No. 1

(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(40) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(91) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(66) Chandler Smith, Ford
(44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet

Duel at Daytona No. 2

(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota
(88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(01) Corey LaJoie, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(62) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet
(78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
(51) Cody Ware, Ford

Who won the 2024 Daytona Duel races?

Tyler Reddick won Duel No. 1 last year in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Christopher Bell won Duel No. 2 in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

How to watch the Daytona 500

Date: Sunday, Feb. 16
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Streaming: Fubo, FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
Location: Daytona International Speedway

Who won last year’s Daytona 500?

William Byron won the 66th annual Daytona 500 to kick off the 2024 season. The 26-year-old edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman at the checkered flag. Byron’s win gave team owner Rick Hendrick a record-tying nine Daytona 500 victories, becoming the sixth different driver in the team’s history to win the iconic race.

Which drivers have won the most Daytona 500 races?

*-active driver

Richard Petty … 7
Cale Yarborough … 4
Bobby Allison … 3
Jeff Gordon … 3
*-Denny Hamlin … 3
Dale Jarrett … 3

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Best ever? Jay Bilas makes bold claim on SEC basketball and has point

Jay Bilas says SEC basketball’s performance this season is the best ever by a conference. Bold statement, but true? He’s got a case.
The Big East set a Final Four record in 1985 and a NCAA Tournament bids record in 2011. The SEC pursues those bars of greatness.
How many March Madness bids for SEC? Fourteen teams are in play.

Jay Bilas, ESPN’s erudite college hoops voice, abandoned his east coast allegiance and saluted the SEC’s fiefdom.

“This is the most powerful basketball league, top to bottom, that there has ever been,” Bilas said Tuesday on the SEC Network. “I have never seen anything remotely like what we’re seeing in the Southeastern Conference this year.”

Oh, my! Best ever? That’s lofty praise from a blue-blooded Dukie. Such words could be considered treason for ACC or Big East fans.

Nobody should dispute the SEC’s claim to the best conference this season after it dunked on non-conference competition, but are we ready to award GOAT status?

The 1985 Big East would like a word.

The 2011 Big East, too.

What about when the ACC snagged three No. 1 seeds in 2019 and Virginia took home the title?

For Bilas, this SEC season trumps all of that and more.

Bilas’ opinion is no crackpot musing. He knows ball. He’s enjoyed a front-row seat to quality hoops throughout his three decades broadcasting games.

A Big East and SEC expert weighs in

But, did Bilas suffer from recency bias anointing the SEC? I knew I needed to consult with Mike Tranghese, the former Big East commissioner who spent three decades in a conference synonymous with basketball. Tranghese later joined the SEC to help galvanize its hoops.

Forty years after No. 8 seed Villanova became the O.G. Cinderella and won the national championship, Tranghese can still rattle off results from the Big East’s magical 1985 season. Six of the Big East’s nine teams made the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown and St. John’s joined Villanova in a Final Four resembling a Big East Invitational that Memphis stumbled into.

The Big East’s six qualifiers combined for an 18-5 March Madness record. Five Big East teams won at least one tournament game. Four reached the Sweet 16, including 11th-seeded Boston College, which upset No. 3 Duke along the way.

So, what about this idea of the SEC enjoying the best season ever for a conference? Well, Tranghese won’t refute it. He sides with Bilas.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tranghese said.

And he’s seen plenty, from Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing and Ed Pinckney to Allen Iverson and Rip Hamilton to Carmelo Anthony and Emeka Okafor. Still, he’s ready to crown the SEC.

“It’s probably the best I’ve seen from any conference, in a particular year,” Tranghese said. “I watch games all the time, and the SEC is really, really good.”

No argument on that point, but college basketball’s judgement day arrives in March.

At least for me, it’s premature to anoint the SEC the GOAT before March Madness. The SEC last produced a national champion in 2012. It last put a team in the championship game in 2014. Kentucky delivered on both fronts.

Load up the Sweet 16, put multiple teams in the Final Four, bring a national championship home to the South, and that’ll settle this debate, hands down.

Tranghese sees nothing to suggest the SEC won’t keep the good times rolling.

