2025

Trent Baalke won’t be leading the Jacksonville Jaguars into the team’s next era after all.

The team announced Wednesday it was parting ways with its general manager, a little more than two weeks after the organization initially announced it would retain Baalke but fire coach Doug Pederson.

“Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately,’ owner Shad Khan said in a statement. ‘Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons.’

Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager, Khan said.

The news comes on the same day that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen withdrew from consideration for the Jaguars’ coaching vacancy, per multiple reports. Coen had been scheduled to have a second interview with the Jaguars this week, along with former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, according to multiple reports.

All things Jaguars: Latest Jacksonville Jaguars news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Jaguars also lost out on former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who interview with Jacksonville on Jan. 11 but opted to take the Chicago Bears’ head-coaching position.

In explaining his initial decision to retain Baalke, Khan balked at the idea that the franchise was due for wholesale changes.

‘What is a complete overhaul of the franchise?’ Khan asked on a Zoom call with reporters. ‘Health and wellness of the players, medical statistics, analysis, scouting, and a number of other elements along with contract administration, all of those areas we have really changed (and) improved certainly over the last four or five years. So to change all of that is almost like suicidal.’

Baalke was hired by the Jaguars in 2020 as director of player personnel. He was elevated to the interim general manager role after David Caldwell’s firing in November 2020 and then was promoted to the full-time role.

The Jaguars finished 4-13 in 2024 after Khan made clear his high expectations by saying before this season that this was ‘the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever.’

After firing Pederson, Khan said he took issue with the tactical approaches that had been deployed, saying ‘we are the most predictable team on both sides of the ball.’

This story has been updated with new information.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Bears’ new hire, Ben Johnson, is one of youngest NFL head coaches

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson is the latest offensive guru to get his first NFL head coaching job before his 40th birthday − and the latest example of an ongoing trend in hiring by the league’s owners.

The Bears formally introduced Johnson, 38, as their new head coach Wednesday, making him the second-youngest coach in the league behind Mike Macdonald of Seattle, who was hired last year. He is also the 14th coach in his 30s to be hired as an NFL head coach over the past five years − a group that is mostly white and with an expertise on the offensive side of the ball, like Johnson.

Over the past five years, more than 1 in 3 of the head coaching vacancies in the NFL have been filled by someone in their 30s as the average age of NFL head coaches has continued to decline, USA TODAY Sports data shows.

The trend has been colloquially referred to as the ‘Sean McVay Effect’ following McVay’s success with the Los Angeles Rams, who hired him at 30. (McVay, despite entering his ninth season at the helm, is just four months older than Johnson.)

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

How did Ben Johnson get his NFL coaching start?

A former walk-on quarterback at North Carolina, Johnson spent a few years coaching in college at Boston College before getting his first NFL job in 2012, when the Miami Dolphins hired him as an offensive assistant. He was just 26 at the start of his first season as an NFL coach.

Johnson was later promoted to position coach and retained during a head-coaching change. He left Miami for Detroit in 2019, where he worked his way up to tight ends coach, passing game coordinator and, eventually, offensive coordinator.

Is Ben Johnson the youngest coach in the NFL?

No. At the time of his hiring, Johnson was just the second-youngest head coach in the league, behind Macdonald.

At the time of his hiring, there were still five other teams with head-coaching vacancies: The Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. The only other head coach hired so far this month was New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who is 49.

Who are the youngest head coaches in the NFL?

Here are the ages of the 10 youngest head coaches in the NFL, as of January 2025.

Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (37 years, 6 months)
Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears (38 years, 8 months)
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams (38 years, 11 months)
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings (39 years, 7 months)
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts (39 years, 8 months)
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (40 years, 5 months)
Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans (40 years, 7 months)
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (41 years, 8 months)
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins (41 years, 10 months)
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals (42 years old)

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Sports

Jets hire former standout player as new coach

The New York Jets have taken the first major step in getting their rebuild off the ground.

The Jets on Wednesday hired Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach, the team announced.

Glenn, 52, held a second interview in person with the Jets on Tuesday, just three days after the Lions were eliminated in the divisional round playoff game, thereby freeing up the team’s assistants to be hired. He had been scheduled to have a second interview with the New Orleans Saints later this week, according to multiple reports.

Now, the former NFL cornerback will serve as the leader of the franchise for which he played from 1994-2001, earning two of his three career Pro Bowl nods. He also began his post-playing NFL career with the Jets as a scout.

