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The Philadelphia Eagles plan to celebrate their recent Super Bowl victory at the White House if they are invited to do so by President Donald Trump, a person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Monday.

The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the team’s decision. CNN, ESPN and NFL Network first reported the news Monday evening.

Though the reigning Super Bowl champions intend to accept the customary invitation to visit the White House, it remains unclear whether such an invitation will be extended by Trump, who abruptly disinvited the Eagles on the eve of their planned trip in 2018. The White House press office did not immediately reply to a message Monday night.

The Eagles’ possible White House visit has been a source of intrigue since they crushed the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month, given Philadelphia’s past history with Trump and the ways in which the tradition changed more broadly during Trump’s first term.

While championship teams in major professional and college sports leagues have visited the White House for decades, the traditional visits became more sporadic − and controversial − under Trump, in part because of public criticism he levied against specific leagues and groups of athletes. NBA teams, whose players are predominantly Black, either were not invited to visit the White House or declined to attend during Trump’s first term. And, in a departure from recent precedent, several championship teams in women’s sports did not receive invitations.

All things Eagles: Latest Philadelphia Eagles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

For NFL teams, the visits became especially fraught after Trump repeatedly blasted the league and players who kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial inequality. Only one of the four teams that won a Super Bowl during Trump’s first term in office made a trip to the White House (the New England Patriots, in 2017).

The Eagles were slated to visit with Trump in 2018 until the White House stunningly withdrew its invitation on the eve of the scheduled ceremony. NFL Network reported at the time that Philadelphia had planned to send a contingent of fewer than 10 players to the ceremony, and then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders publicly accused the team of trying to pull ‘a political stunt.’ The White House instead hosted a brief, awkward event the next day that it described as a celebration of America.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.

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The Utah men’s basketball team still has four games remaining on its 2024-25 schedule, but leadership at the university has decided it’s time for a change.

The school confirmed the move in a release in which Utah athletic director Mark Harlan thanked Smith for his time at the university before adding the Utes “have greater aspirations for our men’s basketball program, both within the Big 12 Conference and nationally, and our expectation is to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament.”

“After evaluating our program under Craig’s leadership, I believe a change is needed to get us to where we want to go,” Harlan said in a statement. “The time is now to begin that process.”

Smith was hired in 2021 after a decorated three-year run at Utah State, but wasn’t able to replicate that success at Utah, going 65-62 in four seasons and never reaching the NCAA Tournament.

The Utes had a winning record under Smith in three of his four seasons, but only won more than 20 games once and never finished with a winning mark in conference play.

Assistant coach Josh Eilert will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. It’s the second consecutive season Eilert has been a head coach in an interim capacity, having done the same thing during the 2023-24 season at West Virginia after Bob Huggins’ contentious ouster.

Utah’s relative shortcomings come as the two other Division I programs in the state are excelling. BYU is widely projected as an NCAA Tournament team this season and is bringing in a 2025 recruiting class led by No. 1 overall prospect AJ Dybantsa for next season. Under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State is 24-4, marking the sixth time in the past seven years the Aggies have won at least 20 games.

“We have continued to invest in our men’s basketball program, adding staff, increasing compensation and significantly enhancing NIL opportunities with our partners for our student-athletes,” Harlan said in a statement. “And our investments will only grow. I am confident that our national search, which has already begun, will lead us to the right coach to take our storied program back to national prominence.’

Some of the Utes’ missteps predated Smith’s tenure. After making the NCAA Tournament 12 times in 15 years from 1991-2005 — highlighted by a run to the national championship game in 1998 under coach Rick Majerus — Utah has taken part in March Madness just three times since 2006. It hasn’t made the 68-team field since 2016.

The Utes become the fifth major-conference program to enter the offseason looking for a new coach, joining Indiana, Virginia, Miami and Florida State.

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Nancy Kerrigan, Nathan Chen and dozens of other U.S. figure skating stars will converge in Washington on Sunday to pay tribute to the victims of the American Airlines flight that fatally collided with a military helicopter last month.

The special tribute show, titled ‘Legacy on Ice,’ will feature performances by more than 40 athletes over two hours at Capital One Arena as U.S. Figure Skating and its corporate partners look to raise money for the families affected by the fatal collision over the Potomac River on Jan. 29. Authorities said 67 people died in the crash, the cause of which is currently being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

According to U.S. Figure Skating, nearly half of the passengers on the American Airlines flight were members of the figure skating community who were returning home following a national development camp for young skaters in Wichita, Kansas.

While the specific details of Sunday’s exhibition have yet to be revealed, here’s what we know about the show, who will be there and how to watch it.

What is the ‘Legacy on Ice’ tribute show?