“They’ve all got a chance to do damage in the tournament,” Tranghese said.

SEC basketball uprising a culmination of Greg Sankey’s mandate

Let’s dig into this tremendous SEC uprising. Fourteen of the league’s 16 teams assemble résumés worthy of tournament consideration.

Even if the SEC finishes a bid or two short of 14 qualifiers, it threatens to break the record of 11 NCAA bids, set by the 2011 Big East. That’s the only time any league reached double figures.

The SEC’s 14-2 record in the SEC/ACC challenge highlighted its evisceration of non-conference opponents. That interconference dominance formed the linchpin of Bilas’ argument. Case in point: SEC cellar dweller South Carolina beat Clemson, one of the ACC’s best teams.

This season marks a crescendo of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s decade-long push to elevate men’s basketball. The SEC’s initiative involved smarter scheduling and improving officiating, but hiring better coaches and investing in retaining them became the biggest factor in this hoops movement.

“In the pudding, regardless of what league you administrate, you’ve got to start with coaches. That’s just where it all is,” said Chris Plonsky, Texas’ executive senior associate athletics director. She previously worked for the Big East.

Two hires help change SEC basketball

In 2016, one year into Sankey’s commissionership, his league’s basketball product dragged the bottom. Just three SEC teams earned NCAA bids. Sankey wouldn’t tolerate that. He made two important hires to spur an uprising. Sankey tapped Tranghese as his special assistant for men’s basketball and hired former coach Dan Leibovitz as an associate commissioner for men’s basketball. Each served in their roles for seven years.

The new personnel sparked change and ignited some fires. Tranghese remembers delivering a rally cry to the conference’s athletic directors.

“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think it would get to this,” Tranghese said, “but I remember when I went in and told the ADs, ‘For the SEC not to be winning in basketball, it’s absurd. Utterly absurd.’ It’s just got too many things going for it.’”

Combine enviable financial resources, elite facilities, the conference’s television network, passionate fan bases and access to talent, and Tranghese insisted the SEC possessed tools to thrive in basketball.

Insert better coaches, and a limping league started to sprint.

“The most important thing is, we got our schools to hire good coaches,” Tranghese said.

SEC in 2025 or Big East in 1985? Who gets the edge?

The 1972 Miami Dolphins sip a champagne toast each year when the NFL’s last undefeated team loses, to celebrate the Dolphins remaining the league’s only team to finish a season unbeaten.

Members of the Big East’s old guard don’t break out the bubbly, but they relish the league’s unprecedented and unmatched 1985 record of three Final Four bids.

“We all still converse, and we love that stat: Three out of four in ’85,” said Plonsky, who joined the Big East in 1986. “That’s a badge of pride.”

She also nods to the Big East’s 2011 feat of 11 qualifiers. Only two reached the Sweet 16, but Connecticut won the national championship.

“It was a collection of some of the best, deepest basketball, with great coaches – a similar scenario of what the SEC men are enjoying right now,” Plonsky said of that 2011 Big East season, by which point she’d settled in at Texas.

The argument for the SEC being the best ever resides in its top to bottom strength. The top four teams in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll hail from the SEC. No. 1 Alabama will face No. 2 Auburn on Saturday. All but two SEC teams rank in the NET rankings’ top 50. Oklahoma, the SEC’s 14th-place team, owns wins against Arizona, Louisville, Michigan and Oklahoma State.

By comparison, the 1985 Big East included three teams with losing records. A few anchors existed within the 2011 Big East, too.

This sport revolves around March Madness, so the SEC’s final exam begins next month, but “there is a new standard, potentially, being created,” Plonsky said.

And would it surprise anyone if the last team standing wears an SEC jersey patch? Nonbelievers are so hard to find, you wonder whether any still exist.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but I picked a team at the beginning of the year, and they’re having a great season, and I think they’ve got a heck of a chance to win the whole thing,” Tranghese said. “And, it’s an SEC team.”

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

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Hegseth says he and Vance are ‘on the same page’ despite VP’s remark on US troops in Ukraine

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Friday that ‘the reality of U.S. troops in Ukraine is unlikely,’ but insisted that there was ‘no daylight’ between himself and Vice President JD Vance.