“This place is special for me,’ said Glenn in a statement. ‘From the time I was drafted and practiced on Long Island, to the time I came back as a scout in New Jersey, this organization has always felt like home. I’m thankful to (owner Woody) Johnson for this opportunity. To our players, prepare to be coached with everything we have. That is our responsibility. I ask that we share the same vision and that’s working towards winning a championship. To our fans, simply put, expect a winning team that you will be proud of.”

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Glenn becomes the second Lions coordinator to leave for a top job with another team this week after Ben Johnson agreed to terms on a deal with the Chicago Bears on Monday.

In Detroit, Glenn deployed an aggressive defense that managed to rank seventh in points allowed in 2024 despite a rash of personnel losses, with 12 players from the unit finishing the year on injured reserve.

His scheme that runs heavy on man coverage and blitzes should carry over to New York, which features top talent in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, among others. But despite ranking third in yards allowed for the second consecutive year, the defense finished 20th in points allowed, with the unit wavering after defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich took over as interim coach after Robert Saleh was fired.

New York finished 5-12 in 2024, extending the league’s longest active postseason drought to 14 seasons.

The Jets are still without a general manager after firing Joe Douglas in November.

Perhaps the biggest question facing Glenn will be whether Aaron Rodgers is part of the team’s plans for 2025. The quarterback remains under contract but has acknowledged his future with the organization is uncertain.

‘I think everybody understands that it’s going to come down to a GM and a coach and myself and whether we all want to do a dance together or if it’s not in the cards,’ said Rodgers on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ last week.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Politics

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to a probable weekend session to confirm Trump nominees

We’re quickly approaching the fourth weekend of 2025.

And the Senate is already running behind.

This could trigger weekend Senate sessions as Senate Republicans try to accelerate the process on some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Senators failed to forge a time agreement to expedite the confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe.

So, here are some Senate vocabulary terms for you.

Cloture, filibuster and ripen.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed ‘cloture’ Tuesday to break filibusters on three nominees, starting with Ratcliffe. ‘Invoking cloture’ is the parliamentary means to break a filibuster.

A filibuster is in the eyes of the beholder. A filibuster could be a way to hold something up via a lengthy speech. It could be a way to just object and sidetrack the Senate’s course. Or, it could be implied that senators who plan to deploy either option. Thus, the Senate Majority Leader gets the joke. He knows he must ‘file cloture’ to terminate the ‘filibuster.’

Democrats appear dug in on Ratcliffe. So Thune took the procedural step of filing cloture petitions to overcome a filibuster on the the Ratcliffe nomination, but also for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem.

By rule, once cloture is filed, it must ‘ripen’ for a day before the Senate may consider it. Thune filed cloture on Ratcliffe Tuesday. Therefore Wednesday serves as the intervening day. The Senate could vote to break the filibuster one hour after the Senate meets on Thursday at 10 am et. By rule, the cloture vote can begin at 11 am et. That will only need 51 yeas to break the filibuster.

CIA Director is not recognized as a full-level cabinet position. So the ‘post cloture’ time is limited to only two hours – not the full 30 hours of debate allowed for all cabinet level slots.

Thus, if the Senate breaks the filibuster on Thursday, a vote to confirm Ratcliffe as CIA Director could come just two hours later. Confirmation only needs 51 votes.

Next in the queue is the Hegseth nomination. And the process starts all over again.

Fox has learned that unless there is a time agreement to accelerate debate on nominees, it is possible that the confirmation vote on Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could come late Friday night or in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

So let’s say the Senate clears the filibuster on Ratcliffe by late morning. It debates his nomination for a couple of hours. That means the Senate could vote by 3 or 4 p.m. ET to confirm Ratcliffe.

Once Ratcliffe is confirmed, Hegseth is next. The Senate could then vote to break the filibuster on Hegseth on Thursday afternoon. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, that would then trigger up to 30 hours of debate. If all time is used, final confirmation on Hegseth could come late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Regardless, this is where things get interesting:

Fox is told it’s possible there could be a tie on the confirmation vote for Hegseth. It’s about the math. Republicans have 53 members. Fox is told to keep an eye on Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. All have played their cards close to the vest as to their opinions on Hegseth. If they vote nay, Vice President Vance could need to come to the Capitol to break the tie and confirm Hegseth as Defense Secretary.