‘Legacy on Ice’ is a one-time exhibition being held at Capital One Arena in Washington to raise money for the families of the crash vicims and the first responders that worked on scene. The proceeds are being distributed through the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, the charitable foundation associated with the entity that owns the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

According to U.S. Figure Skating, Sunday’s show will feature performances by current and former U.S. skating national champions, while also ‘[weaving] in storytelling as a poignant tribute to the history of figure skating in the United States.’

‘Additionally, the first responders, the fallen and their families will be acknowledged in tributes of remembrance,’ the national governing body said in a news release Monday.

The exhibition concept is well-known and long-established in figure skating, where high-level domestic and international competitions usually end with such a performance. Exhibitions usually feature more artistry and creativity than the competitions themselves, which can be more technical.

Who will be at ‘Legacy on Ice’?

U.S. Figure Skating has released a list of 41 figure skaters who are expected to take the ice Sunday. In addition to Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic medalist, and Chen, the reigning gold medalist, the list features some of the most well-known American athletes in the history of the sport, including:

Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist
Peggy Fleming, who won Olympic gold in 1968
Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist
Johnny Weir, three-time U.S. champion and NBC figure skating analyst
Kristi Yamaguchi, who won Olympic gold in 1992

Several current members of Team USA − and Olympic hopefuls for the upcoming 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina − are also expected to attend, including Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito.

How can I watch the ‘Legacy on Ice’ tribute show?

‘Legacy on Ice’ will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Sunday and be broadcast live on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. An encore showing of the exhibition will air on NBC at 1 p.m. ET on March 30. 

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MEDLEY, Fla. — Count WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert as a supporter of Unrivaled.  

Engelbert attended Unrivaled games on Monday night, as the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league nears the end of its inaugural season as an alternative offseason option for WNBA players. 

Engelbert toured the Unrivaled facility, roughly seven miles from the Miami International Airport, and watched as a fan in a VIP box just behind Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell and commissioner Micky Lawler. 

“We’re really happy to welcome Kathy to be here,” Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart said after scoring 21 points with 11 rebounds as her Mist team beat the Laces 65-49 in the second of two games. 

“Both leagues can have success, and both leagues can continue to uplift one another. I hope she just sees how hard we’re working to really put great product on and off the court here, and it’s the same in the W. … I don’t think anything has to be one-dimensional. It’s nice for her to come down and get here before things kind of start in the W.” 

During Unrivaled’s first season, its WNBA stars such as Stewart and fellow co-founder Napheesa Collier have stressed the need for WNBA players to be paid more and have adequately equipped facilities to help the players succeed. It’s a pivotal time as the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will be negotiated in the next year. 

Unrivaled players have received equity in the league, while their average salary of more than $220,000 is close to the maximum base salary in the WNBA. Collier won $200,000 in Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament final on Feb. 14 and said: “My entire WNBA salary is what I got for 30 minutes of playing 1-on-1 – which is insane to even say.” 

Along with Unrivaled’s main court, named Wayfair Arena, their Miami facility has a practice court, a fully equipped weight room, training room for rehabilitation and even an area for child care. 

“I think just the amenities and the facilities that are provided for every single person here, top to bottom, everyone’s given exactly what they need to be the best basketball player they can be,” Rose guard Lexi Hull said after a 71-59 win over the Phantom. “I think across the league, that’s all we can hope for as a basketball player, is to be given the facilities and the resources we can to perform our best and do the best we can at our job. I think that’s definitely the thing that we’re seeing, having at Unrivaled, and hopefully that can transition into the WNBA.” 

The WNBA has reached a new stratosphere of attention with the additions of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese into the league after their matchup in the 2023 national title game. The last WNBA postseason, which saw Stewart’s New York Liberty beat Collier’s Minnesota Lynx in the finals, was the most-watched postseason in the last 25 years. The league will welcome the Golden State Valkyries in 2025, with franchises in Portland and Toronto to join in 2026. 

The players want to see those recent successes trickle down to them. 

“We want our money and we want it now. It’s just ultimate investment,” said Natasha Cloud, a Phantom player at Unrivaled, who was traded to the Connecticut Sun from the Phoenix Mercury this WNBA offseason.

“I think we’ve done a really good job over the last few years — and especially over my tenure of a 10-year career in the W — we’ve grown so much, but there’s so much room left to grow. And obviously you guys see us expanding, but also just prioritizing players. I think we do a really good job here at Unrivaled of prioritizing players and making it a players’ league. … I think Unrivaled is just doing a good job of setting the precedence for all leagues across the board to really talk that talk, and walk that walk.”

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It’s Elimination Chamber week, which means the WWE world is one step closer to seeing who will be competing for major championships at WrestleMania 41.

Monday Night Raw kicked off the week leading into the last premium live event before WrestleMania weekend in April, and the hype for the Elimination Chamber was built up. Some of those who will appear on Saturday took to the microphone to address the career-changing night they could have, including Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

While the show could have just been focused on the buildup to Elimination Chamber, there were some championship matches on the schedule, and titles did change hands in what was one of the best matches of the year so far.