In a bilateral press conference with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Hegseth touched on the possibility of U.S. troops going into Ukraine. At first, he appeared to shut down the idea, but then he seemed to not take it entirely off the table. 

Hegseth added that he would ‘never put constraints around what the President of the United States would be willing to negotiate with the sovereign leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.’

On Thursday, in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, Vance reportedly said that the option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine remained ‘on the table.’  

Vance also told the outlet that the U.S. could use ‘economic tools’ or ‘military tools’ against Russia to bring about an end to the nearly three-year-long war. The vice president said that President Donald Trump wants ‘a productive negotiation’ with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also teased a deal that would ‘shock a lot of people.’

Vance is in Germany for the Munich Security Conference, where he is expected to meet with Zelenskyy.

The vice president’s remarks appear contrast with what Hegseth told the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels earlier this week. In his opening remarks to the group, Hegseth said that rather than admitting Ukraine to NATO, security guarantees to the country would be supported ‘by capable European and non-European troops.’ However, he also appeared to completely rule out the possibility of U.S. troops

‘To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine,’ he said.

At the Munich Security Conference, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, R-Ms., told Politico that he was ‘puzzled’ and ‘disturbed’ by Hegseth’s remarks in Brussels.

‘Everybody knows … and people in the administration know you don’t say before your first meeting what you will agree to and what you won’t agree to,’ Sen. Wicker told Politico, classifying Hegseth’s comments as a ‘rookie mistake.’

Trump has long spoken about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, often asserting that it would not have started had he been in the Oval Office.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that in a ‘lengthy and highly productive’ phone call Putin agreed to ‘immediately’ begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations, saying he thinks they ‘will be successful.’

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Head of UN watchdog says UNRWA hired people ‘who were supporting terrorism’

President Donald Trump has made major foreign policy moves in his first few weeks in office, including cutting off U.S. funding to the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA has long faced accusations of ties to terrorists, which have intensified over the course of the Israel-Hamas war that began with the massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

Former President Joe Biden initially cut off U.S. funding to UNRWA in January 2024, months into the war, after Israel accused members of the U.N. agency of taking part in Hamas’ brutal attacks.

U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer said Americans need to know that some U.N. agencies, such as UNRWA, are founded on ‘altruistic good intentions,’ but have ‘morphed into something which is the complete opposite of what it was supposed to be.’

UNRWA was founded in 1949 ‘to carry out direct relief and works programs for Palestine refugees,’ according to the agency’s website. However, Neuer disputes Palestinians’ refugee status and says that President Trump’s proposed Gaza takeover uncovered a ‘truth that has been hidden.’

Neuer points out that UNRWA supporters and critics of the president’s proposal have accused Trump of ‘uprooting them [Palestinians] from their homes and lands,’ which would mean that ‘they’re not refugees.’ Gaza, which the U.N. recognizes as part of the ‘State of Palestine,’ would be considered their home under this criticism, negating their refugee status.

However, the problems with UNRWA go beyond ambiguous definitions. Neuer told Fox News Digital that the agency ‘systematically employed individuals who were supporting terrorism.’ He pointed to Fathi al-Sharif, who served as the principal of a school run by UNRWA, as well as the agency’s teachers’ union in Lebanon.

‘We know that the head of UNRWA’s education system, namely, teacher, school principal and head of the teachers’ union of 2,000 teachers in Lebanon, was a man named Fathi al-Sharif… he was the head of Hamas in Lebanon,’ Neuer said, adding that American taxpayers’ money funded al-Sharif and ‘the entire education system that he oversaw.’

In the case of Suhail al-Hindi, UNRWA’s former head of a ‘local staff union in Gaza,’ the agency insists that it suspended and fired al-Hindi after an announcement that he had been ‘elected to political office with Hamas.’

In response to a request for comment, UNRWA told Fox News Digital that it ‘prohibits any type of involvement of staff in a militant or armed group. As a representative of the U.N., any involvement in a group that promotes discrimination or violence violates the principle of neutrality and gravely jeopardizes UNRWA’s ability to provide services and protection to refugees.’