No vice president had ever broken a tie to confirm a cabinet secretary until former Vice President Mike Pence did so to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary on February 7, 2017. Pence also broke ties to confirm former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., as ambassador for religious freedom in 2018. He also broke a tie to confirm current Budget Director nominee Russ Vought as Deputy Budget Director in 2018.

Once the Senate dispenses with the Hegseth nomination, it’s on to a procedural vote for Noem. The Senate would need to break a filibuster on Noem’s nomination. If that vote comes late Friday/early Saturday, the Senate could vote to confirm Noem midday Sunday if they burn all time. If the vote to break the filibuster on Noem comes at a ‘normal’ hour Saturday (say 10 or 11 am et), the Senate doesn’t vote to confirm Noem until Sunday night or Monday if all time is required.

Thune also filed cloture on the nomination of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent late Thursday. So that’s up once Noem is confirmed. If all time is used, Bessent isn’t confirmed until early next week.

And so it goes.

‘Do you all have your sleeping bags and cots?’ asked Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Everyone is settling in for a slog.

‘Right now it appears there’s every indication that votes will be taking place through Saturday. We’ll see if that goes into Sunday or Monday without any days in between. But right now, I’m planning on being there for the weekend for votes,’ said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.

‘I’m happy to be here all weekend, if that’s what it takes,’ said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

That said, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned that things sometimes accelerate in the Senate. Especially when there’s chatter of late-night votes and weekend sessions.

‘I think I’ve seen this game before,’ said Durbin Tuesday. ‘I think it ends with an accommodation and a bipartisan agreement. So I wouldn’t jump too quickly now to reach a conclusion.’

That said, there are two factors afoot:

Democrats want to make a point about their reservations Trump nominees – especially those with whom they vehemently disagree or believe are unqualified. So politically, it’s important that they go to the mat and show their base they’re standing up to the President and his cabinet.

By the same token, this is Thune’s first rodeo as Majority Leader. He needs to establish his bona fides as Leader. Politically, Thune must demonstrate he’s fighting for Mr. Trump and his nominees – and willing to keep the Senate in session around the clock. In other words, there’s a new sheriff in town.

So, unless something changes, everyone is dialed in for some lengthy weekend and even late-night sessions. It’s likely the Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominees.

But it might just take a while.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Trump re-designates Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists: ‘Threatens security of American civilians’

President Trump re-designated the Houthis as a terrorist group on Wednesday, according to the White House.

In an executive order signed on Wednesday, Trump said that the terrorist group ‘threaten[s] the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.’

‘Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which arms and trains terrorist organizations worldwide, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform,’ the order noted.

‘Since seizing most Yemeni population centers by force from the legitimate Yemeni government in 2014-2015، the Houthis have launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure, including multiple attacks on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia, the deadly January 2022 attacks on the United Arab Emirates, and more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel since October 2023.’

This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Danish lawmaker addressing EU tells Trump to ‘f— off’ over Greenland bid

A Danish Member of European Parliament (MEP) seethed at U.S. President Donald Trump amid his bid to have Greenland sold or ceded to the United States.

MEP Anders Vistisen, a member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, addressed Trump’s efforts at an EU session in Strasburg, France.

‘Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale,’ Vistisen said.

Appearing to cue into the American president’s occasional salty language, Vistisen said he would put his remarks in ‘words you might understand.’

‘Mr. Trump, f— off,’ said Vistisen. The remark drew a formal reprimand from European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță, who, however, suggested he too has reservations about Trump.

‘If the translation was correct, the term you used is not allowed in this House, and there will be consequences to the message you have used,’ said Ștefănuță, who represents Romania.

‘It is not OK in this House of Democracy. Regardless of what we think of Mr. Trump, it is not possible to use such language.’

First son Donald Trump Jr. led a small delegation to Nuuk — the Greenlandic capital — prior to the inauguration and met with members of the public and reportedly held a luncheon.

Both Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen have said the landmass is not for sale.

The island enjoys relative autonomy in domestic affairs and relies on Copenhagen for foreign policy and support.

The U.S. does, however, retain a U.S. Space Force presence on Greenland — at Pituffik (formerly Thule) Air Base near Savissivik.

Just over 100 years ago, the U.S. did successfully purchase Danish lands from Copenhagen.

King Christian X of Denmark and the U.S. Senate both ratified a 1916 treaty that led to the purchase of what are now the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Then-President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, approved the treaty.

Wilson’s Secretary of State Frank Polk said the island chain’s people would have American nationality but not the ‘political status of citizens,’ according to the State Department’s archives.

Residents were, however, later given full citizenship through a 1932 act of Congress.

With its roots as the Danish West Indies and originally home to British expatriates, it is also the only U.S. territory where driving on the left side of the road is the law.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Stocks

Discover the BEST Way to Spot TREND CHANGES

In this exclusive StockCharts video, Joe demonstrates how to use the 1-2-3 reversal pattern as a buy signal on the weekly chart. This approach can be used when the monthly chart is in a strong position. Joe shares how to use MACD and ADX to help when the trendline pattern isn’t clear, then shows the commodity charts and the shifts that are taking place. Finally, he goes through the symbol requests that came through this week, including VST, BLK, and more.

This video was originally published on January 22, 2025. Click this link to watch on Joe’s dedicated page.

Archived videos from Joe are available at this link. Send symbol requests to stocktalk@stockcharts.com; you can also submit a request in the comments section below the video on YouTube. Symbol Requests can be sent in throughout the week prior to the next show.

Business

With Trump digital coins, billions of dollars — and crypto’s credibility — are at stake

The creation of billions of dollars of digital wealth for the Trump Organization started with a social media post Friday.

At 9:44 p.m. ET, the then-president-elect announced the creation of a new digital token: $TRUMP.

“My NEW Official Trump Meme is HERE! It’s time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!” Donald Trump’s X account posted. “Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR $TRUMP NOW. Go to http://gettrumpmemes.com — Have Fun!”

The announcement came with little fanfare. But what would ensue in the coming days — including wild price swings and Melania Trump’s own digital token — would roil the crypto community, including some Trump supporters, just as he was set to return to the Oval Office.

The $TRUMP and $MELANIA tokens, as they’re referred to on social media, belong to the crypto category known as memecoins — digital assets that use blockchain technology similar to bitcoin.

Because there is no asset like underlying cash flows backing memecoins like $TRUMP and $MELANIA, anyone who owns them will only make money if they sell them at a higher price than at which they bought them.

That includes the coin creators — and Trump and his family — themselves.

Though long a part of the crypto universe, memecoins have in recent months enjoyed a resurgence after Trump emerged victorious in November and promised to embrace blockchain technology and crypto markets.

In the case of $TRUMP and $MELANIA, the coins were launched on Solana, a blockchain that collects fees to process transactions and is known for faster throughput, meaning it is less prone to seizing up when transaction volumes are high. It is not clear who knew about their launch before it occurred aside from the coins’ developers and the Trump Organization.

The slew of recent memecoin launches have triggered fresh skepticism and warnings about scams due to the freewheeling nature of memecoins. Because they are not formal investment vehicles, they are almost entirely unregulated, and anybody can start one under any name at any time, often for free. Platforms like CoinMarketCap that track digital tokens showed dozens of duplicate TRUMP coins.

Bloomberg News summarized memecoin sales as “the crystallization of ‘greater fool’ investing, of an asset that’s only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it at a given moment in time.”

“I’m not sure people quite grasp how much of the crypto world is reacting to the Trump memecoin launches,” Molly White, a software engineer and cryptocurrency chronicler, posted on X alongside screenshots from reactions that ranged from frustration to anger.

White later told NBC News that the launch of the coins seemed to dash hopes from some that Trump would help further legitimize the crypto industry.

“There’s now a fear that people who are not super familiar with this industry will see it as a cash grab and not see all the good uses of crypto that exist,” she said. “They worry this will give crypto a bad name.”

Part of that frustration centered on Trump’s recent emergence as a champion for all things crypto. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made clear his support for crypto, speaking at the annual Bitcoin Conference and pledging to consider creating a “strategic bitcoin reserve” that would see the U.S. purchase billions’ worth of the cryptocurrency in a bid to encourage price support and adoption. Trump has also launched a line of NFTs, and his family launched a crypto banking platform last year.

And Trump’s memecoin looked poised to be a major success, at least at first. The price of $TRUMP took off almost immediately, and by Saturday morning a single coin was trading at $75 — a 650% rise, at least, from its Friday launch price. Crypto enthusiasts who track transactions — many blockchains, including the one used by $TRUMP, are public-facing — reported some holders who had bought in early holding millions of dollars’ worth of the token.

A Trump transition team spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The $TRUMP surge suddenly reversed when another coin came on the scene — from Trump’s own spouse.

On Sunday afternoon, Melania Trump’s X account posted that her $MELANIA memecoin was live. Donald Trump’s X account reposted that message.

The price of $TRUMP immediately plunged upon $MELANIA’s appearance, with some suggesting demand for one would eat into interest in the other.

“$MELANIA coin is being viewed as a competitor against $TRUMP coin,” market commentary group The Kobeissi Letter wrote on X. “This has resulted in a sharp drop in demand for $TRUMP.”

Later Sunday, a $BARRON coin also started to trade, further adding to the market concerns. However, $BARRON’s connection, if any, to Trump’s youngest son, Barron, or the Trump family was not clear. No official Trump social media accounts have posted about it.

As the price of $TRUMP began falling, backlash ensued.

“Dear @realDonaldTrump : Please fire whoever recommended going forward with the Melania launch today,” Ryan Selkis, a longtime crypto advocate and political conservative, wrote on X on Sunday as the price of $TRUMP began to fall. “1. They don’t know what they’re doing. 2. They cost you a lot of $ and goodwill. 3. They don’t have your interests in mind.”

By Tuesday, the price of $TRUMP had not recovered from the decline. Still, shortly after Trump’s swearing-in, the combined holdings among the Trump- and Melania-related corporations that launched the coins were worth tens of billions, at least on paper, according to crypto news website CoinDesk — and possibly worth more.

Because all holders’ wallets, including those of Trump and the coin’s creators, are visible on the blockchain, any transactions they’re involved in will be closely watched. And a large sell-off from those wallets would likely trigger a major price fall, according to Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, a firm that monitors crypto projects.

But Redbord said Trump’s celebrity adds a factor that’s worth watching.

“Obviously Trump, because of who he is, elevates a memecoin launch like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” he said.

Trump has released a voluntary ethics document designed to limit private financial interests from shaping his official policy agenda.

But the president’s involvement in the crypto project also raises questions over potential use by illicit actors or foreign governments, Redbord said.

Consumers need to realize that there are “far fewer” protections with memecoins than traditional stocks, he said.

“It’s highly volatile,’ Redbord added, saying ‘consumers really need to understand what they’re investing in, because you’re going to lose big and you could potentially win big.”

Mark Cuban, a technology investor and ardent Trump critic who has also been involved in crypto, warned on X that the Trumps’ direct foray into the industry would usher in a new era of fraudulent activity, with unsavvy investors the victims.

“Hello every scam targeted at everyone and anyone who has no clue about crypto,” Cuban said on X on Monday about the coins. “Good bye whatever hope the crypto industry had of legitimizing itself.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Sports

NBC picks its play-by-play voice for NBA game coverage in 2025-26

NBC has found its face of its NBA coverage.

The network announced Wednesday that Mike Tirico, who also anchors NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ play-by-play duties and its coverage of the Olympics, will serve as lead play-by-play voice for NBA broadcasts.

Tirico had previously covered the NBA as one of ESPN’s play-by-play announcers from 2002-16. In his career, Tirico has served as play-by-play announcer for around 375 regular season and playoff games, according to NBC. Tirico also served during his time at ESPN as a play-by-play announcer for NBA games on ESPN Radio.

He joined NBC in 2016 and has also covered tentpole events like the Kentucky Derby, major golf tournaments like the U.S. Open and the Indianapolis 500.

“I could not be more thrilled about returning courtside to call NBA games,” Tirico said in a news release published Wednesday. “My 15 years of chronicling the best basketball players in the world still stands as one of the highlights of my career. Like so many others, my love of the league took hold during the unforgettable days of the NBA on NBC back in the ’90s. The chance to be a part of the team bringing that iconic partnership back to life has us incredibly excited.”

NBC said that Tirico will work one or more NBA games per week once the NFL season and the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics conclude in February 2026. Still, Tirico may call notable games early in the 2025-26 NBA season, including the tip off game in October 2025.

“From the Olympics to ‘Sunday Night Football’ to major golf championships and now the NBA, Mike is the most versatile voice in sports,” NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said in the news release.

Tirico will join former NBA player Jamal Crawford, who will be NBC’s game analyst during broadcasts.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Reports: Jets hire former standout player as new coach