Here are all of the results, highlights and analysis from Monday Night Raw:

Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

Upset with the challengers, Belair and Naomi attacked Morgan and Rodriguez before the match could officially start, throwing them over the barricade in brutal fashion. They got Morgan in the ring to officially start the match, and the champions were going hard at the former Women’s World Champion. Even when the referee was distracted, Belair didn’t let up on the attack. But Rodriguez is just as good at capitalizing when the referee isn’t looking, and she tripped up Belair and threw her against the barricade to finally get control.

Naomi and Rodriguez traded shots in the ring before Belair got the tag and did an impressive 450 off the top rope. Somehow, Rodriguez kicked out. Things quickly changed when Morgan did a code breaker off the top rope, and Belair was able to kick out. The champions were setting up for a victory when Dominik Mysterio came in to distract the referee and allow Rodriguez to dish out some blows. Morgan executed the ObLivion on Naomi and the pin seemed secured until Belair broke it up just in time.

When the action resumed, Morgan tried a roll up on Belair twice in unsuccessful fashion. Belair landed the K.O.D. on Morgan and the pin seemed like it would happen, until Rodriguez broke it up. Naomi took care of Rodriguez and the champions did the double K.O.D., ready to retain titles. However, Mysterio got Morgan’s leg on the rope to break the pin. A frustrated Belair went after Mysterio, only to get attack by Rodriguez.

Mysterio got in the way again and Rodriguez held up Naomi, eventually leading to her hitting her headed off the turnbuckle. Morgan climbed her way to Naomi and got the pin to get her and Rodriguez the titles once again.

Analysis: What a main event match that was. The energy was high from start to finish and there was never a dull moment in a spectacular matchup as the crowd was clearly invested in it. It felt like the first match in a few weeks where nearly every pin felt like it would be the successful one, and a case could have been made for either side to win. It was the jolt the women’s tag team division needed, and it may finally be back to being one fans are invested in.

Before getting into the feud, this certainly makes The Judgment Day a more viable faction, and gives the champions and Mysterio some leverage over Finn Balor. While there is gold back in the group, the friction may only just be getting bigger soon.

In the end, Morgan and Rodriguez continue their tag team success by becoming three-time champions, and they deserve to be back on top of the division. Their chemistry can only be matched by the one of Belair and Naomi. With the issue of the Jade Cargill attack, the feud between the two sides is far from over, and either another match will come up or something will happen that finally gets Cargill back in the mix. If another match is in store, then let’s hope we get the same caliber one we saw on Monday.

Cody Rhodes appears, Seth Rollins gives his take on The Rock’s offer

On the heels of The Rock asking for his ‘soul,’ Rhodes addressed how his decision at Elimination Chamber could change how not only his championship reign is perceived, but how he and the rest of the WWE will be viewed going forward. Before he could ponder any longer, Seth Rollins emerged to speak with his WrestleMania 40 partner.

Rollins said he was excited at the chance to face Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, but he said he came out to ask ‘what the hell’ Rhodes is thinking. He recalled the struggle they endured last year, and it’s a slap in the face for Rhodes to even consider The Rock’s offer. Rhodes countered by saying Rollins has a compromised soul for all of the different sides he has taken throughout his WWE career. Should Rhodes accept the offer, Rollins believes he’ll end up just like him, and he’s trying to prevent it from happening.

‘Don’t make me hate you, Cody Rhodes,’ he said.

Rollins then tried to give Rhodes a pep talk by telling him he wants to face the champion that came back to the company, took him to through battles in 2022 and dethroned Roman Reigns last year.

Bron Breakker vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio found out last week how hard Breakker hits, and he got another reminder on Monday. The Intercontinental Champion came out punishing Mysterio quickly, getting him out of the ring and forcing The Judgment Day teammates Finn Balor and Carlito to help him regroup.

Anytime Mysterio got some sort of offense in, it was thanks to The Judgment Day causing a distraction. But it wouldn’t be long before Breakker would retake control. Breakker was setting up for victory when Balor and Carlito weren’t going to risk it. They dragged Breakker out to end the match in a disqualification. They tried to gang-up on Breakker, but the champion was too strong to be held back. He fended off all three people − with a wild jumping spear to Carlito − and The Judgment Day was sent back to retreat.

Analysis: Things continue to unravel for The Judgment Day, and it could be headed toward a breaking point. There wasn’t anyway Mysterio was going to be able to out-muscle Breakker, and the interference by Carlito and Balor showed completed desperation on their part, and they rightfully got beaten up by Breakker.