UNRWA referenced al-Hindi’s case specifically, noting it ‘also dismissed another staff member whose name appeared in the list of those newly elected to Hamas political office in Gaza.’

Contrary to critics’ claims, Neuer told Fox News Digital that Israel was not always trying to shut down UNRWA, saying that the Jewish State first saw the agency as ‘convenient’ in the late 1960s. However, Neuer said that Israel’s view on the agency has greatly shifted, particularly since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

In January 2024, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini ordered an investigation of any staff who allegedly participated in Hamas’ attacks, which he condemned in a statement. UNRWA told Fox News Digital that ‘upon ascertaining that the individuals were indeed UNRWA staff members,’ Lazzarini ‘immediately’ terminated their appointments.

Late last month, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon formally notified U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres of Israel’s demand that UNRWA cease operations in Jerusalem and evacuate its premises.

‘Months of good-faith engagement with the United Nations and years of related grievances conveyed to UNRWA, have been met with blatant disregard, compromising its fundamental obligation to impartiality and neutrality beyond repair,’ Danon wrote in the letter.

In a statement released last month, UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler slammed the laws that Israel passed in October 2024, saying that the Jewish State’s shortening of UNRWA staff visas was ‘tantamount to being evicted.’ However, Fowler confirmed that ‘UNRWA remains absolutely committed to stay and deliver,’ referring to the agency’s other locations in the region.

While Israel’s views on the agency have changed, prompting action from the country’s government, Neuer points out that several countries, including the U.S., failed to ‘take any meaningful action’ against UNRWA. He called the countries’ past moves ‘largely performative and limited.’

When asked about what Americans need to know about UNRWA, Neuer says that the agency is ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing,’ adding examples of U.N. officials who he says have gone against their mission. He also compared it to a social issue commonly debated here, namely anti-racism.

‘Just like Americans were told for at least the past 5 years – maybe more – that anti-racism means you have to discriminate against white people, against heterosexuals, you know, all kinds of categories, we were told that’s tolerance, that’s equality. We were told that racism and discrimination was anti-racism and anti-discrimination. We were fed a pack of lies,’ Neuer told Fox News Digital.

Addressing UNRWA and the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Neuer added, Theyare no humanitarian agencies. They are agencies that systematically have incentivized and legitimized terrorist groups from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Islamic regime in Iran. That’s the reality.’

When asked by Fox News Digital about Neuer’s allegations, UNRWA dismissed them and accused U.N. Watch of ‘spreading disinformation against’ the agency.

‘The agency systematically reviews all allegations of misconduct, including breaching U.N. values and humanitarian principles, and launches investigations into any credible allegation, applying disciplinary measures where misconduct has been established, up to and including separation,’ UNRWA told Fox News Digital.

President Trump’s executive order called for ‘renewed scrutiny’ of UNHRC, UNRWA and the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In the order, UNHRC is accused of ‘protecting human rights abusers,’ while UNESCO is slammed for its ‘failure to reform itself’ among other issues.

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Expert reveals massive levels of waste DOGE can slash from entitlements, pet projects: ‘A lot of fat’

As Democrats blast Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts as a ‘constitutional crisis,’ Fox News Digital spoke to a government spending expert who explained that many departments, including entitlements, are ripe with fat that can and should be cut. 

James Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, spoke to Fox News Digital about some of the opportunities to make cuts to entitlements and pointed to $2 billion worth of improper payments at the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2022, which was enough to pay 89,947 retired workers in 2023.

‘It’s hard to wrap your head around a figure like that,’ Agresti said. ‘There’s a lot of fat in Social Security, as there are in almost all entitlement programs.’

The SSA sent roughly 7,000 federal employees disability benefits in 2008 while they were still taking wages from federal jobs, according to a 2010 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO estimated that about 1,500 of those individuals ‘may have improperly received benefits’ since their wages went beyond maximum income thresholds. The GAO investigation also found that over 71,000 ‘stimulus checks’ were sent by the Obama administration to people who were deceased, including 63,481 people whose deaths had been previously reported to the agency.

