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Mike Wazowski, Boo and Sulley are ready for their ‘Monday Night Football’ closeup.

ESPN revealed during halftime of the Week 8 ‘MNF’ contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Commanders that the 2025 ‘Funday Football’ featuring ‘Monsters, Inc.’ will be Dec. 8 when the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers face off.

The animated alt-cast, which places viewers in the Monsters Inc. world with characters serving as avatars for the on-screen action, will be available on ESPN2, Disney+ or the Disney Channel (or the ESPN app), while the normal telecast will air on ESPN and ABC. The ‘Cheer Floor’ will replace the famous ‘Scare Floor’ popularized by the movie series.

Sony’s Beyond Sports and Hawk-Eye are the technological powers that make it all possible. In 2023, the idea of an animated alt-cast debuted with ‘Toy Story’ and ‘The Simpsons.’ Paramount has also experimented with the format and aired a ‘SpongeBob’ alt-cast during Super Bowl 58, for example.

As for the ‘Monsters, Inc.’ cast, Mike will be pulling for the Eagles – the green makes sense – and Sulley will be cheering for the Chargers, as they seek to fill ‘cheer’ cannisters, which replace the ‘scream’ cannisters from the movies.

Drew Carter and Dan Orlovsky will be on the call thanks to special virtual-reality headsets. Billy Crystal (Wazowski), John Goodman (Sulley) and Bob Peterson (Roz) all return to voice their original characters through prerecorded lines.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The NHL’s Frozen Frenzy is back on Tuesday, Oct. 28, with all 32 teams in action and featuring staggered starts to allow for continuous watching.

This is the third year that ESPN is putting on the night-long hockey fest, which features three games on the main channel and the rest on ESPN+, including an NFL RedZone-style whip-around program that does live highlights and look-ins.

The 16 games feature top teams facing off and the chance to watch the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares potentially hit milestones.

Here are the 16 games, a ranking of the best ones, and how to watch and stream the evening’s action:

NHL Frozen Frenzy games today

All times ET

Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers, 6 p.m. | ESPN
Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs, 6 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes, 6:30 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres, 6:45 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins, 7:15 p.m.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators, 7:45 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues, 8:15 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN
Ottawa Senators at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:45 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
Utah Mammoth at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m.
New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at Seattle Kraken, 10:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks, 11 p.m. | ESPN

Ranking the best Frozen Frenzy games

Washington at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.: There’s a chance to view history. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin can become the first NHL player to score 900 regular-season goals. He broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for most goals in league history last season, currently sits at 899 and has 12 goals in 27 career games against the Stars. Ovechkin, 40, needed three goals heading into the season to reach the milestone and has two in his first nine games.
New Jersey at Colorado, 9 p.m. ET: They’re meeting for the second game in a row. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime on Sunday, Oct. 26 for their eighth consecutive victory, giving them the league’s best record. The Avalanche have only one regulation loss and are second in the Central Division with a 5-1-4 record. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes scored twice in the game, including overtime, and is tied atop the league with eight goals. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, a former Hart Trophy winner, is tied for fifth in the league with 14 points.
Vegas at Carolina, 6:30 p.m.: Another meeting of teams off to great starts. The Golden Knights have one regulation loss and the Hurricanes have two. One of those was a 4-1 loss to Vegas on Oct. 20. The Golden Knight’s Jack Eichel is tied for the league lead with 16 points, and Carolina’s Seth Jarvis is tied for the league with four game-winning goals.
Calgary at Toronto, 6 p.m.: Another potential milestone on tap. Maple Leafs center John Tavares needs one goal for 500 in his career. He ranks fourth in goals since the former No. 1 overall pick entered the league in the 2009-10 season.
N.Y. Rangers at Vancouver, 10 p.m.: The J.T. Miller trade was one of the bigger ones last season, and this is his first time back in Vancouver. Miller, who was moved because he and Elias Pettersson had a reported rift, has become the Rangers’ captain.

What channel is Frozen Frenzy on?

Three games – Pittsburgh-Philadelphia, Washington-Dallas and Los Angeles-San Jose – will be aired on ESPN. The live look-in show will air on ESPN2 from 6-7:30 p.m. ET before shifting to streaming. John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes are hosting.