The shot of the intense stare down between Breakker and Balor signaled a potential match in the future, it’s just a matter of whether Balor would go after the Intercontinental Championship with his stablemates or on his own.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Dakota Kai

The rematch for the inaugural Intercontinental Championship match goes in favor of the champion.

Valkyria had Kai’s number heading into the match, and the challenger went with an aggressive approach right at the start. It was right the way to start for Kai as she was able to counter nearly anything the champion tried to throw at her.

After spending so long playing defense, Valkyria finally halted Kai’s momentum with a massive suplex off the top rope. Kai didn’t let it hold her back for long as the two sides traded pins in a fast-moving sequence with all eyes on whether shoulders were getting lifted off the mat. Valkyria tried to go off the top rope but was met by Kai’s foot. She went for another kick and thought that be it for the victory, but the champion kicked out.

Kai took the action to the ropes, looking for the blow that would get her title. However, Valkyria slipped out and delivered her Nightwing that completely caught Kai by surprise. It was executed perfectly and Valkyria got the pin to retain.

The two sides have respect for each other and shook hands afterward, but as Kai was leaving, Ivy Nile came out and attacked her before she went in the ring and did the same to Valkyria. Nile held the title up, clearly indicating she’s out to dethrone Valkyria.

Analysis: All the signs pointed to Kai becoming the new Women’s Intercontinental Champion, but Valkyria reminded the world why she has all the makings of a future world champion. She’s extremely crafty, and the mix of finesse and power was on display in the title defense. Although Kai is a worthy champion that should get the title at some point, Valkyria strongly holds onto her first main roster piece of gold.

The post-match attack from Nile clearly showed who is next to challenge for the title, and she is deserving of a chance to prove her worth on the main roster. The upcoming feud is also much-needed, especially since there hasn’t been much done with the title since Valkyria initially won it. Valkyria has the capabilities to not only show her immense talent, but make the title really mean something. A chance to do so should be happening soon.

Gunther vs. Akira Tozawa

In the impromptu match, Tozawa put up a valiant start with some shots at the World Heavyweight Champion. But Gunther is among the best in the business.

Tozawa almost pulled off a stunning rolling pinfall, and when he tried to leap off the top rope, Gunther countered it with a submission. The champion teased Tozawa with some chops before landing the punishing powerbomb. He went for the pin, but decided he wasn’t done yet. Gunther picked up Tozawa and put him in a sleeper hold. Tozawa looked helpless and the referee called the match.

The punishment continued afterward, and Gunther put Otis in a sleeper hold as well before Jey Uso came out to put an end to the assault.

Analysis: It wasn’t a squash match, but it went exactly how you’d expect with Gunther easily beating Tozawa to prove a point to Uso. Gunther is delivering some of his best work at the moment as he heads toward WrestleMania, and it’s a big reason why the World Heavyweight Championship match is generating more intrigue.

LWO (Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

The New Day made sure to insult the crowd before the match started, but the LWO was tired of hearing it and rushed to the ring to put a stop to their antics. There was no love lost after what Kingston and Woods did to Rey Mysterio in recent weeks, and The New Day showed off their veteran experience over the younger stars − throwing some verbal jabs in the process.

The LWO was able to get some offense in, but The New Day played smart. A distraction of the referee led to a change of the tide and the longtime partners ended the match in signature fashion. Woods and Kingston continued the assault after the bell rang, and Dragon Lee came to the aide of Del Toro and Wilde, but it was a futile attempt with The New Day also taking their hatred out on Lee.

Analysis: The New Day keeps on rolling. Woods and Kingston have been on fire ever since they decided to change the course and become complete heels. Not only are they incredible on the mic, but they’ve reminded wrestling fans they are among the best tag team partners. They should be headed toward a championship opportunity in the future, and if they can keep this up, they’ll bring some greatness back to the tag team division.

Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky face-off

The Women’s World Champion addressed her upcoming championship match against Iyo Sky. She said although she will be paying attention to the women’s Elimination Chamber match − since the winner will compete for the title at WrestleMania 41 − she needs to be focused on facing Sky next Monday.

Ripley noted it’s been more than five years since she’s beaten Sky, so she needs to finally get the best of her. Sky then came out and said she will be the one heading to WrestleMania as champion.

Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne

Both Dunne and Kaiser have had issues with Penta, and the two stars tried to get each other out of the way so they could focus on the Mexico-native. Penta didn’t have any issues with the attention, with shots at both Dunne and Kaiser in separate sequences before taking them both down outside of the ring.

Penta had momentum rolling with his high-flying maneuvers and quick-hitters, including a hurricanrana off Dunne to launch him into Kaiser. The momentum was rolling and Penta went for a pin on Kaiser, only for it to get interrupted by Dunne. Penta and Dunne traded chops and blows, and Dunne unsuccessfully went for a pin. Dunne did his patented finger twist on Kaiser, and Penta came out of nowhere to get the Mexican Destroyer executed on Dunne.