President Donald Trump and Musk have signaled concerns about illegal immigrants with Social Security numbers contributing to fraud at SSA, which Agresti said are concerns backed up by facts.

In 2010, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration did a study of this problem, and it found that there were 800,000 noncitizens who had Social Security numbers and were working under them, which means they can receive benefits on them, and they obtain those Social Security numbers by submitting false birth certificates to the Social Security Administration,’ Agresti said.

Agresti explained that there are similar problems at the Internal Revenue Service ‘where they’re doling out child tax credits for the children of illegal immigrants, and they are basically accepting anything that’s thrown at them.’

There was an investigation back several years ago where the same birth certificate was issued, it was given to them in numerous cases to get these child tax credits, and they just gave it to them,’ Agresti said. ‘There was absolutely no accountability. In fact, the order from management was just get it done, get it off your desk. Don’t worry about investigating whether or not it’s legit and this is quite frankly, it’s theft.’

‘It’s stealing from the US taxpayers, it’s stealing from the government. And certain people have just come to tolerate it. And quite frankly, I just think that’s ridiculous. We would never tolerate this in our regular life. Somebody ripping us off for 10, 20% of our income.’

Agresti told Fox News Digital that Social Security is ‘actually one of the better ones’ when compared to other entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid, where the improper payments are ‘astronomical’ and ‘sometimes five, 10, 15%, 20% with the Children’s Health Insurance Program.’

Speaking about the IRS, Agresti said it has essentially become a ‘welfare program’ with the introduction of congressional laws that issue refundable tax credits’ and said there are ‘massively’ high improper payments in the agency, particularly with the earned income tax credit and child tax credit. 

Democrats have been vocally railing against Trump and Musk’s DOGE efforts, particularly when it comes to entitlement programs, where they argue that the administration is attempting to strip legitimate earned benefits owed to taxpayers. 

Agresti told Fox News Digital that ‘nothing could be further from the truth’ and when it comes to social security, DOGE is ‘trying to make sure that your Social Security check is there and not lost to fraud.’

I think we’re seeing one big obstacle right now, the Democratic Party, which is going after it and demonizing Trump and Musk for making a good faith effort to fix this kind of problem, and I don’t see the reason for it,’ Agresti said. ‘I don’t see the motivation for it. But it’s ridiculous that they’re misconstruing what they’re doing.’

The federal government is a behemoth, and it’s got a lot of tentacles. A lot of employees and governments are infamous for having very low accountability for their employees. It’s just the way it’s always been.’

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How Saudi Arabia’s crown prince became a central player in US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a central player in the pursuit of a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, in large part due to the political capital it wields with its massive oil reserves. 

President Donald Trump suggested Riyadh as a meeting place to kick off face-to-face talks between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin agreed the location was acceptable. To some it might seem a curious choice, but the Middle Eastern kingdom has reasons to involve itself in finding an end to the conflict happening thousands of miles from its borders. 

For Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, mediating peace negotiations would help to solidify his standing as a global leader. It also offers him a leg up on Qatar, which was heavily involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Qatar has also, since 2023, helped facilitate the return of dozens of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war. 

Trump cited both his and Putin’s relationship with the Saudis in his remarks. ‘We know the crown prince, and I think it’d be a very good place to be,’ he said. 

It’s why Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has taken a front-row seat to the U.S. dealings in Eastern Europe. Witkoff jetted off to Moscow this week and returned home with Marc Fogel, an American teacher who had been detained by the Kremlin on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in 2021. Witkoff credited Prince Mohammed for his ‘instrumental’ role in mediating the release. 

Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday he’d designated Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Witkoff to lead peace negotiations but failed to mention the special envoy he originally hired for the task, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg. The post came after he spoke by phone with both Putin and Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy. 

The Saudi kingdom is the largest exporter of oil in the world and plays a critical role in setting global prices. Higher oil prices generate more revenue for the Kremlin from Russia’s own exports.

In 2024, Russia made $108.22 billion from oil and gas sales, 26% more than the previous year, according to Reuters. 

Trump has repeatedly pressed nations in the OPEC alliance to flood the market with oil and lower the global price, believing Russia would be more open to negotiations if its war coffers are hit. 