Stream NHL games on ESPN and ESPN+

How to stream Frozen Frenzy

The other 13 games are available individually on ESPN+. The whip-around coverage from all 16 games starts at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+. Fubo will stream the three games being shown on ESPN.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

President Barack Obama was angry with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her quick endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 election, according to a new book.

An excerpt from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl’s upcoming book, ‘Retribution,’ asserts that Pelosi and Obama had come to an understanding that Harris ‘should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged.’ Nevertheless, Pelosi handed her an endorsement within 24 hours of Biden’s withdrawal.

‘The Obamas were not happy,’ a source close to Pelosi told Karl, according to an excerpt obtained by the Daily Mail.

‘This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f–k did you just do?’’ Karl wrote.

The book asserts that Obama had deep concerns about Harris’ ability to beat President Donald Trump and wanted Democrats to hold an open convention.

‘Obama and Pelosi — arguably the two most influential figures in the Democratic Party — had privately agreed to abstain from making any endorsements,’ Karl wrote.

‘The former president wanted to know what had happened. Why had Pelosi issued a statement endorsing Harris so soon? Hadn’t he and Pelosi agreed days earlier that party leaders anointing the vice president as Biden’s replacement would be a mistake?’ Karl added.

Obama gave Pelosi an angry phone call, during which Pelosi argued ‘that train has left the station,’ when Biden endorsed Harris during his withdrawal message.

The source close to Pelosi claimed Obama sounded ‘genuinely irritated’ on the call.

Obama himself ultimately waited five days after Biden’s withdrawal before offering his endorsement to Harris in a joint phone call with his wife, Michelle.

‘We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,’ Obama said.

Michelle chimed in, ‘I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.’

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U.S. airline travelers are beginning to feel the effects of the ongoing government shutdown. And with no clear end in sight, it’s increasingly likely that Americans could be grappling with flight delays and cancellations just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tuesday marks Day 28 of the shutdown. It’s also the first day that air traffic controllers and other federal workers will see a paycheck showing $0 — putting added strain on a sector that is already dealing with a declining workforce and difficult employment conditions.

‘This Democrat-led shutdown is putting an unnecessary strain on our nation’s aviation system, putting more flights at risk for delays or cancellation,’ Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chair of the House Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.

After speaking with air traffic controllers directly, Nehls said, ‘They’ve shared their growing concerns about fatigue, distraction and financial hardship as they continue performing essential work without pay.’

‘The busy holiday season is quickly approaching, and the traveling public deserves a safe, efficient, and reliable travel experience. If Senate Democrats continue to refuse to do the right thing and pass the clean continuing resolution, the situation will only get worse,’ Nehls said.

Still, the looming payday hasn’t loosened Senate Democrats from their dug-in position. 

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that the blame game against Democrats over air traffic controllers, and other looming issues like federal food benefits soon running out of money, were ‘all things that the Republicans have been cutting back on.’ 

He noted to Fox News Digital that the administration fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees earlier this year based on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

‘These are things that they’ve constantly been attacking and putting the strain and pressure on air traffic controllers, and now they’re pretending like they care about this, and I just find that to be disingenuous,’ Kim said. ‘And it’s just using our federal workers as pawns when we know that this administration has done everything that they could to decimate and dismantle our civil service and our public service.’

The Senate may vote on a bill this week from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that would pay air traffic controllers, but so far Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not teed it up. Thune said they’d ‘see what the temperature is of our senators’ on that and other funding issues, but he reiterated that the easiest way to pay all federal workers would be to reopen the government. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed a sentiment many Senate Democrats have shared about Cruz’s bill and others like it that would incrementally fund parts of the government; it can’t give President Donald Trump ‘carte blanche to do what he wants.’ 

When asked by Fox News Digital about criticism from Republicans over congressional Democrats’ role in air traffic controllers missing a pay day, he said, ‘Air traffic controllers have been really admirable in coming to work and doing their job.’

Cruz said that he hoped his bill would get a shot, and when asked what his message to Republicans would be to get the bill on the floor, he said, ‘That the Democrats not paying air traffic controllers is reckless.’  