Penta was setting up for the pin on Dunne when Kaiser threw him out of the ring, planted Dunne on the mat and got the pin to steal the victory.

Analysis: Penta suffers his first loss in WWE, and it’s all thanks to the smarts of Kaiser. Penta has given the audience a fresh face and quickly gotten over, and it didn’t seem like he was going to lose anytime soon. However, Kaiser does what he does best in capitalizing on openings.

Kaiser’s win was his first of 2025, and should help him generate some turn the page on what was becoming a tough streak for the Imperium member. He likely isn’t done with Penta and the two sides have solid chemistry in the ring, so another match is in store. Before the match, he said he will now be taking ‘what he wants.’ Actions back up his words.

Logan Paul, CM Punk kick off show, look ahead to Elimination Chamber

The ever-so hated Paul emerged in his home state of Ohio, but made sure to throw disses at Cincinnati, including a shot at the city’s NFL team, the Bengals. Just as he was getting into talking about winning Elimination Chamber, Punk emerged

Punk said Paul is a person that only tries to get reactions out of people, and he isn’t a generational talent. Paul fired back with a jab at Punk being unable to perform at the highest level, like how last year he tore his triceps. Paul said he will soon be the biggest star in the company, but Punk said he won’t last long enough in the company to be remembered. He then said he plans to eliminate Paul in the Elimination Chamber. The two stars faced off before Paul slapped Punk and left the ring.

When is Monday Night Raw?

This week’s Monday Night Raw will be Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET.

Where is Monday Night Raw?

This week’s episode is taking place at Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati.

How to watch Monday Night Raw

Monday Night Raw will be available only on Netflix. Viewers will need a Netflix subscription to watch the event, and it’s available at no additional cost. Fans with any Netflix subscription tier will be able to watch.

Monday Night Raw match card

Matches not in order

Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Dakota Kai
Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne
LWO (Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

What else is happening on Monday Night Raw?

Men’s Elimination Chamber match participants appear ahead of match.
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley delivers message for Iyo Sky.
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther speaks on WrestleMania 41 match against Jey Uso.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes appears.

Monday Night Raw preview

WWE Now previews Monday’s show.

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

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President Donald Trump’s White House is warning that a key Democrat’s move to end the president’s energy national emergency would kill hundreds of jobs and cost $3.6 trillion in higher prices and lost energy output. 

‘Tim Kaine wants to impoverish Americans. President Donald Trump’s executive order brings America into the future and unleashes prosperity. Senator [Tim] Kaine wants to cost the economy trillions and risk losing nearly a million jobs,’ said deputy press secretary Anna Kelly in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. 

The White House’s statement is in response to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., filing a joint resolution to end Trump’s energy national emergency and teeing up a vote on the Senate floor this week.

Ending the energy emergency would lead to the loss of 869,800 jobs, according to a White House document obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The White House emphasized that ending the emergency would usher back in the Biden administration’s policies. The document stressed that under those policies, during Biden’s first two years, families spent an additional average of $10,000 in energy costs, citing a study published by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. 

The document cited that estimates of liquefied natural gas growth in the new administration were projected to bring in half a million jobs annually and boost U.S. GDP by $1.3 trillion through 2040, per a study by S&P Global in December. 

‘The Trump Administration is living in a fantasy land,’ Kaine and Heinrich told Fox News Digital in a joint statement. ‘Energy demand is high and only getting higher, which is why it’s great that America is producing more energy than at any other point in our history. Decreasing the supply of American-made energy when demand is high is the quickest way to raise prices—and that’s exactly what President Trump’s sham energy emergency will do. By tampering with the market to favor some forms of energy over others and making it easier for fossil fuel companies to take Americans’ private property, Trump’s emergency declaration will benefit Big Oil, but leave American consumers with fewer choices and higher bills.’

‘At the same time, Trump’s decision to illegally halt investments appropriated by Congress in energy projects that are creating jobs in communities across the country is costing Americans valuable, good-paying jobs,’ they added. 

The two Democrats unveiled their privileged legislation against Trump’s order earlier this month.

‘Senate Democrats are yet again attempting to block President Trump’s efforts to secure cheaper, more reliable energy—just when America needs it most,’ Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘Their message to families is clear: pay more, expect less. Luckily, President Trump is committed to unleashing American energy and rescuing the country from the energy crisis that they have perpetuated. Senate Republicans won’t let Democrats delay and obstruct any longer and will ensure the President has the tools necessary to deliver the results the American people expect.’

Kaine and Heinrich’s introduction of the resolution will force a vote on the Senate floor, which is expected to occur on Wednesday. 

The measure is likely to fail, with Republicans vocally supportive of Trump’s energy agenda. The GOP has a 53-seat majority in the upper chamber.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde, who earlier this month announced he was drafting articles of impeachment against a Rhode Island judge overseeing one of President Donald Trump’s legal challenges, condemned judges who continue to bar Trump’s agenda from being implemented. 

Clyde is working in conjunction with Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., who is also preparing impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer. The Georgia Republican said the real victims of judicial pushback against Trump’s policies are the American people. 

‘You’re not just hurting the president,’ Clyde told Fox News Digital. ‘You’re hurting the American people because they’re the ones who elected him, and they’re the ones who want him to do this – to exercise these specific authorities. And these judges are really denying the American people their rights.’

Clyde threatened to file articles of impeachment against District Judge John McConnell who, at the time, filed a motion ordering the Trump administration to comply with a previous restraining order. The order temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

McConnell has since come under fire from Trump supporters and conservatives who have accused him of being a liberal activist after a 2021 video of him saying courts must ‘stand and enforce the rule of law, that is, against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot’ resurfaced online.  

‘You have to take a moment and realize that this, you know, middle-class, White, male, privileged person needs to understand the human being that comes before us that may be a woman, may be Black, may be transgender, may be poor, may be rich, may be – whatever,’ McConnell said in the video, according to WPRI.

Clyde acknowledged that judges have their own opinions and ‘they’re certainly entitled to them, but they’re not overt and political in mentioning them,’ saying ‘they don’t want to be seen as potentially having a conflict of interest.’

‘And I think that’s very, very much the case when it comes to both Judge Engelmayer and Judge McConnell,’ the lawmaker said. 

Since taking office in January, activist and legal groups, along with elected officials, local jurisdictions and individuals, have launched more than 70 lawsuits against the administration. The legal challenges cover Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to slash unnecessary government spending, and Trump’s removal of various federal employees. 

With regard to the specific suits over DOGE’s actions, Clyde told Fox News Digital he expects the president to ‘prevail on the merits of his case.’

‘I think the president will certainly prevail on the merits of his case. He has the authority under Article II of the Constitution,’ Clyde said. ‘But yet for the entire time of the restraining order, the judge will have prevented this duly elected authority from being exercised by the president. And also, they will have prevented the American people from dealing with waste, fraud and abuse in their government.’

Clyde said he hopes other members of Congress join his and Crane’s efforts to continue holding judges accountable, saying those barring Trump’s agenda from being implemented ‘need to understand that they’re not going to get away with it.’

‘They can’t just stop the president from doing what the Constitution gives him the authority to do, and the people have given him the authority to do,’ Clyde said. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Diana Stancy contributed to this report. 

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The Trump administration’s Friday evening shakeup at the Pentagon saw the firing of six senior officers as Secretary Pete Hegseth made good on promises to upend the agency’s leadership. 

President Donald Trump and Hegseth fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. C.Q. Brown, and replaced him with a relatively unknown figure in Lt. Gen. Dan Caine. 

The choice of Caine shows the president’s preference for irregular warfare and special operations: Caine was among a group of military leaders who met with the president in December 2018 at the Al Asad airbase in Iraq. Trump was there to deliver a Christmas message and hear from commanders on the ground, and there Caine told Trump they could defeat ISIS quickly with a surge of resources and a lifting of restrictions on engagement. 

”We’re only hitting them from a temporary base in Syria,” Trump said Caine told him. ”But if you gave us permission, we could hit them from the back, from the side, from all over – from the base that you’re right on, right now, sir. They won’t know what the hell hit them.” 

‘It was a different message than [Trump] had gotten from leadership at the Pentagon, and I think that really made an impression,’ according to Rob Greenway, a former National Security Council official who was on the trip and has known Caine since they graduated from Virginia Military Institute together. 

Trump, on picking Caine Friday, lauded him as ‘an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.’

He’d plucked the retired general from relative obscurity to serve as his senior military adviser after accusing his predecessor, C.Q. Brown of pushing a ‘woke’ agenda at the Pentagon. Brown had been behind a 2022 memo laying out diversity goals for the Air Force. 

Caine does not meet the position’s prerequisites, such as being a combatant commander or service chief, and will require a waiver to be confirmed to the position. 

But the choice leaves Pentagon watchers curious on what direction Caine will take at his new high-level post. 

‘Caine hasn’t written much, we’re sort of trying to read the tea leaves here,’ said Mark Cancian, a senior defense advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Greenway called Caine ‘an absolutely inspired pick, a tremendous officer with a remarkable background, and he has the confidence in the president.’ 

Trump was undoubtedly attracted to his reputation as an aggressive fighter pilot that earned him the nickname ‘Razin’ Caine. But Caine’s nontraditional path throughout the military ranks and the business world was surely a selling point, according to Greenway.

‘It’s a priority of the president to have the Pentagon pass an audit, to have someone who knows what a balance sheet looks like, and can hopefully help the department get to the right side of it.’

The Pentagon has failed seven straight audits and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set its sights on budget cuts at DOD. 

Caine, an F-16 pilot by background, spent time as the top military liaison to the CIA, an Air National Guard officer and regional airline founder in Texas. He was a White House fellow at the Agriculture Department and a counterterrorism specialist on the White House’s Homeland Security Council.

From 2018-19, he was deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, which has been fighting the Islamic State since 2014, though little is publicly known about his role in that operation. The role of airstrikes, however, grew during that time, including clandestine ones, and Trump designated airstrike approval to commanders rather than the White House. 

But critics say Caine, like Hegseth, does not have the command experience for the role as Trump’s top military advisor. 

‘Trump sees [the role] as somebody who has the ability to move forces and direct funding, and it just doesn’t work that way. That’s not what the role is. So now you have a president who has people around him who are his principal advisors, [Hegseth] and this new chairman, who really have limited qualifications at the more senior levels,’ said Gene Moran, former advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and founder of lobbying firm Capitol Integration. 

The administration also relieved Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations – who Hegseth believed had been given the job because she was a woman – Gen. Jim Slife, Air Force vice chief of staff, and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force. 

‘If naval operations suffer, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – hooray,’ Hegseth wrote in his 2024 book, ‘The War on Warriors.’ 

‘The Navy, in particular, has been unable to complete a procurement program on time and on budget and notoriously has decommissioned more ships than it’s made,’ said Greenway. ‘So I think the message there was accountability has to be restored.’ 

The switch-up of judge advocates general could be the biggest signal of policy change, where Hegseth has looked to grant greater authority to forces on the ground without having to worry about legal constraints. 

The judge advocates general, the top uniformed attorneys of the Army, Air Force and Navy, oversee the legal advisors for each branch and the defense counsel and prosecutors for courts-martial. 

Hegseth has spoken out against what he sees as an ‘obsessive’ prosecution of war crimes. ‘He wants to give the benefit of the doubt to the warfighter, if there’s not, you know, an absolute massacre,’ one source familiar with the defense secretary’s thinking said.  

‘Ultimately, we want lawyers who give sound constitutional advice and don’t exist to attempt to be roadblocks to anything that happens,’ the Pentagon chief told Fox News on Sunday. 

‘Hegseth has said the troops should do what they need to achieve victory and not feel constrained by the lawyers,’ said Cancian. ‘But then you could have some actions that are contrary to international law or treaties, that could make a huge controversy, both domestically and with our allies.’

But the advancement of Caine, with his covert operations background, and the removal of the top lawyers would signal a new focus on covert operations – a push that would line up with new terrorism designations for cartels in Latin America – and could set the military up for covert counter-narcotics strikes south of the border. 

‘We could definitely see a change in troop postures in some of these regions we’ve been in for too long, and new missions in Mexico going after the cartels,’ another Hegseth ally said. 

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Among the critics who posted on X Sunday after my Fox News show was one who made an argument that surprised me.

Don’t pay attention to what President Trump says, this person wrote. Pay attention to what he does.

Now that’s a novel idea. What the President of the United States says is unimportant and should be ignored. I doubt that this person applied the same standard to President Joe Biden.

And yet there’s an interesting thought exercise here. Trump says a lot of things, especially since he talks to journalists at length virtually every day. Not everything rises to the same level of seriousness. I say this as someone who has interviewed him many times over the years, including our sitdown two weeks before the election.

Sometimes the president says things just to rile up the press. Sometimes he says things that aren’t true, or are exaggerations or taken out of context.

But more often he says the quiet part out loud, signaling what he plans to do or insulting those with whom he disagrees, the kind of stuff that reporters used to have to attribute to unnamed aides, and he does it in front of the cameras.

At the top of the list right now would be Ukraine. Donald Trump is a smart guy, he knows that Russia invaded its much smaller sovereign neighbor with the aim of wiping it off the map and putting it under Moscow’s control. But he has chosen to blame Ukraine for starting the war, and to insult Volodomyr Zelenskyy as a dictator when everyone knows that label perfectly describes Vladimir Putin.

The most charitable interpretation is that Trump believes the only way to end the war is through an alliance with Putin for a settlement that could then be sold to Ukraine. (The United States voted with Russia yesterday against a U.N. resolution condemning the invasion.) 

Of course, Trump has cozied up to Putin for a long time. During their Helsinki summit in the first term, the president accepted Putin’s denial that the Kremlin had hacked into Democratic emails, despite the evidence gathered by his own intelligence agencies.

Trump has repeated again and again that Zelenskyy bears responsibility for the war that just marked its three-year anniversary. Is this aimed at the American public or at Moscow or Kyiv (to put pressure on Ukraine)?  