‘Right now the price is high enough that that war will continue,’ Trump told executives at the World Economic Forum at Davos last month.

‘You got to bring down the oil price,’ he said. ‘That will end that war. You could end that war.’

The Trump team is far closer to the Saudis than the Biden administration was, though relations may strain over Trump’s plan to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and into neighboring nations and take over the territory. Still, bin Salman has pledged to invest as much as $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. 

Trump, who spoke to bin Salman just ahead of his Davos remarks, said he would be asking ‘the Crown Prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around $1 trillion.’

The Saudis and Ukraine have a common enemy in Iran, which has long been providing Russia with Shahed drones and other munitions. 

‘The [Iran-backed] Houthis have deployed Iranian weaponry against Saudi Arabia, targeting critical infrastructure, including oil pipelines and airports,’ said Daniel Balson of the advocacy group Razom for Ukraine. ‘In fact, repeated Houthi attacks against highly urbanized targets like Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia have served as a prelude for Russia’s use of drone warfare against Ukrainian cities.’

In May 2023, bin Salman invited Zelenskyy to speak at a meeting of Arab leaders in Jeddah. Later that year, Zelenskyy and bin Salman held closed-door talks with diplomats from 40 countries on ending the war, but Russia did not participate.

Putin thanked Saudi Arabia in August for its role in negotiating the most extensive prisoner swap since the Cold War, securing the release of 26 people.  

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‘Hell of a run’: Astros move into new era without longtime star

JUPITER, Fla. – For the Houston Astros, it did not come as a total shock.

In the wake of franchise cornerstone Alex Bregman ending his nine-year stint in Houston to accept a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, there’s at least half a moment to spare to appreciate the man who was a driving force in two World Series championships and seven consecutive trips to the American League Championship Series.

“Alex Bregman had a hell of a run here with us,” Astros general manager Dana Brown told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. “We hate to see him go, but we wish him all the best.

“Boston’s getting a really good player. Good defender, will hit for power over the (Green) Monster for sure.”

Yet the pivot to moving forward is coming very naturally for a club that had an agreement to trade for Nolan Arenado, acquired infielder Isaac Paredes from the Chicago Cubs and largely cinched Bregman’s departure in signing first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract.

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In the aggregate, they can likely make up for a player with a startling .848 career OPS, 191 career homers and a career-best 8.9 WAR season in 2019, one of the Astros’ three trips to the World Series since 2017.

There’s only one “Bregs,” however, that smirking and swaggering ballplayer who might hit a home run and carry the bat to first base, poke their division rivals before popping the cork on a division title and give the Astros that little extra that made them reviled outside the 713.

“It’s hard to replace,” says manager Joe Espada. “because for him, it was genuine and it came out naturally. Replacing those intangibles is difficult, but we do have those guys with those intangibles. One thing our leaders have done in the past is develop other leaders.

“I’m sure our players, after they saw that news in the morning thought, ‘OK, it’s my turn to take over some of that leadership role.’ And I expect someone to do that.”

Bregman was a free agent after his six-year, $100 million extension expired. While he festered on the market into spring training, the $40 million average annual value marks a significantly higher salary than the $26 million he’d have earned had he accepted the Astros’ standing offer of six years and $156 million. He also turned down the Detroit Tigers’ offer of six years and $171.5 million.

Now he gives the Red Sox – Astros playoff combatants in 2017 and 2021 – the sense of a sleeping giant, all while having to replace slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was traded to acquire, in part, Paredes from the Chicago Cubs.

“There’s a chance you may play him again in the postseason,’ says Brown. “That’s part of the game as well. We feel good about our club and some of the things we’ve been able to do, like putting Paredes at third. We feel his bat is going to play in our ballpark.

“He’s got big power. At first base, we felt like we added two guys who we feel fit in the top five in our lineup. And we lost two that hit in the top five in Bregman and Tucker.

“We still feel like it’s a competitive ballclub with a good chance to win the division and go deep in the postseason.”

And they see Bregman working: He will make beautiful music with the Green Monster as he did the short-porch Crawford Boxes in Houston. Bregman can opt out after this season and next – and with a career. 375 average, .490 OBP and 1.240 OPS in 21 games at Fenway Park, look out.

“He knows how to play a pepper game against the left field wall,” says Espada. “He’s had an incredible career there, numbers-wise. So I get it.”

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NIL tax shelters just the latest pandering to college football players

We’ve now officially crossed into the land of willful stupidity. 

Seriously, what are we doing here? 

It’s one thing to do right by players and allow them to earn off their name image and likeness. It’s another to take it one step further by giving them free player movement. 

Sharing media rights revenue? Absolutely, no problem with it. 

But I’m drawing the line at tax-free shelters. And everyone involved in collegiate sports should, too — including the pandering pom-pom wavers in state governments who have decided that players shouldn’t be taxed on NIL income. 

The state of Georgia has proposed a bill to eliminate a 5.49% state income tax on NIL income. And because Georgia did it, it should come as no surprise that the state Alabama followed suit. 

And you better believe a majority of the SEC states will, too. 

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But this line in the sand that now must be drawn has nothing to do with millions in would-be taxes generated on NIL deals, or that those millions could support critical infrastructure (physical and mental) in our cities and states. Good, important things. 

This is something much deeper. It’s not about what we’re giving young people for playing a sport. 

It’s about what we’re taking away. 

What message are we sending to 18-year-old young men, who have been glad-handed all of their sports playing lives? Who have been told, over and over since elementary school, their talent and ability will take them places their parents could only dream of?

Life is their oyster, and they’re the perpetual perfect pearl inside. 

Until they’re not.

Until they eventually become part of the 98.4% of college football players who don’t make it to the NFL. Until those years of avoiding hard life truths, of making the road easier (tax-free NIL), and making excuses for failure (free player movement) suddenly come to a screeching halt. 

Then somebody has to get a job. Then somebody has to function within a society that doesn’t care who or what you were, just what you can do. 

And if you can’t do it, we’ll move on to the next who can. 

No free passes, no special treatment. No bending over backward to do everything we can to make sure life works in conjunction with your schedule. The utter absurdity of it all. 

Frankly, it’s not only willful stupidity by the adults in the room — parents, high school coaches, college coaches, university presidents, the NCAA — who have haphazardly crafted this wildly inaccurate idea of life for college athletes, it’s reckless abandonment.

And for what, a football game? 

Grown men and women in the Georgia and Alabama state legislatures trying to pass a bill to hand out tax-free candy like it’s a four-year Halloween bender. And guess who’s standing there, bag wide open, accepting another freebie – another avoidance of responsibility – because it’s all they’ve ever known?

When athletes receive endorsement deals (the original idea of an NIL deal) as professionals, they’re taxed on the money. This is how life works.

Yet these pom-pom wavers in state governments, these fans dreaming of another championship, want to eliminate all sense of the grind away from the field for young men ― by building a bulletproof bubble that won’t last for all but 2% of them. 

When an 18-year-old football player enters college, this is what he walks into (this is NOT a complete list):

— A fully-funded scholarship, including room and board, and tuition and books.

— Health insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance (in case of a career-ending injury). 

— Elite training and development from the top coaches and sports nutritionists. 

— Full-time, on-demand academic tutoring.

— A competitive salary, beginning July 1 with the advent of pay for play.

— Guaranteed NIL deals. 

— Free movement from school to school.

And now the state legislatures of Georgia and Alabama have decided, let’s give them more. Only they’re taking away.

They’re taking away accountability and responsibility, and four or five years down the road when a huge majority of players are looking for life’s answers, what do they have to fall back on? 

Years of pandering and protection.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, a college education isn’t so much about book smarts – or in this case, playing football – as it is young people proving they can do life on their own. And survive and thrive. 

Pay rent, pay bills, have a budget. Prepare food, launder clothes. Get up every morning with a plan and a purpose, and meet deadlines. 

And now these dopes in the states of Georgia and Alabama, with their pom-poms wildly waving, want to do more damage.

Seriously, what are we doing here? We’re sending young men into a world that’s brutally hard with the idea that it’s effortlessly easy.

And for what, a football game?   

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

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