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers are employed across the U.S. Many already work six days per week, faced with a long-simmering shortage of employees.

Because air traffic controllers are deemed essential workers, they are made to work during shutdowns without pay. Instead, they are expected to get back pay when the shutdown is over.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned late last week that it would mean that many air traffic controllers would be forced to take on another job to make ends meet.

‘If you have a controller that’s working six days a week but has to think about, ‘How am I going to pay the mortgage, how am I to make the car payment, how am I going to put food on my kid’s table?’ They have to make choices, and the choice they’re making is to take a second job,’ Duffy said. ‘I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash. I don’t want them driving Uber. I want them coming to their facilities and controlling the airspace.’

And the effects are being felt already, even far outside of Washington, D.C., where Congress is still gridlocked over federal spending.

Los Angeles International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, was forced to issue a temporary ground stop on Sunday morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

It was just one of 22 locations that faced disruptions over air traffic controller shortages on Sunday, Duffy told ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

There were more than 3,300 delayed flights across the U.S. as of late Monday afternoon, according to airline tracker FlightAware. There were more than 8,700 delays on Sunday.

And several airports, including in Dallas, Austin and Newark, were all under ‘ground delay’ or ‘ground stop’ advisories early Monday evening, according to advisory bulletins from the FAA. Each advisory was due to staffing issues. 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., noted that there were ‘three or four’ fast-approaching pressure points, including the payday for air traffic controllers, that could shake loose deeply entrenched Senate Democrats. 

He noted that it wouldn’t be something inside the walls of Congress that could force negotiations, but ‘something extraneous that forces us to come together.’

‘I think the air traffic control has the most potential to light this place up,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘If the senators can’t go home Thursday night because of air traffic control issues, then I think it really could be a pressure point.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The three-time consecutive NBA Slam Dunk champion has reportedly found a home.

After spending time in the G League with the Orlando Magic and on two-way deals, Mac McClung has signed his first standard NBA contract, with the Indiana Pacers, ESPN reported Monday, Oct. 27.

McClung, 26, has played in just six NBA games in his five-year career. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds across those appearances.

In the G League, McClung was one of the more explosive and productive players. In 30 games last season for the Osceola Magic, he averaged 25.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.

According to ESPN, the deal is non-guaranteed and is a multi-year contract. In order to make room for McClung, the Pacers will waive James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft.

Indiana is contending with numerous injuries in its backcourt. Not only did star guard Tyrese Haliburton tear his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, but Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), Bennedict Mathurin (foot), T.J. McConnell (hamstring) and Johnny Furphy (foot) are all expected to miss at least a few games with their injuries.

Wiseman had made his return from his own torn Achilles tendon, suffered in the first game of the regular season last year, and played in Indiana’s season opener. He started, but played just 20 minutes and scored 4 points and added 4 rebounds.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

President Donald Trump told U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday that the ‘first batch of missiles for Japan’s F-35 fighter jets ‘will arrive this week,’ suggesting that U.S. defense deliveries to Tokyo are moving ahead of schedule.

The comments came during Trump’s hour-long remarks to sailors as part of his wider Asia trip, which included a stop in Malaysia before Japan, where he met with the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and signed a new U.S.-Japan framework agreement on rare earth minerals. Later this week, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Washington has approved several large arms sales to Japan, including advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles designed for F-35s.

Trump praised the U.S.’ alliance with Japan, calling it ‘one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world.’

Prime Minister Takaichi, sharing the stage with Trump, said Japan was ‘committed to fundamentally reinforcing its defense capability’ and ‘ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability in the region.’

Trump also touted Japan’s and the U.S.’ stock markets reaching record highs, saying it was a sign that ‘we’re doing something right.’

Trump’s appearance underscored Washington’s deepening security cooperation with Tokyo as regional tensions with China and North Korea persist. Ahead of his Asia trip this week, Trump has made repeated invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no concrete preparations are underway.

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House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a ‘comprehensive’ investigation into former President Joe Biden’s autopen use.