Journalists keep asking Trump aides and Republican supporters if they agree with the president’s blame-Ukraine approach, and many have simply tried to deflect the question.

In my ‘Media Buzz’ interview with Jason Miller, the longtime Trump confidante and senior adviser to the Trump transition team, he deftly avoided contradicting the president.

‘What President Trump has done,’ he said, ‘is he has forced the sides to the table to actually stop the killing and come up with a peace deal. For the last several years. Joe Biden has sat there completely incompetent, doing nothing but fueling and funding more killing and more death.’ 

When I tried again, Miller said of his boss that ‘his legacy really will be as a peacemaker.’

I came back a third time, quoting conservative radio host Mark Levin as saying, ‘This is sick. Ukraine didn’t start this war. What were they supposed to do? Roll over and play dead? They’re just trying to survive.’ 

And I asked: ‘Why is President Trump blaming Zelenskyy for the beginning of the war?’

‘Well, Zelenskyy has a lot of blame. I think that would go to this as well. But again, you want to look into the past, I want to look into the future, what we do to save lives.’ 

Jason Miller was doing his job. A similar scenario played out on the other Sunday shows.

On ‘Fox News Sunday,’ my colleague Shannon Bream asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether it was fair to say that Russia was unprovoked when it attacked Ukraine. He replied that it was ‘fair to say it’s a very complicated situation.’

Stressing that Trump wants to end the war, Hegseth said: ‘‘You’re good, you’re bad; you’re a dictator, you’re not a dictator; you invaded, you didn’t.’ It’s not useful. It’s not productive.’

Another part of my Sunday interview also shed light on Trump’s use of language.

The president had told reporters: ‘I think we should govern the District of Columbia, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful.’ 

The District has enjoyed home rule for 50 years, although Congress retains the power to overturn its laws. The capital, like most cities, grapples with crime, poverty and other urban ills.

I asked point blank: Is the president ready to end home rule in D.C.?

Miller said Mayor Muriel Bowser is largely doing a good job, adding: ‘I think part of the reason why President Trump won is because he said he was going to clean up our cities to make them safe. Of course he’s going to put pressure on the District of Columbia.’

So Trump’s words in this instance had a different meaning, as a warning signal to the District.

Oh, I also wondered why Trump keeps referring to Canada as the 51st state when that’s not going to happen.

‘The president’s having a little bit of fun with it. But he’s also making some very serious points.’

My online detractor was wrong. It’s important to pay attention to the president’s words, especially for the media, which have a tendency to overreact to some of his language. The challenge is deciphering when he’s dead serious, when he’s sending signals, and when he’s just trolling. 

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the suspension of Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman on appeal but reduced the length from 10 games to eight.

The NHL Player Safety department announced on Feb. 3 that Hartman was suspended for 10 games for roughing against the Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle. It said Hartman ‘used his forearm to violently slam’ Stutzle’s head into the ice during a faceoff late in the second period of a Feb. 1 game.

Hartman had been suspended four times previously in his career, including three games last April for throwing his stick in the direction of an on-ice official. He also has been fined seven times, including once in January 2024 for high-sticking an opponent during a faceoff. The department noted that he has been disciplined roughly once every 60 games.

The NHL Players’ Association appealed, arguing Hartman’s action wasn’t intentional and that 10 games was too high compared with previous roughing suspensions.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, the first appeal is heard by the commissioner, then can be appealed to an independent arbitrator. Bettman heard the case on Feb. 14 in Montreal.

The commissioner disagreed with Hartman’s contention that the incident was accidental. He said that if Hartman were off-balance and bracing himself on the play, there were other actions he could have taken.

But Bettman agreed to the NHLPA’s request to reduce the suspension to eight games. Though precedent allows for an increase in suspension length for repeat offenders, Bettman argued that a jump of seven games from the three-game April suspension was ‘excessive.’

‘In light of Mr. Hartman’s prior suspension of three games, I believe that a suspension of eight games should be sufficient to serve as an appropriate ‘wake-up call to Mr. Hartman, causing him to re-evaluate his conduct on the ice and make positive changes to his game,’ Bettman wrote.

Hartman has already served four games of the suspension and is eligible to return on March 4.

The original suspension would have cost Hartman $487,804.90 in lost pay. That figure drops to more than $390,000.

The suspension, which had been the longest this season, now matches the eight games given to the New York Rangers’ Matt Rempe.

Ducks’ Trevor Zegras suspended for three games

NHL Player Safety suspended Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras for three games for interference against the Detroit Red Wings’ Michael Rasmussen during Sunday’s game.

‘Outside the window where a check may be legally finished, Zegras delivers a late high hit that makes significant contact with Rasmussen’s head,’ the department said in its suspension video.

Rasmussen was injured on the play Sunday. Zegras will forfeit nearly $90,000 in pay.

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