The committee’s GOP majority released a 100-page report on Tuesday morning detailing findings from its months-long probe into Biden’s White House, specifically whether his inner circle covered up signs of mental decline in the ex-president, and if that alleged cover-up extended to executive actions signed via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.

‘Faced with the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden, White House aides — at the direction of the inner circle — hid the truth about the former president’s condition and fitness for office,’ the report said.

The report also detailed a ‘haphazard documentation process’ for pardons made by Biden, which the committee argued left room for doubt over whether the former president made those decisions himself.

‘In the absence of sufficient contemporaneous documentation indicating that cognitively deteriorating President Biden himself made a given executive decision, such decisions do not carry the force of law and should be considered void,’ the GOP report said.

‘The Department of Justice should immediately conduct a review of all executive actions taken by President Biden between January 20, 2021, and January 19, 2025. Given the patterns and findings detailed herein, this review should focus particularly on all acts of clemency. However, it should also include all other types of executive actions.’

In addition to concerns about who signed off on Biden’s executive actions, Comer spent part of the report raising concerns about Hunter Biden’s role in the pardon process.

Fox News Digital previously reported that ex-Biden Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told investigators that Hunter Biden was in the room for some pardon discussions — specifically the controversial preemptive pardons the ex-president gave to his relatives.

‘It was towards the end,’ said a portion of Zients’ transcript included in the report. ‘What comes to mind is the family discussions. But I don’t know — that doesn’t mean that was it. It was the pardons towards the end, very end of the administration. And I think it was a few meetings, not many meetings.’

Comer’s report said, ‘Zients testified that President Biden included his son, Hunter Biden, in the decision-making process for and meetings about pardons.’

‘This apparently included the meeting to discuss the pardons of five Biden family members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and the members of Congress who served on the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and their staff,’ the report said.

The Oversight Committee called a total of 14 witnesses across three months, mainly consisting of top Biden administration aides — including some who had known him for decades.

Despite nearly 47 hours of interviews and sworn depositions, however, Comer suggested he believed aides covered for Biden even in the committee room.

‘Throughout the Committee’s investigation, senior Biden White House aides presented a perspective of President Biden’s cognitive health completely disconnected from that of the American public,’ the report said.

‘Not one of the Committee’s 14 witnesses was willing to admit that they ever had a concern about President Biden being in cognitive decline. In fact, numerous witnesses could not recall having a single conversation about President Biden’s cognitive health with anyone inside or outside of the White House.’

Comer spent a significant amount of time in the report criticizing former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. O’Connor’s sworn deposition was among the shortest sit-downs of the investigation, with the doctor having invoked the Fifth Amendment for all questions save for his name.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital alongside the report, Comer called for the D.C. Health Board of Medicine to investigate O’Connor — and potentially bar him from practicing medicine.

The GOP report called O’Connor’s alleged decision to not conduct a cognitive exam with Biden during his four-year term ‘reckless’ and accused him of making ‘grossly misleading medical assessments.’

‘His refusal to answer questions about the execution of his duties as physician to the president — combined with testimony indicating that Dr. O’Connor may have succumbed to political pressure from the inner circle, influencing his medical decisions and aiding in the cover-up — legitimizes the public’s concerns that Dr. O’Connor was not forthright in carrying out his ultimate duties to the country,’ the report said.

‘The Committee recommends that the District of Columbia Board of Medicine review the actions taken by Dr. O’Connor while serving as the White House physician to President Biden for any potential wrongdoing in the medical care of the former president –– including whether Dr. O’Connor produced false or misleading medical reports to the American people.’

O’Connor’s lawyers previously told Fox News Digital that he invoked the Fifth Amendment over concerns that the scope of the committee’s probe could run afoul of doctor-patient confidentiality standards.

Biden’s allies have repeatedly denounced Comer’s probe as political and having no basis in reality. 

Multiple people who spoke with the committee have argued that concerns about Biden’s mental acuity were made worse by the media and Republican pundits, particularly after his disastrous June 2024 debate against current President Donald Trump.

In an interview with The New York Times in July, Biden affirmed he ‘made every decision’ on his own.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

This time, it’s (probably) for real.

Days after the Baltimore Ravens found themselves in hot water for incorrectly reporting quarterback Lamar Jackson’s practice participation, head coach John Harbaugh said he’s ‘confident’ Jackson will return this week.

‘We’re expecting him to be out there Thursday night,’ Harbaugh said on Oct. 27.

The Ravens are set for a clash with the Miami Dolphins in the Week 9 edition of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Oct. 30.

Jackson was listed as a full participant in practice on the Ravens’ Oct. 27 injury report. Though that may seem like a strong indication he’ll play against the Dolphins, there could be setbacks later in the week. In addition, Baltimore’s Week 8 snafu means a full participation in practice does not necessarily guarantee a return.

Two days before the Ravens’ Oct. 26 clash with the Chicago Bears in a Week 8 matchup, Baltimore had declared that Jackson was a full participant in an Oct. 24 practice. On Oct. 25, the Ravens released a statement that Jackson was being downgraded from a full participant to a limited participant for the Oct. 24 practice and ruled out for the Oct. 26 game.

‘Lamar Jackson was present for and participated fully in our entire Friday practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bears,’ the statement read. ‘Upon further evaluation and after conferring with the league office, because Lamar didn’t take starter reps in practice, we updated our report to reflect his practice participation.’

USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell received a confirmation from the NFL that the league planned to review the Ravens’ potential violation of its policy on injury reports.

Here’s what to know about Jackson’s status for Week 9:

Lamar Jackson injury update

Jackson is expected to be good to go for the Oct. 30 ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Dolphins.

Harbaugh told reporters on Oct. 27 that he felt ‘very confident’ about Jackson’s health.

‘We’re expecting him to be out there Thursday night,’ Harbaugh said.

The Ravens’ two-time MVP starting quarterback has missed three straight games while dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 4. Baltimore is 2-5 this season – 1-2 in the three games without Jackson – and sits in third place in the AFC North.

Lamar Jackson stats

Jackson has started just four games for the Ravens through eight weeks of the season. Here’s how his stats look through those four starts:

Record: 1-3
Completion rate: 68-of-95 (71.6%)
Passing yards: 869
Touchdowns: 10
Interceptions: 1
Rush attempts: 21
Rushing yards: 166
Yards per rush: 7.9
Rushing touchdowns: 1

Jackson’s 71.6% completion rate and 7.9 yards per rush would both be career-high marks.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES – George Springer delivered the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series. But he might be exiting for good after sustaining an injury in Game 3. 

Springer, Toronto’s designated hitter and leadoff man, winced and immediately walked toward the dugout after a seventh-inning swing as he faced Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski. 

Springer, who has been playing through significant knee pain, clutched his left lower back after his swing, consulted briefly with manager John Schneider and a trainer and walked to the dugout. 

He was replaced by pinch-hitter Ty France, who struck out. 

Springer’s three-run, seventh-inning home run in Game 7 lifted them to victory in the AL Championship Series. He was 3-for-11 in the World Series at the time of injury. 

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LOS ANGELES – Mark Wegner was slow to the draw. And the homeplate umpire cost the Toronto Blue Jays at least one run with his deliberate actions in the second inning of World Series Game 3. 

With Bo Bichette on first base and a 3-1 count on Daulton Varsho, Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow threw a pitch above strike zone. Pitch tracking indicated it was ball four. 

And Wegner, the homeplate umpire, indicated it was ball four – by doing nothing. 

Varsho paused, heard no strike call and took two tentative steps toward first. Bichette wandered toward second base to advance. 

And then Wegner casually initiated his called-strike mechanism. The count was full – but Bichette was about 30 feet off the bag by then. 

And Glasnow tossed the ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman, who tagged Bichette for a huge first out of the inning. 

How huge? Well, Varsho did eventually walk. Alejandro Kirk followed with a single to right field that Bichette certainly would’ve scored on. 

It theoretically could’ve been 1-0 Toronto, with runners on first and second and nobody out. 

Instead, Bichette was erased, Addison Barger struck out and Ernie Clement lined out to center. 

Inning over. No runs for the Blue Jays. And manager John Schneider helpless, save to continue the conversation with Wegner, also the crew chief, between innings. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY